In Episode 2 of Power of the Cross, Michael Dubruiel guides listeners through the First Week of Lent, inviting a deeper engagement with the Cross as teacher and guide. Building on the foundations laid in the opening episode, this reflection turns toward conversion as a lifelong process and emphasizes the importance of approaching Lent slowly, attentively and prayerfully.

Michael draws from the Gospel temptations of Christ, showing how each temptation reveals something essential about Christ’s mission and, in turn, our own. The Cross teaches us not only how to endure suffering, but how to discern rightly, to recognize misuse of our gifts and to redirect them toward love and service. Through Scripture, lived examples and practical steps, this episode highlights how prayer, repentance, reconciliation and love unfold day by day when we face the Cross honestly.

The First Week of Lent becomes a school of discipleship where listeners are invited to expect Christ first in the Eucharist and then in the people they encounter, especially the forgotten and the wounded.

Michael Dubruiel died in 2009. These recordings, made in 2008, have been remastered to improve audio clarity and are shared with the permission of his wife, Amy Welborn.

1. How do I tend to approach conversion: as a single decision or as a daily, ongoing response to Christ?
2. Which of the Gospel temptations of Christ most speaks to my own struggles and desires?
3. In what ways do I resist learning from the Cross rather than simply enduring it?
4. How does the Cross reveal the proper use of the gifts God has given me?
5. Where might Christ be inviting me to recognize Him more clearly in the people I encounter this week?

Michael Dubruiel’s book The Power of the Cross: Applying the Passion of Christ to Your Life is currently available in Kindle format.

You can find the book here:
https://amzn.to/4rTMBK9

To explore more of Amy Welborn’s books and writing, visit:
https://amywelborn.wordpress.com/books-by-amy-welborn/