With the emphasis during Lent on the Sacraments of Initiation and the welcoming of new members, the Liturgy of the Word during the last three weeks emphasizes themes of healing and new life. We experience a crescendo of anticipation, evoking awe and hope, gradually building each day to the culmination of the Easter mystery in the celebration of the Paschal Triduum. The readings intentionally invite us to keep our eye on the new possibilities that arise from full participation in the Christian life.

Embracing the mystery of the suffering of Jesus in our daily lives, we believe that we already live in the new life offered us through Christ. As catechumens and candidates prepare to join the Church, we, too, prepare to renew our baptismal promises. Firmly rooted in the cross, we know that the cross is not the end of the story, but rather an entry into a new way of life offered to us by the Risen One, a life that will flourish as we preach the Good News through our words and actions.

As baptized faithful, we are called to proclaim to all what our readings teach us: the hope of new life from death; that the blind will see and the deaf hear; of living water within that will overflow into eternal life. New wine served at the wedding in Cana, and the cure of the royal official’s son, are signs that announce this new life in Christ, offering hope to a world in which God initiates love—and invites us to do the same.