In this week's Gospel reading, we enter into the period where we remember the
suffering and death of Our Lord. He would glorify His Father’s Name through His
actions. Jesus mentions how He will suffer and eventually die for the sake of our
salvation, taking up upon Himself the sins of the whole world and placing them on His
own shoulders, enduring all those for our sake, because of the love He has for us.

We need to rediscover who we are. Christ’s death for us on the cross will be
meaningless if we cannot accept the slightest inconvenience to accommodate others. If
we cannot make simple sacrifices to make others better than ourselves, we need to
pause. We need to step out of our comfort zone to discover thousands whose lives we
can change by our sacrifices. We can transform the world by our services. Like Jesus,
my focus should not be on my will and my wants, but on serving those whom God is
allowing me and calling me to serve.

Many things are going wrong today because no one wants to suffer or make the
sacrifice. When we suffer in pursuit of a worthy cause of action, we come out better
persons, we touch lives, we transform the world. By stepping out of our comfort zone,
we are able to project God’s love and become disciples of God Himself. Personally, as
President of Students Take Action at my school, I have had to overcome obstacles in
trying to help others. Just recently for Valentine's Day, I reached out to all Mount Olive
schools to write letters to essential workers. For the month of January, I made small
cardboard mailboxes that were stationed at each school for drop off of letters. My
dedication and willingness to make changes in other people's lives was tested. In the
end, I delivered the goody bags attached with letters to a hospital, fire department, and
police department. Recalling the Gospel when Jesus says: “Whoever serves me must
follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever
serves me.” The duty we have as Christians is challenging, but what we learn from
Jesus’ sacrifice is what gives us this opportunity to be the change. 

How are we then responding to God’s love? Are we going to continue to ignore
Him, to reject Him, and to harden our hearts and close our minds against Him? Or are
we going to allow Him to touch our lives and to make us whole once again, healing us
from the afflictions of our sins? As we enter into this time of deeper preparation for the
upcoming Holy Week and Easter, let us therefore make best use of the time and the
opportunities we have received, so that we may come to seek the Lord with a contrite
heart, filled with repentance and regret for our sins.

~Kira Hutchinson-Lundy
Leader on our Teen Advisory Board, Retreat Team, and Mission Team