“Christ died not so that you could freely go on sinning, and therefore, continue dying; He died rather so that you could freely grow in obedience, and therefore, start living.”

“To know the Cross is not merely to know our own sufferings. For the Cross is the sign of salvation, and no man is saved by his own sufferings. To know the Cross is to know that we are saved by the sufferings of Christ; more, it is to know the love of Christ Who underwent suffering and death in order to save us. It is, then, to know Christ.” ― Thomas Merton, No Man Is an Island

Gospel Text: (JN 3:13-17)

Jesus said to Nicodemus:

“No one has gone up to heaven

except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man.

And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert,

so must the Son of Man be lifted up,

so that everyone who 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 might not perish

but might have eternal life.

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,

but that the world might be saved through him.

For God so loved the world He gave His only son. There is no greater love.

He didn’t come to take away our suffering or challenges, He came to share in them with us, to be fully with us in life’s difficult moments.  In our times of struggle and strife, in difficulty and challenge may we turn to the Lord on the cross and allow His unfathomable love and mercy to pour over us. 

In the cross we find our hope.