“Love is always a gift and the only thing God asks of us is that we remember how much we are loved. And because, as I hope we all know, the only thing love asks for is love.“

While the love of God always comes first, our response to that love should take us outside of ourselves, as we are asked to share with others the love and compassion that we ourselves have received from God.

Today the mystery of Christ and the Cross come together in a way truly confounds our expectations and which demands more than a child’s “Bible story” understanding of Jesus.

As we take comfort in the prayer of Savior and the mercy that we receive through him, we are also invited to pray for others, even as Moses prayed for his own people.

The Readings for Monday of the First Week of Lent invite us to recognize that our faith must be lived in a way that not only brings us into right relationship with others, but which also becomes a blessing for them.