Jesus said, "And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself." (Jn 12:32)

In fact, even as Jesus breathed his last breath on the cross, the Roman centurion who was keeping guard over Jesus was moved to exclaim, "Truly this was the Son of God!" (Mt 27:54)

When we open our hearts and face up to the image of the crucifix, we too will inevitably be moved because Jesus' Passion and death bore the sin of every one of us. His love for us is unconditional; we can atone for all our sins as long as we repent heartily and renew our lives.

When we encounter suffering in our lives, we should not think of it as God's punishment. Instead, it could be the Lord's invitation for us to offer up our suffering in union with His Passion as our prayer for fellow sinners.

On the third day after His death, Jesus was resurrected. May we learn to refrain from wallowing in illusions of the past and instead dedicate ourselves to living life to the fullest, moment by moment. Only by focusing on the moment at hand can we fulfill God's Will in our lives.