John tells us that the Father put everything into the power of the Christ. God, after creating the world in love, handed over the world to His Son so that it might be saved by love. And Jesus, with the entire world in His hands, placed Himself at the feet of His disciples. Jesus knew that He had come from God and was returning to God. Still, He did not remove Himself from the world. Rather, He immersed Himself in it. No filth was too great for Him to wash away; no task was too lowly for Him to take upon Himself. He gave of Himself and asked only for love in return.

Christ emptied Himself. Do we allow His love to fill us? Christ made Himself vulnerable to the point of death. Do we allow Him to fill us with strength and life? This is the heart of the Christian mystery: allowing Christ to become the center of our lives, gradually ordering all else to Himself. In doing so, He sanctifies every moment of life and grants all things eternal significance. Yet He will not do this without our permission. Will we allow Him to wash all things and make them new? Lord, grant that this Easter we may accept the beauty, truth, and love that You offer us.