Mary's yes was not just a one-time thing, it was a daily commitment to God's plans for her life.

Perhaps the lesson that St. Joseph and St. André teach us is one of humility in the face of Divine Providence.

As we move further into this Lenten season and I prepare my current RCIA class at Notre Dame to make that same profession of faith I made some sixteen years ago, I am struck by the myriad ways that I have been formed and influenced by Holy Cross.

Even in death our brothers are there with us to help us journey to the next life, to continue to pray for us and support us at those moments when we need it the most.

The priests and staff of the parish are working to implant this important aspect of our faith in the people so that they see that the path does not end with the Cross and ashes, but that these lead us to the glorious truth of the Resurrection.

Sometimes I wonder at the marvel of it all: I grew up a Protestant kid just a few miles from Notre Dame (a place with which my family has no formal connection), and now I am a Roman Catholic, a vowed religious, and a seminarian.

I pray that the Lord continue to bless the Christian communities in the Middle East and in North Africa, and to give them the grace of perseverance and a strong faith in God as the healer and lover of all creation.

In working with RCIA, I've learnt something new about thirst for baptism, and excitement about confirmation. I've learnt a new found appreciation for my own.