Homily for the 5th Sunday of Lent (Recorded at the 11AM Mass - St. Aloysius, Buckley, WA on April 6, 2025) Total Time 13m58s)
Angelus Message of Pope Francis (March 10, 204)
Dear brothers and sisters, buongiorno!
On this fourth Sunday of Lent, the Gospel presents us with the figure of Nicodemus (cf. Jn 3:14-21), a Pharisee, “a ruler of the Jews” (Jn 3:1). He saw the signs Jesus performed, he recognized him as a teacher sent by God, and he went to meet him by night, so as not to be seen. The Lord welcomes him, converses with him and reveals to him that he came not to condemn, but to save the world (cf. v. 17). Let us pause to reflect on this: Jesus came not to condemn, but to save. This is beautiful!
Often in the Gospel we see Christ revealing the intentions of the people he meets, at times unmasking their false attitudes, such as with the Pharisees (cf. Mt 23:27-32), or making them reflect on the disorder of their life, as with the Samaritan woman (cf. Jn 4:5-42). There are no secrets before Jesus: he reads them in the heart, in each of our hearts. This ability could be disturbing because, if used badly, it can harm people, exposing them to merciless judgements. Indeed, no one is perfect: we are all sinners, we all make mistakes, and if the Lord were to use his knowledge of our weaknesses to condemn us, no one could be saved.
But it is not like this. Indeed, he does not use them in order to point the finger at us, but to embrace our life, to free us from sins and to save us. Jesus is not interested in putting us on trial or subjecting us to judgement; He wants none of us to be lost. The Lord’s gaze upon every one of us is not a blinding beacon that dazzles us and puts us in difficulty, but rather the gentle glimmer of a friendly lamp, that helps us to see the good in ourselves and to be aware of the evil, so that we may be converted and healed with the support of his grace.
Jesus came not to condemn, but to save the world. Think of us, who very often condemn others; many times, we like to speak badly, to go in search of gossip against others. Let us ask the Lord to give us, all of us, this merciful gaze, to look at others as he looks at us.
May Mary help us to wish the best for one another.
"Mercy Said No" by CeCe Winans