Love as God’s Response to Our Guilt

By: Fr. Felix Olatunji Yayi, C.S.Sp.

Beloved in Christ, I welcome you to this Wednesday of the Second Week of Easter.

Today, we encounter one of the most beloved passages in Scripture, John 3:16:
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son…”

This is not just a verse we memorize, it is the very heartbeat of our faith. It reveals how God responds to our human condition: our shame, our sin, our brokenness, our darkness, and even our guilt. God does not respond with rejection. He does not respond with revenge. He responds with love-costly, sacrificial, unconditional love.

God gives His only Son… not when we were perfect, but precisely when we were undeserving.

A young boy once broke his neighbor’s window while playing football. Afraid and ashamed, he ran home and hid, expecting anger and punishment. Later that evening, there was a knock at the door. It was the neighbor. The boy trembled as his father answered. Instead of shouting, the neighbor said calmly, “I know your son broke my window. But I have come not for payment—I have already fixed it. I only ask that he comes to see me tomorrow.”

The boy could not understand it. The next day, he went reluctantly. The neighbor welcomed him warmly, spoke kindly to him, and even gave him a drink. That unexpected kindness changed the boy. From that day, he became more responsible, more honest not because he was forced, but because he was loved.
This is exactly how God treats us. Dear friends, if we despite our sins have been loved so deeply by God, why is it so difficult for us to love others in their weakness? Why do we hold on to grudges? Why do we repay evil for evil? Why must it always be “tooth for tooth”?

The Gospel challenges us today: let love be your response.

When someone hurts you—respond with love.
When someone fails—respond with mercy.
When someone is broken—respond with compassion.

This is not weakness; it is divine strength. It is what it means to live as children of the light.

To live in hatred, revenge, and bitterness is to dwell in darkness. And let us be honest, there is no future in darkness. Darkness may seem powerful for a moment, but it never lasts. Light always prevails.

So today, I place before you a simple but profound choice: light or darkness, love or hatred, mercy or revenge.

Choose light. Choose love. Even when it is difficult. Even when it costs you something. Because that is the way God has chosen to love you.

May we not only believe in John 3:16, but may we live it out in our daily encounters.

Peace be with you.