We spend these days looking toward the future, to the second Advent of Christ, when he will return in glory

As Christians, we are called to live for the future.

“Whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all”

The Wisdom of God—Christ—is worth more than any sort of riches or possessions

Mary stands before us as an icon of discipleship and a model of the Church at prayer

It is when we allow ourselves to be little, the Lord comes close: “He gives us peace; he makes us grow.”

Faithful discipleship demands that we sacrifice for the good of others, promote peace and justice, letting go of our vision of how the world should be and seeking God’s will in whatever comes our way

To receive the Eucharist, is not to receiving something but to encounter Someone, because in the Eucharist we enter into a communion with Christ himself

“The Lord asks us to adopt an attitude of humble listening and docile expectation because God’s grace often manifests itself in surprising ways that do not match our expectations.”

“God did not make death, / nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living.”

Through our words and, especially, through the witness of our lives, we should spread the seed of the Word near and far

As we continue to journey through Mark’s Gospel in the coming weeks of Ordinary Time, the questions of who Jesus was and who he is for us will remain important themes

In the Eucharist, we have both sacrifice and gift as his handing over of his body and blood—all that he is—at the Last Supper.

“The Ascension does not point to Jesus’ absence, but tells us that he is alive in our midst in a new way.”

We are called to reach across the boundaries—whatever form they might take—and invite others to join us in living out this mission.

We must be willing to offer the fruit of our lives for the benefit of others, just as Jesus offered himself in the Eucharist and on the cross

“Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”

God’s mercy most perfectly expresses itself in God’s desire to bring us to life in Christ, even when we were dead to sin and had wandered far away.

The Season of Lent ultimately reminds us that holiness is possible for us only when we enter into the struggle.

It is only when we can begin to live for others—a truly worthy goal for any of us during Lent—that we have any hope of growing into the people of charity and prayer that God calls us to be.