Jesus was no helpless victim. The events of the Passion didn’t just happen to him. He chose freely, consciously, and deliberately to stand between us and the powers of Evil, undergoing torture and humiliation and an excruciating death in order to save us all. Good Friday is a day to remember his sacrifice and give our hearts once more to him who gave – and continues to give – everything for us.

Whatever it is you’re called to be, each of us is called to live as a servant leader, to be in charge of how we are carrying out and giving away yourselves in the service of others. To become like the Servant Christ is to give of ourselves for the good of the others. As Saint Francis of Assisi reminds us, in giving of ourselves we receive much more.

God is here with us not only in the good moments of our lives, but also when we are suffering, when we are afraid, when we are alone and feeling abandoned. And not only that, God is reaching out to us through his Son, through His death and resurrection.

Through our baptism, God has written his very name on our hearts and claimed us for his own. We are reminded of this fact every time we dip our fingers in our baptismal font and bless ourselves with the sign of the cross. Instead of just following rules, we simply need to look into what God has written in our hearts. And what do we find there? A cross: Jesus' cross. And with that cross, you are reminded that He loves you so much that he sacrificed himself for you.

We have three weeks of Lent still in front of us. Where are you falling prey to scattering, division, and discouragement? How might God be inviting you to open your life more fully to the power of graciousness, connection, and hope?

A heart is often used to represent emotional love, which involves feelings of deep affection, care, and emotional attachment towards another person. The crucifix also represents love - sacrificial love, doing what is best for others to the point where we are willing to lay down our lives. Jesus' sacrificial love is unconditional; He gives us His love even when we don't deserve it. Put your crucifix at home in a prominent place (or get one, if you don't have one already) so that, every time you look at it, your heart is filled with zeal for the sacrificial love God bestows on us, which we are in turn expected to share with others.

In Lent, the Church offers us ways to look at things differently. We are called to be open to a special indwelling of the Holy Spirit; to pray more, to fast, and to do works of charity. I also challenge you to make yourself available to mountain-top experiences. All of these things help us be more open to God’s grace in our lives - to change and transfigure us.

Lent, at least in the northern hemisphere, is one of those happy confluences of the exterior and the interior world. The world outside us waits for the new life of Spring; we wait for the new life of Easter. Those waitings enhance one another. God is in our hearts and in the church, and it’s important to attend to Him there. But He’s also out there. So this Lent, get up out of your chair and go meet Him.