The Weekly Francis is a compilation of the Holy Father’s writings, speeches, etc., which I also cross-post on Jimmy Akin’s blog.
This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week, from 20 June 2023 to 10 July 2023.
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The Weekly Francis is a compilation of the Holy Father’s writings, speeches, etc., which I also cross-post on Jimmy Akin’s blog.
This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week, from 31 May 2023 to 4 July 2023.
Angelus
Apostolic Letter
Letters
Messages
Speeches
Papal Tweets
Papal Instagram
The Weekly Francis is a compilation of the Holy Father’s writings, speeches, etc., which I also cross-post on Jimmy Akin’s blog.
This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week, from 23 June 2023 to 29 June 2023.
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26 “So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. 32 So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, 33 but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 10.26–33 ESV – Bible Gateway
In the broader section this passage is in, Jesus is training and preparing the disciples for their overall mission. He is sending them out into the mission field and that fundamentally, they must rely on him to equip them with their material and spiritual needs. To prepare them that many and that will reject his message this should not deter them from preaching the message. This paragraph and the preceding paragraph is focused on the persecution they will meet and how they should deal with it.
Peter Kreeft on one of the central point:
For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed. But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God” (John 3:19–21). If you are committing a crime, you prefer the night to the day. If you love good and hate evil, then you will love light and hate darkness, and one day there will be no more darkness, only light, and those who love God, those who love what God is, which is truth and goodness, and who hate falsehood and evil, will be totally happy because they will get only what they love and none of what they hate. That is the day when, as Jesus puts it, “nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known.” Fear needs darkness; in heaven there is no darkness. The more we love light, the more we will love heaven.[1]
Death avoidance is a natural human reaction. Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane asked the Father to remove this cup from him, but foremost that his will be done. We are not to just rush into danger thinking that God’s providence will remove any problem. St. Joseph, in response to the Holy Spirit, moved the Holy Family to Egypt and that on return later, prudentially determined where to live to lessen any danger to them. Still, what we prioritize shows us what we value the most. If we focus only on materialistic desires, we risk our relationship with God.
363 In Sacred Scripture the term “soul” often refers to human life or the entire human person. But “soul” also refers to the innermost aspect of man, that which is of greatest value in him, that by which he is most especially in God’s image: “soul” signifies the spiritual principle in man.[2]
From Brant Pitre’s commentary on this passage:
So what Jesus is trying to get the disciples to do here is to have a rational, rather than an irrational, fear. Although most of us think it’s rational to be afraid of death, and there’s a sense in which it is, death is painful, it means an end to our natural life. What Jesus is saying is it is irrational to be more afraid of physical death, which is temporary and finite—however horrible it is, it only lasts for a time—than to be afraid of spiritual death, because spiritual death—being separated from God forever in Gehenna, the ancient Jewish name for hell, the realm of the dead—is something that’s not finite, it’s going to last forever, it’s never going to end. So what he is telling the disciples is “as you go out to preach the Gospel, there’s simply no reason to be afraid, even if your life is in danger, because by preaching the Gospel you will save your soul, and the life of your soul will last forever, whereas the life of your body in this world is only for a time and for a season. So he’s trying to turn the disciples way of looking at their lives, looking at reality, upside down and get them to see it the way God sees it, to see from God’s perspective, to see it from an eternal perspective, to understand that although they live in this world, they were made for everlasting life, they were made for eternity.[3]
He also makes a related point:
Now notice this—Jesus is so good about this with the way teaches—as soon as he brings up the fear of God, he recognizes that people can take that in the wrong way, that they could concoct out of that an image of God that would make them terrified of him, as if God is out to get us. So no sooner has he said something about the fear of God that he also talks about the providence of God, and the fatherhood of God, and the care of God for us. So what does he say next? He says “are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father’s will [or apart from your Father’s will]. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” So no sooner has he taught them to fear God that he also wants to make sure they understand that they are not just creatures of the Creator, they are the children of a loving father.[4]
St. Thomas Aquinas makes a similar point in his commentary on Matthew:
Fear not those who only kill the body, but rather fear him that can destroy both soul and body in hell, because one ought not to be subject to God on account of fear of punishment, but on account of the love of justice, as is stated: “For you have not received the spirit of bondage again in fear: but you have received the spirit of adoption of sons of God” (Rom. 8, 15).[5]
I think of St. John Paul II’s constant refrain: “Be not afraid!”
“Do not be afraid. Do not be satisfied with mediocrity. Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch…. I plead with you—never, ever give up on hope, never doubt, never tire, and never become discouraged. Be not afraid.”
I also think of another Pope, the first one, Peter. On the night Jesus was arrested, it was fear of arrest and torture that partly drove his denial of Jesus that night. He is transformed on the day of Pentecost and his fear of physical evil was diminished. His will was united with Christ’s will. He would not only face opposition, but be moved to speak against the authorities that had imprisoned him. Jesus said “but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.” Peter denied him, but would go on to acknowledge him before men. Our failures and our brokenness are not a permanent state when we repent before Jesus, who knows are value.
St. Hilary of Poitiers. For it is an unworthy task to number things that are to perish. Therefore that we should know that nothing of us should perish, we are told that our very hairs are numbered. No accident then that can befal our bodies is to be feared; thus He adds, Fear not, ye are better than many sparrows.[6]
The Weekly Francis is a compilation of the Holy Father’s writings, speeches, etc., which I also cross-post on Jimmy Akin’s blog.
This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week, from 15 June 2023 to 22 June 2023.
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36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
10 And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. 2 The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
5 These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, 6 but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay.
Matthew 9:36–10:8 ESV – Bible Gateway
This passage appears in a section of Matthew that detailed nine miracle stories involving physical healings. When Jesus saw the crowd, he felt compassion for them before the feeding of the 5,000. He sees us in both are physical and spiritual suffering and when there are physical healings; they are often joined with the more important spiritual ones. God can use us in his plan to affect these healings on others. Usually, by healing us to some degree, we look beyond self to see those around us. Here, Jesus is calling us to pray for an increase in those entering the mission field.
Peter Kreeft, in his commentary, on the start of this passage:
Jesus looks on the crowds, in today’s Gospel, as sheep without a shepherd: confused, alone, and troubled. Sheep are very stupid. Without help, without a shepherd, they will always wander away and get lost and die and be the easy prey for wolves or other wild animals. Who are these sheep? Look in the mirror.
But Jesus doesn’t scorn or sneer at these stupid sheep, this ship of fools. But neither is he satisfied with them. Instead, his heart is moved with pity toward them, a pity that doesn’t just passively feel something but that actively does something for them. And what he does about it is to make his disciples into the shepherds that the sheep need. He turns twelve of his sheep into shepherds.[1]
Brant Pitre amplifies the image of the need for workers:
A second image is this image of the harvest being plentiful, but the laborers being few. So here the image shifts. Now it’s not a flock of sheep in need of shepherds. It’s a harvest in need of laborers, in need of harvesters, in need of reapers to go out and harvest the fruits of the field, harvest the grain of the wheat. And so in that context, the need for the harvest to take place, Jesus calls the Twelve to him and he sets them apart from his other followers and gives them authority. The Greek word here is exousia, and it can also be translated as power. It’s the same word that is used to describe Jesus’ teaching earlier in the Gospel of Matthew at the end of the Sermon on the Mount, when the people say, “He taught as one having authority.” Or he taught with power, there was a power in his words, an authority in his words. Well, the very authority that Jesus himself possesses when he speaks the Sermon on the Mount, he then gives to Matthew and Thomas and Andrew and James and John and Judas, the Twelve, who are chosen to be his emissaries, chosen to act as shepherds on behalf of him as the messianic shepherd of God in leading the people into the kingdom of God. So the Twelve Apostles are not just Jesus’s closest friends, they’re not just the followers that were particularly intimate with him and close to him amongst the multitudes. No, no, no. He gives them exousia. They have a share in his own authority and it’s through that exousia, through that authority that they are able not just to proclaim the kingdom of God, but to shepherd people into it, to go out and harvest, so to speak, to participate in the harvest of souls that Jesus is calling for with the coming of the kingdom.[2]
There are so many familiar Old Testament images being invoked here regarding shepherds and the selecting of 12 leaders. Jesus is the Good Shepherd and all true authority flows from him.
From the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture for Matthew:[3]
Those needing spiritual and physical healing lie close to Jesus’ heart (14:14; 15:32; 20:34). like sheep without a shepherd: A familiar OT simile.
– Sheep often represent the people of Israel (1 Kings 22:17; Jud 11:19; Jer 23:1–3; Zech 10:2). Shepherd imagery is used for Israel’s spiritual leaders.
– (1) Joshua was Moses’ successor and the “shepherd” of Israel (Num 27:17).
– (2) David was elected to “shepherd” Israel as its king (2 Sam 5:2–3).
– (3) In Ezek 34, God himself promised to set “one shepherd” (Ezek 34:23) over his people to feed and protect them as a new Davidic king (Ezek 34:23–24; cf. Jer 23:1–6). Jesus draws on these to illustrate his own role as the Shepherd and King of the restored Israel, the Church (25:31–34; Jn 10:16; 1 Pet 2:25).
Jesus invests the 12 disciples with his authority to heal both physical and spiritual afflictions. To spread the good news that the kingdom of heaven is at hand. This is also a reminder to them and to use that we can do nothing on our own without him. None of the tasks that Jesus gives them is anything they could do of their own talent or merit. They are all in submission to him “so that no man can boost.” Any good in the world where we have been used as an instrument for God’s will should place it on our knees in gratitude. To do the “mightier works” that Jesus prophesied is to be met with a commiserate humility. The free gift of grace given to us, we should rejoice when we see the same for others. “You received without paying; give without pay.”
Jesus initially focuses their mission field on their fellow Israelites. While the true scope of the mission field is the entire world, we also have to start with those around us. Starting with our own conversions, our scope should fan out to our family members, co-workers, and those we interact with. St. Paul would start in the synagogues and then move on to the gentiles everywhere he went. We can either be a witness or a counter-witness to the faith that is within us. Most of all, let God direct us where we are. This might mean a call to a wider missionary field. I think of St. Therese of Lisieux’s wanting to be a missionary and God granting this desire despite being cloistered. I also think of the missionary zeal of St. Francis Xavier, SJ and all the countries he travelled to and all those he baptized.
The Weekly Francis is a compilation of the Holy Father’s writings, speeches, etc., which I also cross-post on Jimmy Akin’s blog.
This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week, from 20 May 2023 to 15 June 2023.
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51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”
Luke 14:25–33 ESV – Bible Gateway
When it comes to reflecting on scripture, we can but skim the surface and rely on saints who have dived more deeply in scripture to our advantage. To look at the mystery revealed in the Bread of Life discourse, even lightly skimming the surface, reveals much.
John Bergsma looks at one aspect of the Eucharist, invoking both joy and sorrow:
Our reflection on these Scripture passages for Corpus Christi should cause us great joy, first of all, for God’s tremendous provision for our needs, both physical and spiritual, the greatest sign of which is his daily gift of the Eucharist, the Flesh of his own Son, for us.
At the same time, we should feel sorrow because the Eucharist is a call for the unity of all Christians (see the Second Reading) as well as call for our own unity with the Son and the Father (see the Gospel). The Eucharist represents and causes our unity with the Holy Trinity (celebrated last week), which it signifies. Yet so often we do not live or act in a way that would inspire our family members or co-workers to think, He lives in Christ, and Christ lives in him. May we use the opportunity provided by the Masses this weekend to pray that our thoughts, words, and behavior in this coming week and the rest of our lives may make more visible our union with Christ through this Sacrament.[1]
In Matthew 10:34, Jesus references the divisive nature of truth and that there will be divisions even within our own households. This discourse in John later references that some of his disciples would leave him over this teaching. The Eucharist continues to divide. There are those who accept Jesus’ teaching and his promise and those who diminish it as just a symbol or something lesser than the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus. It is a strange reversal to see the Eucharist as less miraculous than the manna given during the Exodus. Nobody saw the manna as just a symbol, they were nourished and thrived on it.
Brant Pitre on the Catholic emphasis on the Eucharist:
Again, notice here this line where he says “whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. This is a very important verse. Sometimes nonCatholic Christians, our separated brothers and sisters, say “why do you Catholics make so much out of the Eucharist” or “why do you insist on receiving the Eucharist frequently, like daily even with daily Mass.” The answer is simple, because Jesus himself said that “if you eat his flesh and drink his blood, he will abide in you and you will abide in him.” So if you want to abide in Christ you need to receive his body and his blood in the Eucharist. And if you want Christ to abide in you—and I can’t think of any Christian who would say “I don’t want Jesus to abide in me”—then we need to receive his body and blood, we need to eat his flesh and drink his blood under the form of food and drink, which is of course the Eucharist.[2]
As Jesus continues on, not only does he not back down on the implication of Eucharistic realism, he effectively doubles down on it as Steve Ray shows:
In this discourse it seem as if Jesus is being overly difficult and desires to scare off his disciples unnecessarily. At this point, he speaks extremely hard words to them, seemingly asking them to become cannibals, and, as a result, most of them turn away in disgust and leave him. The word translated “eat” (trōgein) is not a dignified word used to describe fine dining, but is the Greek verb for “gnaw” and “munch” and could be translated “masticating the flesh”. The use of trōgein certainly emphasizes “the realism of the eucharistic flesh and blood.” “This offense”, according to Cullmann, “belongs now to the Sacrament just as the ❲offense of the❳ human body belongs to the ❲divine❳ Logos.”[3]
This language invoked an even stronger reaction from some of his followers. From the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture for this Gospel:
The Jews react more strongly than before. They quarreled (literally, “fought”) among themselves over Jesus’ statement about eating his flesh. Jesus’ command to eat his flesh, and later to drink his blood, is appalling to his hearers. The Torah expressly forbade the eating of blood or of flesh with any blood left in it (Lev 17:14; 19:26; Deut 12:23); eating human flesh would be unthinkable.[4]
It is easy to sit back with the distance of time and think of the foolishness of the disciples who rejected this teaching and walked away. Many of them had seen Jesus perform miracles and had seen him teach with authority as no person had done before. It seems their cultural biases kept them from considering that his teaching could be a great mystery and a great truth. Let he who has never made a hot take, cast the first stone. I like to think that some of those disciples who walked away later returned.
I find it amazing how much Jesus trusts us with the truth. He reveals the Trinity to us, knowing how it would become the source of so many heresies to those wanting to amplify one aspect that they accept. The simplifiers approach a mystery and reject all they can’t quickly understand. Jesus gives himself in the Eucharist, knowing how many will reject him in the Sacrament.
We sometimes hear of surveys regarding Catholic belief in the Eucharist and the low percentage of people who accept this teaching. While it is true, as I have found, that the survey questions on this subject are not well crafted, there is a more accurate survey result we can look at. How many Catholics go to Mass on Sunday and Holy Days of obligation? Depending of country and region, this is shockingly low. Can you say you believe in the Eucharist and then don’t make it to Mass for some trivial reason, other than valid reasons such as sickness or caring for others? When we look at this obligation and wish it fitted in with our schedule better. Or Mass becomes a rote obligation and not a desire to worship the Lord and receive him in the sacrament? Do we look for opportunities to go to Daily Mass if possible?
Just judging from my experience, it is easy to fall into this even if we fully accept and have some understanding of the source and summit of our faith. I reflected on some of this during the Covid lockdown as they prevented us from going to Mass. I promised myself I would never again complain about the time and access to Mass once the lockdown was lifted. I have not kept that promise perfectly, but when those thoughts come to mind, I am much quicker to shut them down and smother them in gratitude to being able to go to Mass daily.
In the United States, we have an ongoing program of Eucharistic Revival that takes into consideration some of this. The critic in me has a thousand suggestions for why they are doing it wrong or that no revival ever came from a bureaucracy, especially an ecclesial bureaucracy. Instead, I asked myself what I could do to increase my own Eucharistic piety, no matter how small. Constant reminders to myself of the thankfulness I should hold in awe and wonder. It is a constant project not to receive the Eucharist perfunctory. God keeps lifting us up to try again.
Peter Kreeft looks at the works for “life” used here:
There are two Greek words for “life.” One, bios, means natural, mortal life. The other, zoe, means supernatural, eternal life. That’s the word Christ uses here. When we receive Christ in the Eucharist, our bios changes into zoe, just as in the Eucharist the bread and wine miraculously change into Christ’s Body and Blood. It is as miraculous as a frog changing into a prince in the fairy tales. It is like Pinocchio changing from a wooden puppet to a living boy. At the very heart and essence of Christianity is this astonishing miracle.[5]
Sometimes I will look at St. Thomas Aquinas’ Catena Aurea, where he links up scriptural passages with the writings of the Church Fathers and other ecclesiastical writers. The quotes for this passage from John are overwhelming in regards Eucharistic realism.
Last year I read Erick Ybarra’s “Melchizedek and the Last Supper: Biblical and Patristic Evidence for the Sacrifice of the Mass” which had a plethora of quotes involving Eucharistic realism, and I am not using “plethora” lightly here. The collection of quotes is amazing.
The Weekly Francis is a compilation of the Holy Father’s writings, speeches, etc., which I also cross-post on Jimmy Akin’s blog.
This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week, from 20 May 2023 to 7 June 2023.
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16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
John 3:16–18 ESV – For God So Loved the World – “For God – Bible Gateway
This is a verse so famous that even most Catholics can cite it chapter and verse. 😁
These three verses are so theological rich. They encapsulate Jesus’ role as savior and the reason that God the Father sent him. Showing also how our response has consequences that ultimately can not be ignored. That we need to respond to the love initiated by the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It should be easy to dwell on verse 16 and respond in love. If only our egos didn’t rise in rebellion to this greatest good of all.
From the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible:
The earthly mission of Jesus is part of the heavenly plan of the Father, who displays the depth of his love through the sacrifice of his Son (Rom 5:8; 1 Jn 3:16; CCC 219). This verse marks a transition from the dialogue between Jesus and Nicodemus (3:1–15) to an extended monologue by either Jesus or the evangelist himself (3:16–21). eternal life: The expression refers both to the divine quality of new life in Christ as well as its duration. We receive this gift already on earth in the hope that we will possess it irrevocably in heaven (10:10; 1 Jn 5:13).[1]
Peter Kreeft comments on an important aspect of the Trinity:
That’s the nature of the Trinity. God is a Trinity because “God is love.” Love itself is Trinitarian: for love to happen, there must be a lover, a beloved, and a loving relationship between the two persons, whether human or divine. And in God, that relationship is so real that it is itself a third eternal person. If God were not a Trinity, God could not be self-giving love because there would be no other selves to give himself to until he created us. And that’s impossible because God’s eternal nature can’t be dependent on our existence.[2]
John Bergsma also amplifies this:
Love is the essence of the Trinity. The Trinity tells us that God is not a monopersonal individual who had only himself to love before creatures were made. Self-love is an imperfect form of love. Therefore, God would have needed creatures to love in order to achieve perfection of love. God would have been imperfect in himself.[3]
God is love is reality and not some abstract label we assign to the concept of God. This was revealed to us progressively through both Testaments of the Bible. Even the Greek philosophers that were open that there is one God who holds existence in himself, did not make the move to a God that loves us intensely. An impersonal God was what they found through natural philosophy.
Continuing with Dr. Bergsma:
In other words, the reason we exist is to enter into the life and love of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit for all eternity. So it’s fitting that at the beginning of every Mass, the priest has the option of taking the trinitarian greeting of Paul and proclaiming it and inviting us into that mystery. Because that’s really what every Mass is. It isn’t just the recapitulation and representation of Calvary. It is certainly that. It isn’t just the celebration of the Eucharist…although it’s certainly that. Every single Mass is a trinitarian mystery, and we’re being invited into the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit.[4]
This love requires a response of faith as noted in the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture on this Gospel passage:
Having set forth Jesus’ teaching about eternal life, which his cross makes available and into which believers are born by the Spirit’s action, the Evangelist now penetrates to the heart of this Gospel’s message: 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 Father’s love for the world leads him to give his only Son, his all, for the world’s salvation. The world is under condemnation and in spiritual darkness on account of sin, but the Father does not want any to perish (see 2 Pet 3:9). Hence he gives his Son so that the world might be saved through him. The gift of salvation, which the Father offers us all through Jesus, is eternal life: a participation in the divine life of the Trinity. We accept this gift through faith in Jesus. Faith is yielding to the action of the Spirit, who first moves a person to assent to what God has revealed and to commit one’s whole life to God. As Jesus will later tell a crowd, faith is our consenting to and cooperating with God’s work in us: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him” (6:44).[5]
There are of a couple things that Catholics might bring to mind if asked about the central mystery of the Christian faith. The answer Catechism gives might surprise them.
234 The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is the central mystery of Christian faith and life. It is the mystery of God in himself. It is therefore the source of all the other mysteries of faith, the light that enlightens them. It is the most fundamental and essential teaching in the “hierarchy of the truths of faith.” The whole history of salvation is identical with the history of the way and the means by which the one true God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, reveals himself to men “and reconciles and unites with himself those who turn away from sin.”[6]
There is good reason that John 3:16 gets quoted and is a favorite verse of many. In the second half of John 3:18, we don’t want to think about when our response to this Trinitarian love is less than adequate.
St. John Chrysostom. Because however He says this, slothful men in the multitude of their sins, and excess of carelessness, abuse God’s mercy, and say, There is no hell, no punishment; God remits us all our sins. But let us remember, that there are two advents of Christ; one past, the other to come. The former was, not to judge but to pardon us: the latter will be, not to pardon but to judge us. It is of the former that He says, I have not come to judge the world. Because He is merciful, instead of judgment, He grants an internal remission of all sins by baptism; and even after baptism opens to us the door of repentance, which had He not done all had been lost; for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. (Rom. 3:23) Afterwards, however, there follows something about the punishment of unbelievers, to warn us against flattering ourselves that we can sin with impunity. Of the unbeliever He says, ‘he is judged already.’—But first He says, He that believeth on Him is not judged. He who believeth, He says, not who enquires. But what if his life be impure? Paul very strongly declares that such are not believers: They confess, he says, that they know God, but in works deny Him. (Tit. 1:16) That is to say, Such will not be judged for their belief, but will receive a heavy punishment for their works, though unbelief will not be charged against them.[7]
St. John Paul II in Redemptor Hominis wrote:
Man cannot live without love. He remains a being that is incomprehensible for himself, his life is senseless, if love is not revealed to him, if he does not encounter love, if he does not experience it and make it his own, if he does not participate intimately in it. This, as has already been said, is why Christ the Redeemer “fully reveals man to himself”. If we may use the expression, this is the human dimension of the mystery of the Redemption. In this dimension man finds again the greatness, dignity and value that belong to his humanity. In the mystery of the Redemption man becomes newly “expressed” and, in a way, is newly created. He is newly created! “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus”. The man who wishes to understand himself thoroughly-and not just in accordance with immediate, partial, often superficial, and even illusory standards and measures of his being-he must with his unrest, uncertainty and even his weakness and sinfulness, with his life and death, draw near to Christ. He must, so to speak, enter into him with all his own self, he must “appropriate” and assimilate the whole of the reality of the Incarnation and Redemption in order to find himself. If this profound process takes place within him, he then bears fruit not only of adoration of God but also of deep wonder at himself. How precious must man be in the eyes of the Creator, if he “gained so great a Redeemer”, and if God “gave his only Son ”in order that man “should not perish but have eternal life”.
… Unceasingly contemplating the whole of Christ’s mystery, the Church knows with all the certainty of faith that the Redemption that took place through the Cross has definitively restored his dignity to man and given back meaning to his life in the world, a meaning that was lost to a considerable extent because of sin. And for that reason, the Redemption was accomplished in the paschal mystery, leading through the Cross and death to Resurrection.[8]