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John 3:13-17
No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended
from heaven, the Son of Man. And
just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man
be lifted up, that whoever
believes in him may have eternal life. ‘For God so loved the world that he gave
his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have
eternal life. ‘Indeed, God did not send the Son into
the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved
through him.
Extraordinary
The cross on which Christ hung is ugly and
brutal. I have never liked pictures of it and turn my eyes away whenever it
appears on a TV or movie screen.
It is too much, too real, too awful, and yet it
is your glory and ours, Holy One, the central symbol of who you are and what
you are doing in us. And it is our ultimate hope.
Your divine heart is there for all to see, and
I see there is no hatred in your heart. There is no desire for
punishment or retribution to even out the scales of justice.
You don’t ask to be paid back for anything, not
even for the messes we make of creation and the world through our hatreds, sins
and wars.
It is your nature only to give, to pour out the
goodness and love you are so that we may receive your grace … and live with
free and open hearts.
You do not seek not to condemn or punish. You
do not pay back evil for evil, pain for pain or hatred with more hatred.
The cross on which you are lifted marks your
refusal to do what we do.
You pay back hatred with compassion. You pay
back evil with forgiveness. You pay back rejection with welcome. You pay back condemnation
with understanding and peace.
“Father, forgive them. They know not what they
do.”
Who says that to their killers? Only you … and
those rarest of souls in whom the Loving Mystery fully dwells.
The cross is our glory. It shines with the
extraordinary compassion in which you hold us and all this troubled world. You
do not seek your glory but our freedom.
“Come,” you say. “Come bask in the exquisite love
that shines from the cross and become your true self, filled with the peace and
compassion that only my cross reveals.”
Pr. David L. Miller
