Tag: John 3:16

Wednesday of the 2^nd Week of Easter

John 3:16

The Taj Mahal. The Hope diamond. Romeo and Juliet. Each in its own way a priceless masterpiece – built, gifted, or written all for the sake of love.

Imagine being given any one of these. How special we would feel! Unique in all the world. To be the subject of that force of emotion.

Fortunately, we don’t have to imagine such a gift. We have one infinitely more precious. As Jesus says to Nicodemus:

God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life (John 3:16).

This is the verse that stopped Church Fathers in their tracks. We too know its power, not least by its enormous popularity. That’s good, but it’s also a problem; we hear it so often, see it so many places – from bumper stickers to end-zone signs – that we risk looking right past it.

Don’t let that happen.

Today, take a good, long, hard look at a crucifix. For there is the love that built not a building, but the Church; that isn’t the gift of a stone, but the Cornerstone; that isn’t written with ink but with the Precious Blood of Christ.

And remember: We know the price of that love story – the death of Jesus Christ. But we also know the ending – the tomb is empty.

So, rejoice and be glad! You really are loved that much.