Jesus and Nicodemus by Brother Blair Nuyda, A.A.
Today’s Lenten reflection is from Brother Brian Verzella, A.A.,
Parish Assistant at St. Anne & St. Patrick Parish
It has often been said that the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, chronicles a divine love story that unfolds between Almighty God and humankind. Throughout salvation history, the Lord persistently sent his messengers to our ancestors because, as we read in the Second Book of Chronicles, “he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place.”
Time and again, as with our ancestors, we reject his love and turn towards false gods, and so suffer the consequences. But God, who is “rich in mercy,” remains faithful despite our rebellious nature. Though we were “dead through our trespasses,” our loving Father does not abandon us in the wasteland of our sin. Despite our repeated—if not predictable—defiance, he will stop at nothing to seek us out and save us.
Why? Because he loves us beyond measure! That God should even consider man, whom he formed from the dust of the earth, is nothing short of marvelous. But God does not merely consider us, he treasures us. The very Creator of the cosmos, who stretched out the heavens and set the stars in their place; this same God knows and loves each of us personally (and completely).
As for the ultimate expression of his love: When the fullness of time had come, God sent his only Son, Jesus Christ, “in order that the world might be saved through him.” This, indeed, is cause for rejoicing!