Resources, Prayers, Games, and Lesson Plans
More Thoughts and Reflection Questions
Mass Readings for the 4th Sunday of Lent Year B
- First Reading – 2 Chronicles 36:14-16, 19-23: The people of Judah committed infidelity and practiced abominations, causing God to send messengers to warn them. However, they mocked and ignored the warnings, leading to the destruction of Jerusalem and the captivity of its people in Babylon, until King Cyrus was inspired by God to issue a proclamation to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem.
- Responsorial Psalm – Psalm 137: A psalm of lamentation from the Israelites who were taken captive in Babylon. They express their grief and longing for their homeland, Zion, and vow to never forget it. They refuse to sing the songs of the Lord in a foreign land and declare that their tongue should be silenced if they ever forget Jerusalem.
- Second Reading – Ephesians 2:4-10: Paul emphasizes God’s great love and mercy, stating that we have been saved by grace through faith, not by our own works. We are created in Christ Jesus for good works that God has prepared for us to do.
- Gospel – John 3:14-21: Jesus has a conversation with Nicodemus and references Moses lifting up the serpent in the wilderness as a foreshadowing of his own crucifixion and the salvation that it would bring. Jesus emphasizes the importance of believing in him as the Son of God in order to receive eternal life, and highlights the judgment that will come to those who do not believe.
If your parish is doing the RCIA scrutinies, use the readings for Year A instead.
Themes for the 4th Sunday of Lent Year B
The readings for the 4th Sunday of Lent Year B focus on God’s faithfulness in drawing us closer to him. The first reading tells how God inspired Cyrus to allow the chosen people to worship once again in Jerusalem. And in the gospel we hear of Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus, where Jesus explains that he was sent to us out of the boundless love of God.
- Longing for restoration – Despite the reality of judgment and punishment, the readings for the 4th Sunday of Lent Year B also emphasize the possibility of repentance and restoration. In 2 Chronicles 36, the Babylonian exile is seen as a time of purging and purification, and God later allows the people to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. In John 3, Jesus speaks of the possibility of eternal life through belief in him.
- God’s mercy and grace – The readings also emphasize God’s mercy and grace towards humanity, despite our sinfulness. In the first reading, God is patient and long-suffering towards the people, giving them many chances to repent and turn back to him. In the gospel, Jesus speaks of God’s love for the world, and his willingness to give his only son as a sacrifice for our sins.
- Light and darkness – In John 3, Jesus speaks of the contrast between light and darkness, using light as a metaphor for truth and righteousness, and darkness as a metaphor for sin and ignorance.
- God’s love for humanity – The readings for the 4th Sunday of Lent Year B also emphasize God’s love for humanity, despite our sinfulness. In 2 Chronicles 36, God is patient towards the people, even as they rebel against him. In John 3, Jesus speaks of God’s love for the world, and his willingness to give his only son as a sacrifice for our sins.
See the Homilies and Reflections section and the More Thoughts section for further expansion on these readings and some reflection questions for the 4th Sunday of Lent Year B.
Resources for the 4th Sunday of Lent Year B
Illuminate My World Jesus – Discussion and Reflection Questions
This reflection for the 4th Sunday of Lent Year B will help youth understand why Jesus is the “Light of the World”. Jesus Christ is the ultimate revelation of the heart of God.
Glow in the Dark Balloons Stomp
Most people working with youth are familiar with Balloon Stomp. This is a twist on the game which uses glow in the dark balloons. It would go well with a GLOW (God Lights Our Way) theme or just any evening. It goes well with the theme of light and darkness for the 4th Sunday of Lent Year B.
Lenten Ideas for the 4th Sunday of Lent Year B
Have a Poor Man’s Meal for Dinner
Give Something You Like and Use to Charity
Post a Religious Message to Social Media
Make a Prayer Chain
A prayer chain puts our prayers in a tangible form. For children, this can be a good way to teach about the different types of prayer.
Have a Poor Man’s Meal for Dinner
Fasting is one of the traditional Lenten practices for Catholics. One way to fast is to have a poor man’s meal. Instead of a full dinner, have a simple bowl of soup and a few crackers.
Give Something You Like and Use to Charity
Giving away clothes or toys to a charity is a good way to practice almsgiving. But just giving away something you don’t want or use anymore is more like an act of closet cleaning than an act of sacrifice. Give away something you really like instead.
Post a Religious Message to Social Media
Some people fast from social media during Lent. This can be a very effective way to regain wasted time. But if you are not fasting from social media, consider posting an inspirational message.
Abstain from Meat on a Day in Addition to Friday
Fasting is one of the traditional Catholic Lenten practices. All Catholics abstain from meat on Fridays during Lent as a form of fasting. For personal fasting, you can choose to voluntarily abstain from meat one more day during the week.
Make a Gratitude List Every Day and Pray with It
Gratitude can be one of the most fruitful forms of prayer. When we specifically notice things to be grateful for, we become aware of and acknowledge God’s constant presence in our lives.
Homilies and Reflections for the 4th Sunday of Lent Year B
What John 3:16 Teaches Us This Lent (Jeff Cavins)
Nicodemus Came at Night (Bishop Robert Barron)
What John 3:16 Teaches Us This Lent
In this reflection for the 4th Sunday of Lent Year B, Jeff Cavins shares the deeper meaning behind the most ubiquitous verse in Scripture, John 3:16. He explains how this verse is calling us to imitate Christ, especially this Lenten season.
Nicodemus Came at Night
A homily for the 4th Sunday of Lent Year B from Bishop Robert Barron. “Friends, our Gospel for today contains one of the most important lines in the entire Bible: ‘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.. To ‘believe’ here means much more than to accept the truth of an idea; it is to enter into the space opened up by the death of the Son of God. When you do that, you are born again; when you do that, you have eternal life.”
Living in the Light
A reflection for the 4th Sunday of Lent Year B from Scott Hahn. “The Sunday readings in Lent have been showing us the high points of salvation history—God’s covenant with creation in the time of Noah; His promises to Abraham; the law He gave to Israel at Sinai.” Continue reading.
“Hesed” All the Way Through
Another homily for the 4th Sunday of Lent Year B from Bishop Barron. “The Divine Love is the great theme of the Bible, but one of the mistakes we can make is to project onto God our way of being. God’ s love is unconditional, not fickle and vacillating. His love is hesed, which means ‘tender mercy’. This love is visible, par excellence, in the Incarnation.”
More Thoughts for the 4th Sunday of Lent Year B
The Depth of God’s Love
The readings for the 4th Sunday in Lent Year B are a reminder of God’s love for humanity and the gift of salvation that He offers to all who believe in His Son, Jesus Christ. Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness to bring physical healing to the people of Israel, Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection brings spiritual healing and eternal life to all who believe in Him.
As Catholics, we are called to reflect on the depth of God’s love for us and the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross to redeem us from our sins. We are invited to believe in Him and to trust in His grace and mercy, knowing that salvation is a free gift that we cannot earn through our own works.
At the same time, the readings also remind us of the importance of living out our faith through good works and a life of service to others. We are called to be witnesses to the love of Christ in the world, reflecting His light and sharing His message of hope with all those we encounter.
In this Lenten season, let us take time to reflect on the profound love that God has for us and the sacrifice that Jesus made for our salvation. May we renew our commitment to live out our faith through works of love and service, sharing the good news of the gospel with all those around us.
In Exile
The Incarnation serves to guide us out of the darkness and back into the light, our rightful place. This theme is reflected in the initial reading, as the Jewish people are permitted to return home after years of exile.
As inhabitants of this world, we too are in a state of exile, with our ultimate destination lying beyond. Jesus demonstrates the path to our eternal abode with our heavenly Father.
During his ministry, Jesus himself lacked a permanent residence, embodying a wandering existence. His own town refused to accept him, but his disciples offered him the welcome he sought. For Jesus, home may have been more of a “who” than a “where”.
However, he remained steadfastly connected to his heavenly Father, who represented his true home. Jesus strives to teach us the same lesson, reminding us that this world cannot serve as our permanent home. Through our observance of Lenten practices, we endeavor to relinquish the things of this world, and find our way back to God.
Reflection Questions for the 4th Sunday of Lent Year B
- What does it mean for me to lift up the Son of Man in my life? How can I make Him more visible to others?
- How do I understand the phrase “eternal life” in my own life? What does it mean to me?
- In what ways do I find myself judging others instead of loving them? How can I overcome this tendency?
- How does the love of God call me to live differently than the world around me? What specific actions can I take to live in His love?
- What obstacles in my life are keeping me from moving closer to God? How can I work to overcome them?
- What does it mean to me that God sent His only Son to save the world? How can I share this message of salvation with others?
- How can I live in the light of God’s love, and encourage others to do the same?
- Where do I feel most at home in my life? How can I make sure that God is the center of that home?
- What can I do to contribute to the Christian community and help it move closer to our true home in heaven?
- How can I better understand and live out the call to love that Jesus gives us in this passage?
Quotes and Social Media Graphics for the 4th Sunday of Lent Year B
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 – The 4th Sunday of Lent Year B
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