Meditation John 3:31-36
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son will not see life. (John 3:36)
Near the end of his Gospel, John tells us why he decided to write what he did: “that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life” (John 20:31). John understood that Jesus had come to give the word of God to a needy people. He also knew that Jesus came not only to forgive sins but to give us a new life in his Spirit. And so, wanting to proclaim these truths, the apostle took up his pen and wrote.
Whenever we read the Gospel of John, we can get a glimpse into an evangelist’s heart and pick up some clues on how we too can fulfill the call to proclaim the gospel. And the “clue” in today’s reading is that we should not be afraid to speak the truth directly.
The gospel is good news, and, like all other good news, it’s something we should be eager to talk about. Having received the merciful love of Jesus, we should not be surprised to find ourselves moved to share with others what we have received—love, mercy, and compassion. In his exhortation, On Evangelization in the Modern World, Pope Paul VI wrote that “the Good News proclaimed by the witness of life sooner or later has to be proclaimed by the word of life. There is no true evangelization if the name, the teaching, the life, the promises, the kingdom, and the mystery of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God are not proclaimed” (22).
Jesus wants to take a place of primacy in our minds. He wants to fill our thoughts to the point that we can’t help but talk about him to the people we meet. He wants us to “always be prepared to make a defense . . . for the hope that is in [us]” (1 Peter 3:15). Let us fix our eyes on Jesus and his gift of new life so that we can fearlessly proclaim the promise of salvation in Christ.
“Jesus, give me a heart like yours that longs for all God’s children to return to him. Lead me to people who are seeking and searching for the life that only you can give.”
Acts 5:27-33; Psalm 34:2,9,17-20
With every good wish in Christ,
Ed.......
