During this Lent, I pray that we will all turn to the Cross and find there the undeniable proof of God’s personal, unconditional love.

When a colleague reached out to invite me to a baby shower, I started thinking about whether I had time to make a diaper cake.

The bishops have shown great courage in challenging this status quo of mass deportations. Recognizing the values of this country as a beacon of liberty, and recognizing the teachings of the Gospel regarding the human dignity of each person and our responsibility toward those in need, the bishops have seized a teaching moment.

Through testimony, these young adults are forming one another. They are building a culture of encounter. Lent reminds us that conversion often begins with listening. The Church must listen not only to Scripture and tradition, but also to the voices of how others are living the Gospel in today’s world.

The Lenten season provides us with no shortage of holy men and women to discover and model our lives after. The following five individuals, whose feasts typically appear on the liturgical calendar during Lent, can help us overcome some of the greatest obstacles that we face.

What John Paul observed to the General Council of the Polish episcopate in June 1979 — that Catholicism has effective weapons against tyranny when it is “strong with its own strength,” its spiritual strength — remains true today, not least with respect to Russia and China.

Prayers of intercession, where we ask God to help other people in their needs, are also prayers of petition. Since praying for both the living and the dead is a spiritual work of mercy, it wouldn’t seem fitting to give this up for Lent!

Lent isn’t about winning. It’s about taking small steps that we hope lead to big ones. If we’re doing this right, Lent will not be easy. But we are trying.

Like the popes and bishops speaking up to protect God’s creation, our Catholic faith calls all of us to bring our values to public life, too. You can join churches and millions of Americans in conserving resources, advocating for change and supporting initiatives to give our children a cleaner, healthier world.

Birth mothers embody this radical, self-sacrificial love by wanting what is best for their children even if that means placing them with another family. Adoptive parents participate in it by loving another’s child as their own.