[stephenkhoo]

ACCEPTING JESUS AS THE DIVINE MERCY OF THE FATHER IS THE WAY TO SALVATION
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ NUM 21:4-9; JN 8:21-30 ]

We live in our sins, like the Israelites in the desert. This is manifested in the fact that we are not happy, always dissatisfied with life, always complaining. Our hearts are restless. As a result, we will die in our sins. This is to say, our constant dissatisfaction with life will eventually destroy our peace, take away our happiness. Truly, the Israelites were never happy and although set free from the slavery of the Egyptians, their hearts were not free. They were still under the bondage of greed and the worship of false gods. Just as the serpents were attacking the Israelites, our sins will also destroy us. This is what Jesus warns us, “You will die in your sin.”

How will we die in our sin? What does it mean to die in our sins? In the first place, our sins will kill us because sin is anti-life and anti-love. Sin, ultimately, is the lack of love and lack of wisdom. We think of this earth only and only of this life. We then live only for this world as if this is the only world and only life we have on earth. We forget who we are that we are called to be heavenly. As Jesus says, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I have told you already: You will die in your sins.” By living a worldly life based on satisfying our sensual and egoistic needs, we will hurt ourselves because of the sins and wrongs we do to ourselves, and especially the harm we cause to our neighbours. The consequences of sin can be too hard on some of us who are unable to forgive our mistakes and follies in life, especially those faults that cause us to lose our reputation, dignity, status and destroy the unity of the family. We can be so ashamed of ourselves that we dare not face the world again. Some fall into deep depression and end their lives even.

The other reason why we will die in our sins is, as St Paul warns us, the “wages of sin is death.” (Rom 6:23). One sin will lead to another sin. We live in a world contaminated by sin. We are all in some ways under the bondage of sin because of our fallen nature. And the irony is that no matter how much we try to overcome our sinfulness, we find ourselves paralyzed. We are unable to avoid sin completely. Those who try to observe the laws often become proud and self-righteous. They fall into spiritual pride and seek a false independence from God. In other words, regardless of what we do, we will find ourselves trapped in our sins. We feel miserable about ourselves, fearful of the judgment that is to come, as we will never be able to perfect ourselves before God. We live under the false notion that unless we are morally perfect, God will relegate us to hell. We live in guilt and this often surfaces in our nightmares when our conscience is disturbed.

We will be entering into Holy Week soon. The Church is anxious that the Catechumens might still not be ready to reject Satan and all his works. They might not have given up everything to experience the new life because of their sins. Hence, today the liturgy wants to remind us that faith in Christ who, as our Saviour and as the “I Am”, will save us from our sins. By having faith in Him, we will be delivered from our sins. This is also true for all baptized Catholics who will renew their baptismal vow at Easter.

So what is the way out? Jesus said, “You will die in your sins. Yes, if you do not believe that I am He.” The text of today’s gospel is focused on Jesus’ identity. “Who are you?” is the fundamental question. Faith in Jesus’ identity as being sent from the Father is a guarantee of Jesus’ teaching. Only faith in Jesus can rescue us from our sins. He said, “I do nothing of myself; what the Father has taught me is what I preach; he who sent me is with me.” Faith in Jesus is the pre-requisite for confidence in His message. Hence, we must look to Jesus to be saved, since “what I have learnt from him I declare to the world.” Only by taking the words of Jesus seriously and seeking in all sincerity to follow the teachings of Jesus, can we then live in the truth and find the way to life.

But more importantly, salvation is not a matter of observing all the commandments of Jesus meticulously, but believing that He is the unconditional mercy and compassion of the Father. This is what Jesus meant when He said, “Yes, if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins. ….What I have told you from the outset. About you I have much to say and much to condemn; but the one who sent me is truthful, and what I have learnt from him I declare to the world.” In the final analysis, we are not perfect. We belong to the world. That is what Jesus said, “I am going away; you will look for me and you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come….You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.” This realization that we cannot save ourselves by our own efforts and merits forces us to turn to the Lord for mercy instead. Like the psalmist, we can only cry out in prayer for His divine assistance and forgiveness. “Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to you. O Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to you. Hide not your face from me in the day of my distress. Incline your ear to me; in the day when I call, answer me speedily.”

But what is the basis for believing in Jesus as the Unconditional love and mercy of the Father, of the One being sent to reveal to us that God forgives us always and has loved us eternally? Precisely, in His raising up on the cross, which is the symbol of His death and exaltation, we come to ponder on the immensity of God’s merciful love. In the cross, we see the Father’s love revealed. In the cross, we see how sin is destroyed by death. It is the way by which God delivered the Israelites from sin and death, for they used the serpent raised on the pole to save them from the serpents.

In the cross too, and especially at His resurrection, Jesus reveals that the Father “has not left me to myself for I always do what pleases him.” Thus the cross as the symbol of His death and resurrection is the great event of revelation. It reveals that God identifies Himself with Jesus in His death, since only because of His death, His total surrender to the Father in complete trust and obedience, did God raise Him from the dead. By so doing, Jesus is vindicated. But most of all, it shows us that the person whom we crucified turned out to be the One who saves us. Jesus lifted up on the cross reminds us that it is through death that we will be raised to life. In the light of His power and victory over sin and death, we too can surrender all our inadequacies and sins to Him.

Truly, it is when we come to realize that God never leaves us to our sins but that He comes to deliver us from our sins, which we cannot do for ourselves, that we find hope and peace. Like the Israelites and the psalmist, we must trust in God’s mercy instead. God has provided us the remedy for sin by sending us His Son to teach us how to live a life of holiness, and most of all, to convict us of His love for us so that whenever we want to sin, we only have to look at the crucifix and see the pain we are inflicting on Him and the heart of His Father. Looking at the crucifix with faith and trust, we too can share in Christ’s victory over sin and death. Salvation, in the final analysis, is not our doing but that of God. It does not come from us but from Christ’s death and resurrection.

Hence, today, we are called to look upon the cross like the way the Israelites “looked at the bronze serpent and lived.” We are called to look at the cross so that we can recognize our sinfulness and what sin could do, not just to our fellowmen, causing them to suffer so deeply, but even to God Himself. Jesus on the cross reveals to us the suffering of God Himself for us and with us, caused by our sins. It is our greed, anger, laziness, lust, envy and gluttony that have caused so much pain and misery to ourselves and those hurt by us. Hence, we are healed by looking at the cross, just as the people looking at the bronze serpent lifted up on the pole. All of us who truly ponder and reflect on Christ’s passion for us and His innocent suffering on the cross will be able to admit our sins and, moved by sincere sorrow for our faults, begin to ask the Lord for forgiveness. Without this contemplation on His passion and suffering, there will be no true contrition of heart. There is nothing that moves us as much as one who suffers innocently in our place for the love of us. The only life changing motive is when we change, because of love and the realization of how much we have hurt those who love us so much.

Today, in a special way, let us reflect on our sins. Let our sins and misery be occasions to reflect on our lives. But we must not reflect on our sins in themselves, as we will only become disheartened and even hate ourselves. Rather, any examination of our sins must be done in the light of God’s love for us in Christ, which is done by meditating on the passion of Christ. One effective way is to contemplate on Christ’s passion in the Stations of the Cross. But let us do it with devotion, slowly and meditatively, rather than just rushing through it as a ritual and empty devotion. The extent of our conversion will depend on how deeply we enter into the passion of Christ. As we go through the consequences of sin, let us unite ourselves with Jesus in His passion. For through our sufferings, either inflicted upon ourselves on account of our foolishness, or by others, we will be purified, and thus able to share in the resurrection.