Whoever lives the truth comes to the light, Lord you teach that people who do wicked things hate the light. They prefer darkness so their works are hidden. Let me live in the light and truth of the Holy Spirit so that I may live an honest life and be a blessing to others for your sake. Give me the grace to be someone who lives the truth.
Fourth Sunday of Lent (Liturgical Year B)
Whoever Lives the Truth Comes to the light
A Reflection for Prayerful Meditation
Join me in a prayerful reflection and meditation for your Lenten journey with Christ to Jerusalem.
Whoever Lives the Truth Comes to the Light
Opening Prayer
Enter into the prayer of silence before the Lord
Lord Jesus Christ,
I believe you are truly here and present to me right now. I desire to be present to you. Guide my heart and mind to be one who lives the truth. Speak to my heart today and show me how I might remain in the light of your grace. I know that you love me with infinite love. I know that whoever lives the truth comes to the light.
I am here, Lord, because I want to live the truth and be in the light of your grace. Please send me your Spirit so that I can worship you with a pure heart and without distraction.
Help me to separate myself from all worldly attachments and spend these 15 minutes reflecting on my need of renewal with my heart and mind completely fixated on you.
Jesus, you are the way, the truth, and the life. Let me come to you and live the truth. You know all my weaknesses and that I can’t elevate my heart or my mind without your help.
Please give me the grace right now to pray my mental prayer well and to love you in a way that is pleasing to you. I want to grow to love you more perfectly. Thank you, Lord, for every consolation, desolation, time of silence, difficult trial, and temptation of the evil one. I understand that everything that happens in my life is by your holy will, whether it be your divine providence or your permissive will due to my sin and negligence.
Please humble me as I walk with you toward Jerusalem. Whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so Lord please give me the grace to be someone who lives the truth.
AMEN.
Say Nothing Just Take Him In
Spend 1-3 minutes in silence gazing at the Lord with love and gratitude, in a prayer of silent contemplation.
Now we will contemplate the Lord by listening to him speak to us in the Gospels. Today we move to Jerusalem for a secret meeting. It is late evening and we are on a rooftop of a private home in a dark, quiet place. The light is dim. Jesus is there, awaiting the arrival of a very well educated wealthy man of high esteem, a member of the Sanhedrin and a Pharisee. Jesus is illuminated by the dim light but as the man steps into view in his blue tunic and grey mantle with fringes on the corners, Jesus begins to have an inward glow on his face….
Whoever Lives the Truth Comes to the Light
As Moses Lifted up the Serpent
John 3:14-21
Jesus said to Nicodemus, “And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”
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. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.
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.
And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed.
But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.
Reflection:
Let us meditate on what Jesus means when he says, “And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil.”
Have you ever had a bad habit that you were ashamed of? Was it something you tried to hide from others because you were embarrassed about it or didn’t want them to lose respect for you? Did you somehow know in your conscience this was an evil thing to do?
Jesus refers to himself when he talks about the light that came into the world. Why do we tend to reject his light and love for our evil habits? What stops us from changing our hearts and minds and renewing ourselves?
Jesus, please help me come into the light of truth. Give me the grace to prefer the light of truth to the darkness of my evil habits. I want to renew myself and begin a new life in you. AMEN.
Now listen to the second part of Jesus’ teaching, “But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.”
In what way does this statement from Jesus captivate your heart? Living in truth makes us pure of heart, honest, trustworthy, and transparent. In many ways, whoever lives the truth is kept from guilt and shame or having to hide behind a mask.
Take a moment to ask Jesus questions from your heart. Maybe you want to ask him how to live the truth and overcome your guilt and shame of the past.
Give the Holy Spirit time to respond. Wait on the Lord. Be honest with Jesus and tell him your shame, things you are not proud of that you hide from others, things you want to change about yourself but you can’t without his help.
Linger a moment and wait for his response. Has he shown you something? You may want to write it down.
Let us continue our mental prayer with a meditation from Saint John Chrysostom:
Whoever Lives the Truth Comes to the Light
The Serpent in the Desert
and Christ on the Cross
by St. John Chrysostom
Do you see the cause of the Crucifixion, and the salvation by it?
Do you see the relationship of the type to the reality?
There [when Moses lifted up the bronze serpent] the Jews escaped death, but the temporal, here [when Christ died on the Cross and was resurrected] believers escaped the eternal; there the hanging serpent healed the bites of serpents, here the Crucified Jesus cured the wounds inflicted by the spiritual dragon; there he who looked with his bodily eyes was healed, here he who beholds with the eyes of his understanding put off all his sins; there that which hung was brass fashioned into the likeness of a serpent, here it was the Lord’s Body, built by the Spirit; there a serpent bit and a serpent healed, here death destroyed and a Death saved.
But the snake which destroyed had venom, that which saved was free from venom; and so again was it here, for the death which slew us had sin with it, as the serpent had venom; but the Lord’s Death was free from all sin, as the brazen serpent from venom.
For, saith Peter, “He did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth.” (1 Pet 2:22). And this is what Paul also declares, “And having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.” (Col 2:16).
For as some noble champion by lifting on high and dashing down his antagonist, renders his victory more glorious, so Christ, in the sight of all the world, cast down the adverse powers, and having healed those who were smitten in the wilderness, delivered them from all venomous beasts that vexed them, by being hung upon the Cross.
Yet He did not say, “must hang,” but, “must be lifted up” (Acts 28:4); for He used this which seemed the milder term, on account of His hearer, and because it was proper to the type.
Reflection:
When Jesus spoke these words to Nicodemus it was in the darkness. Nicodemus was not living the truth. He was visiting Jesus at night, in secret. He wanted to follow him; he knew Jesus was the light of the world, and his words were true. But Nicodemus was ashamed, so he went at night when no one could see him. Nicodemus was living a double life. During the daylight, he was a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem. Only at night was he a follower of Jesus, and he only followed in his mind but not by his actions. He was lukewarm.
So when Jesus said he “must be lifted up” like the Bronze Serpent so he could draw all men to himself, he already knew that the Pharisees, the group to which Nicodemus belonged, would eventually call for his crucifixion; they felt threatened by Jesus’ preaching and his miracles. Jesus probed the heart and mind of Nicodemus.
He knew.
Nicodemus was caught in the middle. In neither group could he be completely comfortable. He lacked the courage to live the truth and come openly into the light. We do not know if he eventually became a true follower of Christ as he is not mentioned later in the Gospels or the book of Acts. It seems that Nicodemus chose to remain in darkness and keep his standing among the Pharisees rather than become a disciple of Christ.
But we simply don’t know.
My Lord Jesus, you were lifted up like the Bronze Serpent so that I could believe in you and have eternal life. You healed my wounds of sin and gave me the light of the Holy Spirit. Lord, guide my understanding and help me conform to your holy will all the remaining days of my life. Jesus, I love you. Give me the courage to follow you in both word and deed. AMEN.
Next, let us meditate for a moment on the words of 2 Chronicles 36. This passage tells the sad story of the fall of Jerusalem and the exile of the Jews into Babylon as slaves. These events happened after the death of Jeremiah the prophet who warned them of what was to come if they did not repent. Remember, we learned last week that they eventually stoned Jeremiah because they couldn’t hear his prophecy. Remarkably, the King of Persia also fulfills a prophecy of Jeremiah. This is the promise of God to bless the Jews who repented to him by sending the King of Persia to help them rebuild the temple. Reread this passage a second time, praying the words from your own heart. Then take a moment to speak to Jesus. What do you want to tell him?
Whoever Lives the Truth Comes to the Light
And May His God be With Him
2 Chronicles 36:14-16,19-23
In those days, all the princes of Judah, the priests and the people added infidelity to infidelity, practicing all the abominations of the nations and polluting the LORD’S temple which he had consecrated in Jerusalem.
Early and often did the LORD, the God of their fathers, send his messengers to them, for he had compassion on his people and his dwelling place. But they mocked the messengers of God, despised his warnings, and scoffed at his prophets, until the anger of the LORD against his people was so inflamed that there was no remedy.
They burnt the house of God, tore down the walls of Jerusalem, set all its palaces afire, and destroyed all its precious objects. Those who escaped the sword he carried captive to Babylon, where they became his and his sons’ servants until the kingdom of the Persians came to power.
All this was to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah: “Until the land has retrieved its lost sabbaths, during all the time it lies waste it shall have rest while seventy years are fulfilled.”
In the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD inspired King Cyrus of Persia to issue this proclamation throughout his kingdom, both by word of mouth and in writing:
“Thus says Cyrus, king of Persia: ‘All the kingdoms of the earth the LORD, the God of heaven, has given to me, and he has also charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever, therefore, among you belongs to any part of his people, let him go up, and may his God be with him!'”
Reflection:
It is night. You are at the door of the place where Jesus is staying.
You look around before you knock. You are afraid that someone might recognize you there, see you speaking with him. Your heart is conflicted. Your conscience tells you he speaks the truth and you desire the life that he has, the strength and peace of living in truth. But your life is one of power, honor, respect, and prestige. To follow Christ you have to leave the world. You have to give up everything false.
You know he is God. You are convinced. The question is, what are you going to do about it? There is something that stops you from true discipleship. Is it fear? Is it shame? Are you embarrassed?
You are standing at the door.
Someone you know sees you there. They know Jesus is staying there. You are at the door. Your secret has been revealed.
Do you pretend you are only walking by? Do you wave at the friend? Do you pretend you do not see him? Walk away?
Or do you knock on the door and ask for Jesus to come?
You have a choice. Are you knocking on the door? If you walk away you lose the blessing and the light. Take a moment to be with the Lord. Be honest with him about your fears. Take 1-3 minutes to listen for his response to your heartfelt prayer.
Jesus Lifted up on the Cross
Continue your prayerful meditation with Lifted up on the Cross, Jesus you Liberate Me from Sin and bring me back to life so I can serve you.
Pray the next Lenten Meditation
The Fifth Sunday of Lent, Year B
Lifted Up On the Cross, Jesus You Liberate Me
Lifted up on the Cross, Jesus you liberate me from sin and bring me back to life so I can serve you. Preserve me for eternal life.