In the midst of our suffering and hardship, we must keep sight of the “light at the end of the tunnel.” We know that Jesus is that light and that we must trust in that light the way Abraham trusted in God.

We are suffering voluntarily in our Lenten fast. We are also acutely aware in this season of the suffering caused by our sinfulness. Easter, however, awaits us, the hope of resurrection, because “God is for us.”

Many in our world are suffering involuntarily. They are the poor, the hungry, the homeless, the victims of oppression and war and other injustices. Is there ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ for them? When will Easter come to them? Who is for them besides God?

Christians cannot allow the magnitude of social evils to overwhelm them. They must always live by the light of Christ and the hope of resurrection.

Christian hope is strong and resilient, for it is rooted in a faith that knows that the fullness of life comes to those who follow Christ in the way of the Cross.

In pursuit of concrete solutions, all members of the Christian community are called to an ever finer discernment of the hurts and opportunities in the world around them, in order to respond to the most pressing needs and thus build up a more just society.

U.S. Bishops, Economic Justice for All, 1986:126