Beneath the iconic golden dome of Johns Hopkins Hospital, once the entrance to this mecca of Western medicine, welcoming everyone, stands a 10.5 foot sculpture of Christ the Consoler, arms outstretched, right foot forward, eyes downcast.  Etched in the pedestal on which the sculpture stands, “Come to me all you who are weary and heavily burdened and I will give you rest.”(MT.11 :28)

In the Gospel of John for this 4th Sunday in Lent, Jesus speaks to Nicodemus of the necessity of new birth from above and portends the Cross, the ultimate sign of God’s love for us. On the Cross, Jesus is exalted, and God gives healing and salvation to us.