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?

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?

Obeying the Commandments offered only a start for a man who went away sad when Jesus advised him to do much more. When Peter wanted to know what the Apostles would receive in return for all that they had given up, Jesus spoke of both promise and persecution. Ash Wednesday begins the season of Lent-a time to begin new change for the better. Matthew hosted a banquet in celebration of his call to become a Disciple. With various options on the table for what to do during Lent, do we focus on serving the Lord and nourishing faith?