The image of Jesus crucified presses me back, away from this torture and dying, repulsed, fearful. Still the cross and Jesus draw me into the completeness of his self-giving love and trust. Is there not in me a stirring, a desire to entrust myself, more and more to this Lord, calling out more of my energy for the wholeness of others? How far can I entrust my life and love to God for good? Is the pain and bleakness of Calvary a grace of freedom to attend more deeply, more thoughtfully to others, to their needs? As Jesus invites us into Life that transforms, are we not set free to invite others into life as well?

—Fr. Jim Stoeger, S.J., a noted Jesuit educator, now serves as Vocation Director for the Chicago-Detroit and Wisconsin Jesuit provinces.