Rejoice Jerusalem!

(An excerpt of the homily of the Most Rev. Romulo G. Valles, D.D., during the Laetare Sunday, 4th Sunday of Lent at San Pedro Cathedral Parish, San Pedro Street, Davao City, March 10, 2024.)

We are with hope, when we enter into the Easter Triduum starting Thursday evening, Lent ends, sunset of Holy Thursday, evening of Holy Thursday is not anymore lent.

From the book of Chronicles, first part of the first reading, God saw them as really not following the ways of God, it said in the first reading, God was angry and punished them. God was frustrated.

Touched by God, He allowed the Jews to return to Israel. That’s why it’s REJOICE JERUSALEM. Even King Cyrus, pagan as he was, he helped them build their temple in Jerusalem.

Today, we rejoice, hope. The gospel reading tells us, “Jesus said to Nicodemus, just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so much the Son of Man be lifted up.” By being lifted up [on the cross], we are saved. Then the gospel today, “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,” the famous text from St. John.

That line is preceded by, “the son of man lifted up.” Very nice, very romantic but do not forget my friends, loving by being lifted up on the cross. If the cross is not understood very well, if the cross in Calvary is forgotten we are not appreciating that, “for God so loved the world.” Because on the cross in a sense, it’s like the serpent in the desert. The serpent was our kalaban in the Old Testament. Death is our kalaban. Death is our serpent. Jesus was hit by sin, but still continued unlike us, continued to obey the Lord. Faithful son, really the only begotten son; he died totally, perfect son of God; but yet he died.

God showed death in Calvary, there in Calvary after taken down from the cross in the tomb, he rose to eternal life. In the kalaban of Babylon, in the mind of Cyrus, God touched him to see the light. On the cross, one of the thieves, somehow saw the light in Jesus. Even if somehow, he was a defeated King, one thief saw, that in this defeated person is the light with their life. So he said, “bring me to paradise.”

Today, as we consider our own calvaries, our own fears, our own dimalas, the power of God, that grace is seen on the cross in Calvary.