John 3:16. For God so loved the world that he gave his only
Son, so that everyone who believes in him may no perish but may have eternal
life.
This very familiar verse from the Gospel of John takes on
richer meaning when I pause prayerfully and consider it in depth. For much of
my life I felt overwhelmed by the power of these words: For God so loved the
world. I wanted to grasp and understand that love, experience that love. I
would catch glimpses: looking in the eyes of my newborn child, watching a
sunset, skiing down a snow-covered mountain. Over the years God’s love has
become increasingly more present to me. I am not sure how that happened. It
seemed like I was just living my life and paying attention.
Marcus Borg in The Heart of Christianity brought
clarification to that question when he defined spirituality as “becoming
conscious of and intentional about a deepening relationship with God. …we are
already in a relationship with God…spirituality is about becoming aware of a
relationship that already exists.” Richard Rohr in his Daily Meditation on
February 3 put it this way: “So God planted a little bit of God in you (Romans
5:5) … . We call it the Indwelling Holy Spirit, and it’s the part of us that
just keeps yearning for God.” And to think that is what my paying attention was
all about!
All of this was done and is being done in community with
others who are on their own journey and inform my journey as I do theirs. Now,
when overwhelmed by the power of the words, For God so loved the world, I can
say yes to:
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and
with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength….You
shall love your neighbor as yourself. (Mark 12:30-31)
—Joanne
DelBene
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