Where have you borne the “hardships” for the sake of the gospel Saint Paul writes of in Romans? What were or are they? How does God strengthen you in the face of difficulties?

The Lenten terrain keeps changing. Last week, we crossed a desert. This week, we scale a mountain. No one said the journey of faith would be easy. But neither were we warned that this level of athleticism would be required.

Jesus took Peter and the brothers, James and John, and led them up a high mountain. His appearance changed from the inside out, right before their eyes. Sunlight poured from his face. His clothes were filled with light.

“Give and you will receive” is one of the most famous and important lessons in the Bible. I think the reverse is true too: receive and you will give.

I always felt sorry for Dorothy at the end of The Wizard of Oz. She tried so hard to share the wonders of her adventure, and all she got from her Auntie Em and others were bemused stares. “Sure, sure,” they said. “You got bumped on the noggin and your imagination went wild.”

You work or play alongside particular people for years, thinking they’re good, kind, decent human beings. Glad you know them. Happy to call them friends. But suddenly there is a defining moment when you see them in a new light, and you realize that these people are not just good; they’re holy.

As I walked through the ornate cemetery on the outskirts of the family hometown in Southern Italy with my cousin, I searched for family names on the graves.

Gathered as a people on a pilgrimage of salvation, we ask for God's blessings and pardon.

To heal divisions, to relieve the oppress’d, In virtue rich; in blessing others, bless’d.