4th Sunday of Lent

There is one word in the English language that has so many problems attached to it that we find it hard to define. We use it for almost everything that we like doing and yet it is one of the most powerful emotions that we as humans can do although very inadequately and that word is love. When we think how many times we use it and yet never really understand it for ourselves.

We see this expression of love in the readings we have heard today. In Paul’s letter we are told that God loves all his creatures’ unconditionally and so therefore does not condemn us.  We as people are classed as God’s work of art. Imagine that now.  If you go round any art gallery you will see art that people have taken a lot of love and care into it. They have as it were loved it into being. God loves us into being. He sees our imperfections our sins and loves us.  He does not judge us. 

There is also another important theme here in the readings today and that is the theme of Hell. IT is something that we don’t often like to think about.  So what is it? We get a glimpse of what it might mean in today’s readings. Just as we are free to love God we are also free to reject him totally. The Catechism sates “This state of definitive self exclusion from communion with God and the blessed is called “Hell.” The words that we need to see here self exclusion it is a free choice. It is something that we chose to do. It is not chosen for us. We turn away from the light of God love.

So how do we turn away from that light of God’s love?  Well the one way that we do this is through sin.  Sin is a selfish act that puts us in a bad relationship between both others and God. It is a deliberate act. It is not respecting the work of art that God has created or recognizing the work of art that it is in other people.  That is why Jesus died to save us from that death of sin and to restore that work of art that God made when we were conceived.

Although we can never really comprehend the true measure of God’s love for us and why his death was a selfless act we can get a small measure of that love through our families. Most of us are lucky to have had or have good loving mothers.  We remember them today and pray for them. We thank God for what they give to us even if is only the opportunity to be on this planet. We may also like to pray to Mary our heavenly mother thanking her and remembering that she is our role model for selfless love.