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.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him.
Whoever believes in him will not be condemned,
but whoever does not believe has already been condemned,
because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
This Gospel reading is only three verses in John: Chapter 3, verses 16-18.
They tell us of the pinnacle of salvation history.
God created this world. All three Persons in the Trinity together brought about creation. Some try to name the three Persons as Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier. These titles overlook the ways in which all three Persons work together to bring things about. And what God made was good. Very good.
But we chose sin. Our world became corrupted because we chose corruption for ourselves.
And so, we needed to be saved. We could not save ourselves. Our debt was one that we could not pay. Our salvation was out of reach by ourselves. We needed help. A lot of it.
So, by the Father’s plan, the Son entered our world. A divine Person who helped to create the world took on the form of one of the creatures within that world. In order that we might be redeemed. In order that the path to salvation might be open again for us. The cost was the death of God the Son on the cross. A cost that we did not pay. A cost that God the Son paid for us.
This was done out of God’s love for us. There was no obligation on the part of the Father, Son, or Holy Spirit that this be done. But it was done.
Do we let this message into our hearts? That by the Father’s plan, the Son came to save us in a joint mission with the Spirit? Do we understand that this is the depth of the love of God? This is the depth of the communion of love that is the Trinity and into which we are invited to enter? Do we allow ourselves to know of this love? Are we open to being loved? Or do we reject this love? Do we reject this gift? Do we condemn ourselves because we refuse the invitation?