The Power of Love

In the days of the Roman persecution, one of the worst things that could happen to a Christian was being sent to the Numidia mines in North Africa. There, the prisoners were brutally whipped, marched through rocky valleys, burned by the sun, branded on their brow with a hot iron, chained so that they were unable to stand erect, and sent into the dark pits to work interminable hours. It was indescribable suffering. Later, when the mines were opened to visitors, it was discovered that these early Christians had etched little words and slogans on the caves’ walls in which they were working. Of all the many words that appear there, two appear more than any others. One is the word “Christ” (Christos); the other is the word “life.” In that environment of terrible suffering, the two things they thought of most were Christ and life, for it is Jesus who comes to make abundant life possible — even in the midst of the suffering…