Like Mary and Saint John, we are there, at the foot of the cross where Jesus dies, abandoned by his own and mocked by the crowd. Is it not essential for Christians to be present in places of suffering, in places of dereliction and abandonment?

Where would the Church of Jesus Christ, itself the Body of Christ, be if it were not first and foremost there? I believe it dies from not being close enough to the cross of its Lord. Paradoxical as it may seem, and Saint Paul clearly demonstrates this, the strength, vitality, Christian hope, and fruitfulness of the Church come from there. Nowhere else, nor in any other way.

For this is indeed about love, love first and foremost, and love alone. A passion that Jesus gave us a taste for and showed us the way to: "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends" (Jn 15:13).

Giving one's life is not reserved for martyrs, or at least, perhaps we are called to become martyrs—witnesses to the free gift of love, the free gift of one's life. This gift comes to us from the grace of God given in Jesus Christ. And how can we express this gift, this grace?

In every decision, in every act, give something concretely of yourself: your time, your smile, your friendship, your know-how, your presence even silent, even powerless, your attention, your material, moral and spiritual support, your outstretched hand… without calculation, without reservation, without fear of losing yourself.

Bx Pierre Claverie

A Dominican friar, appointed Bishop of Oran, Pierre Claverie († 1996) chose to remain in Algeria at the risk of his life. Assassinated in 1996, he was beatified along with eighteen other martyrs of Algeria on December 8, 2018. / In Benoît Vandeputte, Trésors de la prédication, Paris, Bayard, 2008, pp. 538-539.

In Magnificat