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From: Ephesians 2:4-10

Salvation As a Free Gift

[4] But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he
loved us, [5] even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us
alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), [6] and raised
us up with him, and made us sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ
Jesus, [7] that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches
of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. [8] For by grace you
have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the
gift of God [9] not because of works, lest any man should boast. [10] For
we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God
prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Commentary:

4. God's mercy is the greatest expression of his love because it shows
the total gratuitousness of God's love towards the sinner, whereby
instead of punishing him he forgives him and gives him life. The words
"God, who is rich in mercy" have great theological and spiritual depth:
they are a kind of summary of all St Paul's teaching about God's
approach to people who are under the rule of sin, who are "by nature
children of wrath".

Pope John Paul II has chosen these words of Scripture "dives in
misericordia"--as the title of one of his encyclicals, an encyclical
which explores the divine dimension of the mystery of Redemption. Here
is how the Pope sums up biblical teaching on mercy: "The concept of
'mercy' in the Old Testament has a long and rich history [...]. It is
significant that in their preaching the prophets link mercy, which they
often refer to because of the people's sins, with the incisive image of
love on God's part. The Lord loves Israel with the love of a special
choosing, much like the love of a spouse (cf. e.g. Hos 2:21-25 and 15;
Is 54:6-8) and for this reason he pardons its sins and even its
infidelities and betrayals. When he finds repentance and true
conversion, he brings his people back to grace (cf. Her 31:20; Ezek 39:
25-29). In the preaching of the prophets "mercy" signifies a "special
power of love", which "prevails over the sin and infidelity" of the
chosen people [...]. The Old Testament encourages people suffering from
misfortune, especially those weighed down by sin--as also the whole of
Israel, which had entered into the covenant with God--"to appeal for
mercy", and enables them to count upon it" ("Dives In Misericordia",
4).

In the New Testament also there are many references to God's mercy,
sometimes very touching ones, like the parable of the prodigal son (cf.
Lk 15: 32); others take a more dramatic form, for example, Christ's
sacrifice, the supreme expression of the love of God, which is stronger
than death and sin. "The 'Cross of Christ', on which the Son,
consubstantial with the Father, 'renders full justice to God', is also
'a radical revelation of mercy', or rather of the love that goes

against what constitutes the very root of evil in the history of man:
against sin and death" ("ibid.", 8).

5-6. The power of God works in the Christian in a way similar to that
in which it worked in Christ. St Paul here uses almost the same
language as he did earlier (cf. 1:20), to show how radical is the
change produced in men by Christ's salvation.

Just as a dead person is unable to bring himself back to life, so those
who are dead through sin cannot obtain grace, supernatural life, by
their own effort. Only Christ, by means of the Redemption, offers us
that new life which begins with justification and ends with
resurrection and eternal happiness in heaven. The Apostle is speaking
here of that life of grace, and therefore of our future resurrection
and glorification with Christ in heaven; he refers to this as if it
were an accomplished fact, and the reason he does so is this: Jesus
Christ is our head and we form one body with him (cf. Gal 3:28), and
therefore we share in the head's condition. Christ, after his
resurrection, sits at the right hand of the Father. "The body of
Christ, which the Church is", St Augustine comments, "must be at the
right hand, that is, in the glory of heaven, as the Apostle says: 'we
have been raised up with him and made to sit with him in heaven.' Even
though our body is not yet there, our hope is already placed there"
("De Agone Christiano", 26).

From the moment of our incorporation into Christ by Baptism, his
resurrection and exaltation is something which is already present in us
in an incomplete way: "Thus by Baptism", Vatican II teaches, "men are
grafted into the paschal mystery of Christ; they die with him, are
buried with him, and rise with him (cf. Rom 6:4; Eph 2:6; Col 3:1; 2
Tim 2:11f). They receive the spirit of adoption as sons in which 'we
cry, Abba, Father' (Rom 8:15) and thus become true adorers such as the
Father seeks (cf. Jn 4:23)" ("Sacrosanctum Concilium", 6). See the note
on Rom 6:9-10.

The Redemption has already been accomplished, and man has available to
him all the grace he needs for salvation: the gates of heaven are open
wide; it is now the responsibility of every individual to make room for
grace in his soul, to avail of grace to respond to our Lord's call.
Through Christ, "we have been reborn spiritually, for through him we
are crucified to the world," St Zozimus comments. "By his death that
decree of death has been destroyed which Adam caused and which was
passed on to every soul--that sentence which we incur through our
descent, from which absolutely no one is free prior to being set free
by Baptism" ("Epist. 'Tractoria', Dz-Sch", 231).

8-9. Salvation is the work of God, a gratuitous gift of God: it
originates in God's mercy. It acts in man by means of faith, that is,
by man's acceptance of the salvation offered him in Jesus Christ. But
even faith, St Paul tells us, is a divine gift; man cannot merit it by
his own efforts alone; it is not exclusively the outcome of human
freedom; at all stages, from the very beginning, recognition and
acceptance of Christ as Savior means that God's grace is at work.

On the basis of this passage in Ephesians and other passages of
Scripture, the Church has taught: "According to the passages of Sacred
Scripture and the explanations of the Holy Fathers [specified] we,
with God's help must believe and preach the following: The free will of
man was made so weak and unsteady through the sin of the first man
that, after the Fall, no one could love God as was required, or believe
in God, or perform good works for God unless the grace of divine mercy
anticipated him [...]. Even after the coming of Christ this grace of
faith is not found in the free will of all who desire to be baptized
but is conferred through the generosity of Christ, according to what
has already been said and according to what the Apostle Paul teaches:
'It has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not
only believe in him but also suffer for his sake' (Phil 1:29). And
also: 'he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at
the day of Jesus Christ' (Phil 1:6). And again: 'By grace you have been
saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of
God' (Eph 2:8). And the Apostle says of himself: 'As one who by the
Lord's mercy is trustworthy' (1 Cor 7:25; cf. 1 Tim 1:13) [...]. And
Scripture says further: 'What have you that you did not receive?' (1
Cor 4:7). And again: 'Every good endowment and every perfect gift is
from above, coming down from the Father of lights' (Jas 1:17). And
again: 'No one can receive anything except what is given from heaven'
(Jn 3:27)" (Second Council of Orange, "De Gratia", conclusion).

The Second Vatican Council provides the same teaching: "'By faith man
freely commits his entire self to God [...]; before this faith can be
exercised, man must have the grace of God to move and assist him; he
must have the interior help of the Holy Spirit, who moves the heart and
converts it to God, who opens the eyes of the mind and 'makes it easy
for all to accept and believe the truth' ("De Gratia", can . 7; "Dei
Filius")'' ("Dei Verbum", 5).

When St Paul says that faith does not come from works (v. 9), he is
referring to things man can do on his own, without the help of grace.
If faith did come from works, then man would have something to boast to
God about, something which would bring salvation without dependence on
Christ--which would be inadmissible, because then our Lord's death
would make no sense, nor would even the Incarnation of the Word, whom
"God has made our wisdom, our righteousness and sanctification and
redemption; therefore, as it is written, 'Let him who boasts, boast of
the Lord"' (1 Cor 1:30-31). See also the notes on Jas 2:14; Rom 3:20-
31; 9:31.

10. The Christian became a new creation--"we are his workmanship"--
when he was inserted into Christ at Baptism (cf. 2 Cor 5:17). Once
justified by Baptism, he should live in a manner consistent with his
faith, that is, with his new life. The life of grace in fact moves him
to do those good works which God wishes to see performed (he had
already laid down that this should be so) and which perfect the work of
salvation. Deeds, works, prove the genuineness of faith: "faith by

itself, if it has no works, is dead" (Jas 2:17). Without these works--
the practice of the theological and moral virtues--not only would faith
be dead; our love for God and neighbor would be false.

Having said that, it is also true that to bring about this renewal in
man God counts on man's readiness to respond to grace and on his
carrying out "good works".

Christian Tradition has always taught that the fruits of faith are a
proof of its vitality. For example, this is what St Polycarp has to
say: "It does my heart good to see how the solid roots of your faith,
which have such a reputation ever since early times, are still
flourishing and bearing fruit in Jesus Christ [...]. Many desire to
share in your joy, well knowing that it is by the will of God that
you are saved through Jesus Christ" ("Letter to the Philippians", chap.
1).

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.

From: John 3:14-21

The Visit of Nicodemus (Continuation)

(Jesus said to Nicodemus,) [14] "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in
the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, [15] that whoever
believes in Him may have eternal life.

[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 sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but
that the world might be saved through Him. [18] He who believes in Him
is not condemned; He who does not believe is condemned already, because
He had not believed in the name of the only Son of God. [19] And this
is the judgment, that the light has come into world, and men loved
darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. [20] For
every one who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the
light, lest his deeds should be exposed. [21] But he who does what is
true comes to the light, that it may be clearly seen that his deeds
have been wrought in God."

Commentary:

14-15. The bronze serpent which Moses set up on a pole was established
by God to cure those who had been bitten by the poisonous serpents in
the desert (cf. Numbers 21:8-9). Jesus compares this with His
crucifixion, to show the value of His being raised up on the cross:
those who look on Him with faith can obtain salvation. We could say
that the Good Thief was the first to experience the saving power of
Christ on the cross: he saw the crucified Jesus, the King of Israel,
the Messiah, and was immediately promised that he could be in Paradise
that very day (cf. Luke 23:39-43).

The Son of God took on our human nature to make known the hidden
mystery of God's own life (cf. Mark 4:11; John 1:18; 3:1-13; Ephesians
3:9) and to free from sin and death those who look at Him with faith
and love and who accept the cross of every day.

The faith of which our Lord speaks is not just intellectual acceptance
of the truths He has taught: it involves recognizing Him as Son of God
(cf. 1 John 5:1), sharing His very life (cf. John 1:12) and
surrendering ourselves out of love and therefore becoming like him (cf.
John 10:27; 1 John 3:2). But this faith is a gift of the God (cf. John
3:3, 5-8), and we should ask him to strengthen it and increase it as
the Apostles did: Lord "increase our faith!" (Luke 17:5). While faith
is a supernatural, free gift, it is also a virtue, a good habit, which
a person can practise and thereby develop: so the Christian, who
already has the divine gift of faith, needs with the help of grace to
make explicit acts of faith in order to make this virtue grow.

16-21. These words, so charged with meaning, summarize how Christ's
death is the supreme sign of God's love for men (cf. the section on
charity in the "Introduction to the Gospel according to John": pp. 31ff
above). "`For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son' for

its salvation. All our religion is a revelation of God's kindness,
mercy and love for us. `God is love' (1 John 4:16), that is, love
poured forth unsparingly. All is summed up in this supreme truth,
which explains and illuminates everything. The story of Jesus must be
seen in this light. `(He) loved me', St. Paul writes. Each of us can
and must repeat it for himself--`He loved me, and gave Himself for me'
(Galatians 2:20)" ([Pope] Paul VI, "Homily on Corpus Christi", 13 June
1976).

Christ's self-surrender is a pressing call to respond to His great love
for us: "If it is true that God has created us, that He has redeemed
us, that He loves us so much that He has given up His only-begotten Son
for us (John 3:16), that He waits for us--every day!--as eagerly as the
father of the prodigal son did (cf. Luke 15:11-32), how can we doubt
that He wants us to respond to Him with all our love? The strange
thing would be not to talk to God, to draw away and forget Him, and
busy ourselves in activities which are closed to the constant
promptings of His grace" ([St] J. Escriva, "Friends of God", 251).

"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 [...] 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. [...] The one who wishes to understand himself thoroughly
[...] must, with his unrest and 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', ("Roman Missal, Exultet" at Easter Vigil), and if
God `gave His only Son' in order that man `should not perish but have
eternal life'. [...]

`Increasingly 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" ([Pope] John Paul II, "Redemptor
Hominis", 10).

Jesus demands that we have faith in Him as a first prerequisite to
sharing in His love. Faith brings us out of darkness into the light,
and sets us on the road to salvation. "He who does not believe is
condemned already" (verse 18).

"The words of Christ are at once words of judgment and grace, of life
and death. For it is only by putting to death that which is old that
we can come to newness of life. Now, although this refers primarily to
people, it is also true of various worldly goods which bear the mark
both of man's sin and the blessing of God. [...] No one is freed from
sin by himself or by his own efforts, no one is raised above himself or
completely delivered from his own weakness, solitude or slavery; all
have need of Christ, who is the model, master, liberator, savior, and
giver of life. Even in the secular history of mankind the Gospel has
acted as a leaven in the interests of liberty and progress, and it
always offers itself as a leaven with regard to brotherhood, unity and
peace" (Vatican II, "Ad Gentes", 8).