The reading from St. Paul this Fifth Sunday of Lent contains a jewel. Unfortunately it doesn’t stand out because of a clumsy translation. Here is another translation that makes Paul’s message clear: “All I want is to know Christ and to experience the power of his resurrection, to share in his sufferings and become like him in his death, in the hope that I myself will be raised from death to life” (Phil. 3:1-11).
In this one sentence Paul captures the heart of Christian living and the purpose of our Lenten journey. The hope and goal is to know Christ and to experience the power of Christ’s resurrection. Our pain, suffering, failings, weaknesses, and vulnerability take on new meaning when we know Christ Jesus and already experience the power of God to raise us up.
How do you experience the power of the resurrection in your human weakness? How does this give you hope?