GOSPEL MEDITATION
ENCOURAGE DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF SCRIPTURE
Why is the world the way it is? We all wonder that from time to time. Each successive generation projects rose-hued longing on the past and casts furtive glances at the impending future. We see forces beyond our control in nature and in the newspaper. The world is changing and we're being pulled out with the tide.
In the face of this confusion, today's Gospel features one of the most oft-quoted Scripture verses of all time: "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life." But if Christ has come, why is the world so challenging? Why is the world still - to our eyes - being carried off in a proverbial hand basket? Jesus' response is a deeply personal one. "This is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light." Patterns arise, habits are formed, and systems become engrained, but each is the result of an interconnected web of human choices.
Where do we stand? Our answers, perhaps, vary from week to week, hour to hour, missed traffic light to spilled coffee to teenage child's rebellion. The world isn't perfect because we aren't perfect. Our parish is flawed because we're flawed. Our families need work because every one of us needs to be converted. Christianity is a process, not a destination!
This Sunday, Jesus invites us to consider our own lives. Where in our own lives do we prefer darkness to light? What flaws are we trying to hide? Humbly acknowledge those places today. Ask God for the grace to be transformed. Share with your spouse or a friend where you'd like to improve this week. "Whoever loves truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God."