I love you, O Lord, my strength O Lord, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer. My God, my rock of refuge, My shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. -Psalm 18:2-3

Veronica, on the sidelines, witnessed Jesus trudging up hill toward Calvary. His body bent under the weight of the cross on his scourged shoulder. His face covered with spittle, blood and tears. The salt biting into his open wounds. The sweat in his eyes limiting his vision. Veronica could stand by no longer. She pushed her way past the guards who tried to restrain her. Moved with sorrow and compassion, Veronica removed a veil and wiped Jesus’ face before the Romans pushed her back into the crowd.

In my point of view and opinion I see Jesus as my friend and my guidance , a friend who not only gets me but is always there for me. Throughout life I’ve realized that friends come and go and none of it will last forever, even family sometimes come and go or will act like strangers. But one thing I know for sure in my life and have realized more and more as life goes on is that God is there and he has been and will always be there.

During the season of Lent we are presented with a multitude of opportunities to become Christ's disciples and advocates. Mirroring His life in the way we live our lives. A factor of Lent is the great fast we are to take part in. While Jesus was on earth He went into the desert and fasted for forty days and forty nights. Lent is a time of forty days in which we take part in the practice of fasting.

I arise today Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity Through belief in the threeness Through confession of the Oneness Towards the creator. I arise today Through the strength of Christ with his baptism, Through the strength of his crucifixion with his burial, Through the strength of his resurrection with his ascension Through the strength of his decent for the Judgement of doom.

My purpose and excitement towards the life that I have to live, whether it’d be a day or years, is something that fluctuated in my life and it’s past dramatically. Throughout my academic years in St. Francis College, an adjustment had to be made towards adapting to a new state, a new college, a new lifestyle. I believe it was one that required faith to even be possible. From the moment I stepped foot in New York from good old Texas, my faith was needed and my strength in it was most definitely tested to succeed. Growing up as an ordinary Southern kid with a dream, my goal was to make my parents proud, not thinking of the obstacles ahead of me but distracted by the glory behind seeing their eyes glow and teeth glisten from smiling at their young boy going to college!

Before this year I was so uninterested in faith. Like, yes, I was Catholic, but I didn’t go to church often, I didn’t pray often. I would be so lazy to even read the Bible. I didn’t really understand what he did for us as his children. But this year has really opened my eyes to where I would be emotional because I would've never known the relationship I can build with the Lord.

As we gaze on Jesus hanging on the Cross, we hear him say, “Woman, here is your son.” Jesus’ mother Mary is overwhelmed with unbearable grief and yet immediately embraces each one of us when Jesus entrusts us to her. Through this act we are now bonded not only to Jesus, but to his mother as well. As we gaze on Jesus hanging on the Cross in agony, we hear him say, “Son, here is your mother.” We stand where John is standing ready to receive the mother of Jesus who now becomes our mother.

In times of sadness, loneliness, or despair, it can be easy to believe that we are entirely on our own. We may carry the world's weight on our shoulders as though no one truly understands and cares. However, there is a bright light amidst the darkness - Jesus, our friend. No matter what, He is always there for us.

One of the traditional prayers for LENT is the Way of the Cross which commemorate Jesus's passion and death. Those 14 (or 15) stations each depict a moment on his journey to Calvary. The practice began as pious pilgrims traced Jesus’ path through Jerusalem on the Via Dolorosa. Later, for the many pilgrims who wanted to travel along the same route, but could not make the trip to Jerusalem, a practice developed that eventually took an art form of stations currently found in almost every Catholic church throughout the world.