By Matt St.Pierre, City Hope Associate

A good friend of mine who has experienced quite a bit of suffering once told me that he had come to believe that following Christ always includes suffering—either our own, or participating in the suffering of people we know and love.This can seem like a paradox when we consider the resurrection. And yet, to experience the resurrection of Christ includes first identifying with his death, with the cross. This is the rhythm of living that Lent invites us into — joining with the suffering and death of Christ.

The Tenderloin is a neighborhood with many beautiful and incredible qualities — a vibrant art community, hard-working immigrants, and rich diversity. It is also a place plagued by addiction, poverty, and mental illness. Those whom our city has no idea what to do with are often pushed directly into the center of this pocket, where protected affordable housing and many social services can be found.

The City Hope Community Center seeks to provide a safe space, where healthy relationships are formed across racial, cultural, and socio-economic lines. It is through these relationships that I’ve come to find a deeper Lenten experience.

These relationships illuminate to me that the dietary or entertainment indulgences I consider doing without during Lent are privileges that many of our neighbors are forced to go without on a daily basis. In their marginalization, these folks are experiencing life in a way that is far more akin to the earthly life of Christ than I do in my privilege and abundance.

In relationship with these neighbors who are suffering, I am truly invited to join Christ on his journey toward the cross. We do not place ourselves in the path of suffering as those without hope. We see all throughout creation that death leads to life. After Good Friday, comes Easter Sunday.