Like a flame our hope is burning. This Lenten season we join as pilgrims of hope. We are called to know, love and serve God by our thought, word and deed so that He is remembered through all generations.

We utter His name that a light is found in our home, a dwelling place for God. God is the dawn of hope, and we journey to infuse the darkness with this flame of hope, the power of mercy and His gracious love.

This feeling of awe and wonder that Moses expressed as he encountered the burning bush, though on fire, not consumed is what I experienced on the Sunday after Ash Wednesday as I met with 800 people at the Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe who professed their election to become Catholics. They came from different parishes, different cultural traditions and experiences. Yet, they are united in their hopeful journey that began more than a year ago and will settle their spirit during the Easter Vigil where they will receive the Sacraments of Initiation — Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist. The joy of the catechumens could not be contained within the structure of the Basilica. It rose as a cloud of glory to the heavens as they, like Moses, offered their fiat, “Here I am,” by their signatures in the Book of the Elect.

If you have never been to the Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe, it is a worthy destination for prayer. Imagine how the catechumens must have felt, entering this holy ground for the first time to declare their worthiness and desire for God! Theirs is what Moses experienced on his encounter with God. Moses also entered a sacred space in which he had never been and agreed to do as God asked; speak to the Israelites about His mercy and kindness and deliverance of them from oppression.

You and I pray with and for the catechumens as we accompany them on their journey to the Holy Land, the eternal Jerusalem. We are invited to help keep the flame of hope burning, that this longing to behold the Lord and to experience Him, to experience His love, to experience His mercy is not extinguished!

Pope Francis said, “If one ceases to thirst for the living God, faith is in danger of becoming a habit, it risks being extinguished, like a fire that is not fed.” We help the catechumens and one another by living our faith in God, 24/7/365. The flame is not to be “blown out,” but to be fueled by our love of God — by our works of spiritual and corporal mercy for one another. We offer the encounter of God to one another so that our heart is joyful, and we make haste to tell others about Love Divine, all loves excelling!

Other pilgrims of hope brought their faith in God to legislators during Catholic Days at the Capitol, March 18-19. These courageous men and women spoke their faith aloud to different staff and legislators, proclaiming God as the ruler of life, and we are to follow God, not men. Their conversations advocated for the protection of human life and dignity as lawmakers continue the important work of shaping Florida’s laws and future for the common good. Each year during the legislative session, Catholics from across the state gather in Tallahassee, Florida’s capitol, to put their faith and civic responsibility into action.

As you partake in receiving Jesus the Eucharist during the celebration of Mass, remember He fills you so that you can fill another with His goodness. The Psalmist announces, “He pardons all your iniquities, heals all your ills, He redeems your life from destruction, crowns you with kindness and compassion.”

We are given each moment to bring God afresh to one another, to be the humble servant ever new. Pope Francis prays, “May Mary, the perfect disciple, accompany you: it is beautiful to have her as our Mother in faith! I invite you to remember, like the beloved disciple, the day, the hour in which for the first time you stayed with Jesus, felt His gaze upon you. Never forget the gaze of Jesus upon you … never forget His gaze! It is a gaze of love.” May our living remember His name forever, through all generations.