“Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:14-16)
“There is a story of an old man who used to meditate early every morning under a big tree on the bank of the Ganges River. Once morning, after he had finished his meditation, the old man opened his eyes and saw a scorpion floating helplessly on the water. As the scorpion was washed closer to the tree, the old man quickly stretched himself out on the one of the long roots that branched out into the river and reached out to rescue the drowning creature. As soon as he touched it, the scorpion stung him. Instinctively the man withdrew his hand. A minute later, after he had regained his balance, he stretched himself out again on the roots to save the scorpion. This time the scorpion stung him so badly with its poisonous tail that his hand became swollen and bloody and his face contorted with pain.
At that moment, a passerby saw the old man stretched out on the roots struggling with the scorpion and shouted: ‘Hey, stupid old man, what’s wrong with you? Only a fool would risk his life for the sake of an ugly, evil creature. Don’t you know you could kill yourself trying to save that ungrateful scorpion?’
The old man turned his head. Looking into the stranger’s eyes, he said calmly, ‘My friend, just because it is the scorpion’s nature to sting, that does not change my nature to save.’ The scorpion he tried to save finally killed him.” (from Brendon Manning, The Signature of Jesus)
God’s nature to save is love. The cross is love.
Prayer of Praise: “I adore you, O Christ, and I bless you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.”