"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).
This verse is from the Gospel of John, one of the four gospels of the New Testament, and is one "every Christian knows by heart," said Fr. Patrick Mary Briscoe, O.P., a Washington, D.C.-based Dominican friar and Catholic priest.
Lent, he said to Fox News Digital, helps Christians fully grasp the meaning of this simple verse.
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John 3:16 "encapsulates the heart of what we believe. When we were estranged from God because of our sin, He sent His only Son to save us. That’s the heart of the Gospel," said Briscoe.
In the Garden of Eden, "something went tragically wrong," said Briscoe — and original sin was introduced into the world.
From that point on, "God, in His great love and mercy, called us back to Himself."
With Jesus' death and resurrection, God's plan for salvation was complete.
This verse "is the whole teaching of Jesus in miniature … But maybe not every Christian can tell that story with ease," he added. "That’s something for us to work on. And the context of this verse can help us."
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The fourth Sunday of Lent is known as Laetare Sunday, and unlike the other, more subdued days of Lent, it is "a day set aside for rejoicing," said Briscoe.
The name Laetare Sunday, which means "rejoice," comes from the Latin translation of the first verses of scripture on the fourth Sunday of Lent, "Rejoice, Jerusalem" (Isaiah 66:10).
It is on this Sunday, in the Catholic tradition, that John 3:16 is preached each year, he said.
Laetare Sunday is "a day marked by rose vestments and a pause from the rigors of Lent … Lent is about reliving that journey of Jesus. He came to set us free from our sins."
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Throughout Lent, Christians "focus with particular intensity on the passion, the sacrifice that Jesus makes of Himself for our redemption," he said.
"And in the Gospel itself, John 3:16 is spoken by Jesus to Nicodemus, who has come to Jesus seeking enlightenment. Nicodemus, a wise Jewish elder who was a pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin, wants to know who Jesus is and what He has come to do," said Briscoe.
Later in John's Gospel, it is written that Nicodemus was present at Jesus' burial after His crucifixion.
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"Nicodemus saw this offering of the life of the Son come to pass. What was once hidden had come to light," said Briscoe.
"The Son offered His life for the life of the world."
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He continued, "As Nicodemus helped to lay Jesus’ body in the tomb, he must have remembered that first conversation with the Lord held under the cover of darkness."
On the fourth Sunday of Lent, "Jesus invites all of us to realize the grace and life offered by the cross," said Briscoe.
"It’s not a sad story — far from it. It’s one we rejoice over," he said. "Take a little break from the somber tones of Lent today. Rejoice! For our redemption is at hand."
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