One night, a Pharisee named Nicodemus went to Jesus, who enlightened him about rebirth in the Spirit. In the early Church, the Apostles ignored dire warnings not to preach in Jesus’ name. God does not ration the Holy Spirit any more than Jesus rationed the food when He multiplied five loaves and two fish to feed a crowd of thousands. When our prayers in Jesus’ name do not get the response we want, do we ask the Lord, our Light, to help us see with enlightened faith?

Mary Magdalene mistook the Risen Lord for a gardener until He said her name. For two disciples in Emmaus, the eye-opener came through the Lord's blessing and sharing of bread, while a miraculous catch of fish enabled a beloved Disciple to recognize Jesus. Religious leaders felt powerless to punish Peter and John for ministering in Jesus' name. What kinds of events obscure our ability to see the Lord's presence in our lives?

Martha, Mary, and Lazarus hosted a dinner in Jesus' honor, at which Mary anointed His feet with perfumed oil and dried them with her hair. At another meal, Jesus placed Himself as a servant to wash the Disciples' feet. Peter promised at the Last Supper to follow Jesus, no matter what. Pontius Pilate, like Peter, did not understand what the Lord had in mind. When we get wrapped up in sadness or confusion, do the Lord's abandoned burial cloths raise our hopes in Him?

With no one to verify what Jesus said, the Pharisees continued their denials. Jesus did not back away from calling people slaves to sin, even though they descended from Abraham. Still, believers in the Son increased in number, and the Sanhedrin convened in panic after Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. Challenged about the whereabouts of Jesus in the world or even in our small sphere, do we show undeniable faith?

When a royal official asked Jesus to come and cure his son, the Lord sent him away with promised healing. Jesus miraculously cured a man, who then got accused of unlawfully carrying his mat on a Sabbath. People got angry when told that they did not have the Father's love within them, but Temple guards did not seize Jesus because no one else spoke as He did. If we fail to perceive God's answer to prayer, do we consider silence as His way of asking more of us?

In faith, Mary accepted the angel Gabriel's message. Naaman came to believe after seeking miraculous healing because he had nothing to lose, but he expected something flashier than Elisha's message to wash in the Jordan River. Jesus taught love of God and neighbor. Knowing that God does not always work in obvious ways, do we seize opportunities to do good works inconspicuously, too?

Jesus takes the ways that people treat each other personally, whether caring or ignoring, comforting or hurting. In an Old Testament story, a queen named Esther prays for strength from God to help her oppose a decree to destroy the Jewish people. Jesus taught the Disciples to pray and challenged them to become perfect in the way of the Father, who makes the sun shine on all people. This Lent, will an imperfection that we strive to overcome help others to see the Lord's love shining through us?