Wednesday, April 1, 2009

God is Love

God is love.--St. John
 
When we stood on the hill in Ephesus near the ruins of St. John's Basilica, I looked over the ledge and saw two Turkish men reclining on a hill. They had just eaten their lunch in the warmth of the noon day sun and had their shoes off. They were talking and smoking cigarettes. We made our way into the ruins after our guide told us the history of this ancient place. Soon we were standing in one of the holiest spots on this weary globe, St. John's tomb. This was the "disciple whom Jesus loved". This was the man who had laid his head on the breast of Jesus in the Upper Room. This was the only male disciple at the foot of the cross. This was the beloved disciple given the awesome responsibility of caring for the Blessed Virgin. This was the apostle who wrote the 6th chapter of the gospel attributed to his name. This was the one given the revelation of the Lamb who was slain. As I was thinking about these things I noticed the priests traveling with us. They had gathered one by one and were kneeling on the concrete slab where this beloved Saint was laid to rest. I wish you could have been there.
 
wkm

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