God so loves the world
When Jesus said to Nicodemus, “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),” He was speaking of how God the Father gave Him up to be born as a man, to live as a man, and to suffer and die on the Cross as a man. And the purpose for all of this, is so that all those who believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, despite His “human likeness and appearance” (cf. Philippians 2:7), might have eternal life.
Back then and even now, it is not easy to believe that a man could be the Son of God. In Jerusalem, during the Feast of the Dedication, the Jews picked up rocks to stone Jesus; Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from my Father. For which of these are you trying to stone me?” They answered, “We are not stoning you for a good work but for blasphemy. You, a man, are making yourself God.” (John 10:32-33) Despite all the signs and miracles that Jesus performed for all to see, there were still many who did not believe in Him. But that is why we need faith, not proof, for salvation. Anything that has been proven does not require faith, but it is through faith that one might have eternal life.
The Gospel of John expounds further: “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.” (John 3:17-18) This is a point that some people do not understand; they reason that if Jesus never came to the world, then no one would have rejected Jesus; hence, no one would have been condemned. Other people would put it this way: “If God wants us to be happy, then why doesn’t God just leave us alone?”
The truth of the matter is, that without Jesus, the world would remain in the darkness of sin and death; people will never see the Light and know the Truth — Jesus Christ — who brought salvation to the world. Without Jesus, there can only be superficial happiness; there can never be long lasting happiness. Those who do not believe in Jesus are already condemned to live a life devoid of the truth; even though such persons may not do evil deeds or harm others, they cannot be free from the slavery of sin. While we live in the world, there is always the possibility of falling into sin. However, sin no longer has a hold over us because Jesus Christ is now our Lord and Master.
The Gospel of John concludes: “And this is the verdict, that the Light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil. 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) Those who have heard the Gospel but still turn away from the Light, who is Jesus Christ, have already condemned themselves to a life devoid of Christ. They may not see what they are missing in this life, but ultimately, they will see it in the next.
Attention all participants of the Summer Camp. If you haven’t already, please pick up your information packets and sign the waiver forms for yourself and your children under 18 years old. We will have Mass for Sunday in Heart Ridge Retreat Center on Saturday evening, June 10. For those who will not be attending the Summer Camp, there will be Mass here in the church at the usual time, 10:30 am on Sunday morning, June 11.
Holy Name of Jesus Chinese Catholic Mission’s Outreach Ministry gives our parishioners an opportunity to serve the greater Atlanta communities by coordinating with various non-profit organizations to schedule volunteer days for our parishioners. On Saturday, July 8, we have scheduled a trip to the Atlanta Food Bank to help with packing and sorting of food items from 8:30 to 11:30AM. If you wish to carpool, please meet in our church at 7:00AM. Otherwise, you may meet us at the Atlanta Food Bank. Adults and children over 8 years old are welcome. For more information, please see Suh or Maggie.
Please contribute to our parish endowment fund. Your donations will remain perpetually in our church. Please use the special envelopes provided by CFNGA. If you are donating by check, please make the check payable to HNOJ and write CFNGA in the memo. Thank you for your support!
Immediately after Mass today, Fr. Bill will administer the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick in the main church.
We will not have our monthly faith workshop after Mass this morning.
Prayer List: Liang Chenjing, Pan Bohao, Angela Griffin, Wang Dacheng, Long Guorui, Zhang Qiang, Li Kuiying and Xu Taicheng.