4th Sunday of Lent
March 15, 2015
John 3:14-21
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 (John 3:16).
“Think Positive!” or “Be
Positive!” These are the usual battle cry of motivational speakers around the
globe. In a nutshell, it means that a positive or a good life begins with the
right mind. thinking positive is our daily choice to focus on the brighter side
of life. It draws good things to our lives and repels negative vibes. It seems these simple motivational words are effective. Even, Pope
Francis in his message to the youth at the University of Santo Tomas, Manila,
last January, told us, “Think good, to feel good and to act good.”
The principle behind this ‘think
positive’ axiom has been long discovered by psychologists and they call it as
ideomotor effect. Crudely put, the effect says that certain idea or concept if
accepted either consciously or unconsciously, will make us behave according to
that idea. In a research, a group of students were exposed to words related to
old age, and after some time, these young people unconsciously began to walk
slower than usual, displaying signs of old age. Then, applying ideomotor effect
in a helpful way, we need to place ‘positivity’ in our minds so as to move our
feelings and actions into positive outcome.
The positive thinking is indeed
changing the life of so many people, but Jesus wants us to go even deeper with
Him. In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us that His Father so loved us, and as a
proof of love, He sent His only Son for us. Jesus invites us to trust in Him
and belief in Him means to let Him reign in our mind and heart.
So, what is the different with
positive thinking and belief in Jesus? Positive thinking aids us to feel happy,
to do good and finally to improve our lives. Yet, it seems that positive
thinking still focuses on oneself. We may influence people around us, but it
remain revolving around our self. It is how to attain personal happiness, inner
peace or even financial stability. But, this is not belief in Jesus. To make
Him the center of our lives entails following Jesus, even up to His cross. In
the words of St. Paul, “For to me life is Christ, and death is gain (Phil 1:21),” and in another letter, “that
I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ (Gal 2:19)”
Jesus was lifted on the cross so
that He may save us and draw all of us to Himself. Then, having Jesus in the
core of life brings about radical transformation in ourselves. Our lives are no
longer oriented toward ourselves. We are not simply looking for our own
happiness and fulfillment. Like Jesus, we are now stretching out our arms to
others, to the point of giving up ourselves for them. True happiness is consist
in sharing ourselves so that our loved ones may grow, reach their happiness and
learn also to love.
This explains why life in Christ
is not easy. Catholic marriage demands the wife and husband to give themselves
totally until death do them part. Christian parents are to make a lot of
sacrifices for their children. Priests as well as religious men and women are
expected to serve God and the people of God for entire of their lives. Often,
our labors of love are not recognized, appreciated and forgotten, but we press
on. Yes, belief in Jesus is a narrow and rough road, but only through it, we, together with people we love,
may find the true and profound happiness.
Br. Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno,
OP
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