I was determined to win. I wanted to be the one lifting up the trophy and see my name in the newspapers the following day. I wanted the glory. And to get that glory, I was willing to put in all kinds of hours from sunup to sundown.

But then in 1971, when I was eighteen, I went to a prayer meeting in my parish, and God touched my life in a whole new way. Sure, I went to a Catholic school. Sure, I was an altar boy. But my life was about myself—my golf, my food, my girlfriend, my way. For me, faith was mainly about going to Mass, being honest, and doing the right thing. (It also helped that I didn’t want to go to hell.)

But at that prayer meeting forty-two years ago, I saw Jesus as a Person who loved me. I saw him as the One who died for my sins, was raised from the dead, and is now seated in glory on a heavenly throne. What was abstract and distant became real and close.

My mother, who was instrumental in my conversion experience, encouraged me to read chapters four and five from the Book of Revelation—St. John’s description of Jesus enthroned in glory in heaven. What I read touched me deeply. The glory that I gave all of my life to on the golf course seemed to pale in comparison to who Jesus is and what he did for us on the cross.

In this special Lenten issue, we will focus on the glory of the Lord. I hope the articles and the meditations in this issue inspire you to spend time each day pondering Jesus and the glory he has revealed. I truly believe that Jesus wants to open our “spiritual eyes” and show us his glory. Lent is a perfect time for that to happen.

Share Your Story. Whenever we experience the glory of the Lord, we find ourselves moved to tell other people about it. We simply can’t keep it to ourselves. We want our friends and family members to have the same experience. We want them to see Jesus on a deeper level so that their lives can be changed just as ours have been.

With this in mind, I’d like to ask you to send me your own stories of the great things God has done in your life. We love hearing from our readers. Who knows? Maybe your story will end up in a future edition of this magazine. That’s what happened with David Rose and Dennis McGeehan, whose stories are included in this edition. So often, when we hear someone’s story we say, “If God did it for this person, what’s to keep him from doing something similar for me?” So send us your stories. Let God’s work in your life shine.

May God give all of you a double portion of his grace during this Lenten season so that you can see his glory in a whole new way.

Joe Difato, Publisher | Email the Publisher at [email protected]