I usually take CA-210 East and then the 2 South to get to Glendale. Today, on my way, I noticed that after the recent rain, the La Tuna and Verdugo Hills looked greener. What had seemed dry and lifeless a few days ago now appeared revitalized and awake.

As I drove, I found myself reflecting on this quiet, self-healing work of nature, and my thoughts turned to Great Lent, which many Christian traditions have just begun. On Ash Wednesday, we offered ashes at the hospital to staff and patients. With the sign of the holy cross marked on their foreheads, we gently reminded them of repentance and that we are dust, and to dust we shall return.

In people’s eyes, I could see the grief and sobriety that mark the Lenten season. Yet I also saw hope. Beneath the lament, there was joyful anticipation. Just as the hills turned greener after rain, we trust that the hardened parts of our souls can be made new. We look toward Easter with the quiet confidence that what feels dead in us can rise with the Risen Christ.

I pray that this Great Lent may become for each of us a season of prayer, introspection, and renewal. May it be a time to tend carefully to our hearts and souls, so that we too may awaken—healthier, stronger, and revitalized.