We are the branches grafting to Jesus, the vine who pumps into us that sap/the spirit which is the nutrient to stay healthy, grow and bear fruits of comfort, familiarity, and peace so that we live and move, and have our being rooted in Christ, our love and anchor.

In the midst of an increasingly secular world, God continues to show up for His faithful people, calling them and accompanying them towards eternal life.

Sometimes, it takes a temporary eclipse of suffering and trial in our life in order to reveal what God is doing. Sometimes, we can’t just read about him or study Him; we need to experience Him, and that changes everything. Consider what things in your life are obscuring or eclipsing the light of Christ for you, and surrender it all to Him. Jesus deeply desires to move the obstacles that eclipse your mind and heart so that you can live this life to the full and be prepared for the next.

Jesus administered spiritual CPR when he breathed into His disciples to take away their disappointment and fear and give them His peace (Jn 20:21-23). He resuscitated and revitalized them, giving them strength to carry out the work of being instruments of God’s mercy. He does the same for us to take away our wounds, our shortcomings and sins. Examine your conscience at the end of each day to determine your weaknesses, failures, and sins, then ask God for His mercy or bring them to Christ in confession. This way we can widen the channels to our hearts so that the breath of Christ, our spiritual CPR provider, can continue to revitalize us, giving us the strength to carry out the work of being instruments of God’s mercy.

We proclaim "Christ is risen" not akin to a slogan like "Elvis Lives". No! It is the truth that this life has been broken into by eternity. Our destiny is not utter annihilation. It is a reality that is the complete fulfillment of all that is good here on earth.

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.

Giving and receiving valentines (or, in Charlie Brown's case, not receiving valentines) is an example of the consequences of conditional love: if (fill in the blank), then I will love you/give you a valentine/etc. We are not called to practice conditional love, however, but unconditional love - because that is how Christ loved us. We live out that unconditional love through the three pillars of Lent - praying, fasting, and almsgiving - doing it not for the sake of being seen, but in order to show unconditional love to others for their benefit.

God calls each one of us to love and to care for one another. Human beings are made to be in communion with each other in physical and embodied ways. When we bring care, love, and support to others, we help them to experience Christ’s compassion and healing touch.

Jesus knows suffering. He knows doubt. He knows abandonment. In fact, by his suffering, he expresses in the most profound way that he is I AM. He is with us. Let his name reverberate in your mind. May it help remind you that God does indeed care, and that, in both your darkest moments and your greatest triumphs, I AM is with you always.

We don’t need to go searching in all these other-worldly places – or even in the more usual worldly places – for meaning and purpose and empowerment. God has a plan for each of us, a purpose he’s held for us since before the world began. You begin discerning your life’s purpose by being faithful to the duty of the present moment. The great Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky once wrote, “The mystery of human existence lies not in just staying alive, but in finding something to live for.” So, why not live for God?

“Come, follow me” is the call of Jesus for us to embrace our vocation as the beloved sons and daughters of God, to let go of what paralyzes us, and to cultivate a personal relationship with Jesus. Spend some time this week in prayer recalling your baptism into Christ and give thanks to God for His invitation to come follow Jesus, knowing everything else will follow.

Regardless of our disappointments and failures in our relationships with others, God always offers us another chance, often in a way we never expected. While the world offers us guilt, shame, and accusation, Jesus offers us the hope that, with His help, it is never too late to resurrect those broken relationships.

This weekend's homily title is meant to be playful, but there is a point here. To be desirable, attractive, special - that's one of those deep desires of the human heart we all experience. In the end, the more we try to manufacture our own acceptance and attractiveness, the more we’re bound to be frustrated. Conversely, the more we open our hearts to God and His embrace, the more attractive we become. True loveliness isn’t found in how we look; it comes from loving God and letting Him love us.