"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. He who believes in him is not condemned; he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God."

Homily:

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son."

We, Christians, believe in a single God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Every day of our life, we make the sign of the Cross, saying: "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." For this is our faith in God, who is all Love, full of Mercy, and All-Powerful in saving us through the Passion of Jesus Christ, who died and rose again!

"He gave his only Son..." That is how far the Love of the Father has gone for us: the Father gave us his only Son! The Father stooped down to the world and looked upon it with compassion! The Father was so touched by the miserable state of his creatures that he did not hesitate to allow his own Son to freely deliver himself to the cruel torture of the Cross!

This is the Trinity, these are the three divine persons acting for themselves and for man: this is the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, who is Love, a Love that is infinite, immense, mysterious, a Love that leads the Father and the Son to go toward man in order to save him! But this Love is, above all, that which leads man to go towards God and to respond to Love with love!

"...that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."

Man, every man and woman, is free: free to respond to God with love, and also free to not respond to God... Man is not free to do evil, for evil is slavery, not freedom. Man is free to choose between various goods: for only what is good frees man. Now, the goods that man can freely choose are diverse and multiple: there is the infinite Good, which is God, and there is a multitude of finite goods that God created for man, in his Love for him...

There is nothing wrong with choosing a good that is not God. But this is true only if this choice is made in faith. We must, in fact, believe that this good that we have chosen is not God, and that only God is the infinite Good. We must believe that only God can bring us happiness, even in this life, and that all creatures, no matter which, can only make us happy if they lead us to God.

This is the good use of liberty! This is true faith in God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - true faith that saves and that brings us eternal life, now and forever! "Whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." Always believing, truly believing, lovingly believing in God who is all Love, Mercy and the Power of Life: this is the way of salvation in Jesus Christ, the Son of God!

"For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. He who believes in him is not condemned; he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God."

God is Love! The Holy Spirit is the Love of God in person! The Holy Spirit has been given to us, the Love of God is upon us... God loves us... But, when we are faced with a trial, how do we react? When we are sick, when something is stolen from us, when we are mocked, do we still think that God loves us? Do we still think that God is Father, that he has sent us his Son to save us, and that the Holy Spirit is here, in us, and that he loves us?

Humanly speaking, what is our reaction in such circumstances? I leave each person to answer for himself... But I assure you that, in any circumstance, whether good or evil, whether happy or sad, we absolutely must believe that God loves us! We must believe this! Even if we are tempted to believe otherwise. For what we humanly think is not important: what is important is that we believe supernaturally, with the grace of God!

We must believe in God's Love for us: this is the only way to be saved! "He who believes in him is not condemned; he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God." Even if everything is going wrong in our life, let us ask God for the grace and strength to believe in his Love. We will then see, with the eyes of faith, the Love of God upon us and we will be able to make the sign of the Cross, in Love: "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."

May the Most Blessed Virgin Mary watch over us with the Father's Spirit of Love! We will then be true children of God, sons in the Son, through Mary, for the Glory of the Father, in the Holy Spirit!

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