“Living Lives of Integrity: Faith and Works” – 4th Sunday Lent (B) – 3.10.24

St. Mark the Evangelist Parish (Cranberry/Butler, PA)

Mass Readings- https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/031024-YearB.cfm

In today’s Gospel we hear the popular John 3:16 passage that says, “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.”

In this verse we see the core of the entire teaching of our faith. If we can sum up the Gospels in one verse, this would be the verse.

What we also see in this passage that we heard today is the great tenderness of God that is revealed in His love. It says, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.”

In other words, Jesus is saying to us, “I am not here to condemn you. I am here to redeem you.”

In order to redeem us, He must convict us of what we need redeemed from. This is one of the works of the HS, to convict us of our sin. Meaning He shows us in the ways that we have sinned, not to tell us we are terrible people, but that we may turn from our sin and experience His mercy.

What is the verdict that Christ as Judge brings onto humanity? What is He convicting us of? It has to do with both a lack of faith and lack of good works. First, He speaks of a lack of good works.

He says, “the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil.”

This is one of the great tragedies of humanity. Light came into the world to lead us out of the darkness of sin and into the light, but we preferred the darkness to light.

How often do we choose to be in the darkness by sinning versus following Christ into the light that leads to true life?

Many choose the darkness because they don’t want to be exposed by the light. They know what they are doing is sinful, so they keep their actions hidden in the dark.

This is contrasted by those who choose the light, as they know their works are filled with goodness and truth, so they are not afraid of God seeing the goodness of their actions.

The Scripture goes onto say, “But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.”

So, we see the first part of this verdict that Christ makes against us has to do with works. The second part has to do with faith.

“Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”

So again, the verdict is lack of faith and lack of good works.

We believe as Catholics that we need both faith and works in order to be saved. Not that we earn our salvation through any works because salvation is a gift that Christ won for us on the Cross as He opened the door to salvation for each one of us.

However, we still need to make the choice to follow Him. We do this by professing our faith in Jesus Christ, and by doing good works which reveals the depths of our faith.

Another way of putting this is that in order to be saved, we need to live lives of “integrity” in the faith.

We need to ask ourselves the question - “do my works back up the faith that I profess? Or is my profession of faith empty?”

Many say they believe, but their faith is empty because it has no works. They put on the appearance of good faith but when they are exposed to the light they are discovered as frauds.

Living lives of integrity in the faith leads to authenticity in the faith which means that our faith and works back each other up and that what is seen on the surface is backed up when the light is exposed to it.

Not only that, but even more amazingly, when the light shines on the righteous and those who live lives of integrity in the faith, not only do their works match their faith which they have expressed, but the light also exposes all of these beautiful hidden gems that others didn’t see because they did these good works in secret, not seeking the attention of others. These people are filled with integrity and humility.

If our works back up our faith, then we have nothing to fear when the light of Christ’s love shines on us. If our faith is not backed up by works, and our works are revealed as evil, then it makes sense that we will avoid the light at all costs so as not to be exposed.

So we ask ourselves the question again, “do my works back up the faith that I profess? Or is my profession of faith empty?”

May we seek to lives of integrity in the faith, so that our works back up the faith that we profess. May we prefer the light to darkness. And may we thank God every day for the great love He showed for us on the Cross.

“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.”