37th day of Lent- John 13:1

"Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end."
 John 13:1

The above verse introduces John's Last Supper.  It occurs shortly before Jesus is arrested and crucified.  During the supper, Jesus takes off his outer robe and washes his disciple's feet.  Today's devotion by the Rev. Rafael Malpica Padilla focuses on the love of Jesus for his disciples. "He loved them to the end."  The example he gives is a mother and teenage daughter, both of whom have AIDS.  When  Sister Judith asked the mother if she wanted a prayer, the mother replied, "Yes, but I want you to pray that my daughter will die first, because then, I would have cared for her to the end."  Those are powerful words.  It's a mother's love for her child, that she can be there to care for her through the end of her life.  Jesus loved the world to the end of his life.  His death on the cross is another example of self-giving love.  He is willing to die for the world's sins.  But more than that, because God raised Jesus from the dead, we believe God loves us to the end of our lives as well. And when that day comes, God takes us into His love for all eternity.   There is never a time in our lives we are not loved by God, through Jesus Christ.  Perhaps you have days when you wonder if God is present and you are loved.  Today's devotion and Bible passage are words of assurance and hope.  "Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end."