Best Lent Ever is made possible by viewers like you.

Thank you. You're awesome.

Over the past 10 years, you have watched our children grow up through their Best Lent Ever and Best Advent Ever appearances. Those of you who are ambassadors have been watching them grow up for even longer than that in our personal Christmas cards each year. You may have noticed that our youngest, Simon, doesn't speak in the videos. He comes on at the end with Harry and Walter and Isabel and Ralph, and they clap and cheer and giggle. And what a beautiful giggle it is. Simon was diagnosed with autism and a fracture of speech when he was three years old. And the experts didn't know if he would ever speak. More than 3% of children in the United States have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. The prevalence is similar across all racial and ethnic populations, though boys are four times more likely to be diagnosed with autism than girls. This year, as the other children were filming their parts, Simon joined in with his siblings, and as you can see, had a lot of fun doing that. He has been the source of unimaginable joy for our family. And so we are delighted to share a little bit of his contagious joy with you. Okay. And then go.

God doesn't need your strength. He wants your surrender. Do you believe in miracles?

Miracles are?

Real.

Merciful.

Timely.

Beautiful.

You are a miracle.

Albert Einstein once said, "There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle, and the other is as though everything is a miracle." Do you believe in miracles? That question may seem simple, but it reaches deep into the core of your soul. It confronts the way you see the world, the way you interpret your experiences, and the way you understand God's involvement in your life. Some people hear the word miracle and immediately think of something rare, dramatic, and distant, an event reserved for saints, ancient times, or shrines in faraway places. Others dismiss miracles entirely, relegating them to superstition, exaggeration, or wishful thinking. But what if miracles are not as rare as we think? What if the greatest obstacle to recognizing miracles is not God's reluctance to act, but our inability to see? Einstein's insight is disarming in its simplicity. There are only two ways to live. One way closes the soul, the other way opens the soul. One flattens reality into mere mechanics and coincidence. The other allows wonder and grace to flow into every corner of your life. So as we begin this pilgrimage, open your heart. Let new hopes and possibilities emerge within you. Nothing is impossible for God. He is ready to work wonders in you and through you. Are you ready? Great. Let's get started with our first day of miracles, wonders, and grace. Some saints dazzle the world with extraordinary gifts, heroic deeds, and dramatic conversions. Others intrigued the world with their simplicity and humility. Saint Andre Bessette, known affectionately as Brother Andre, belonged faithfully to the second group. He was a man the world overlooked, a simple doorkeeper. And yet through him, God performed more than 10,000 documented healings. The life of Andre Bessette is a brilliant reminder that holiness is, it's not about ability. It's about availability. Born to a poor family in 1845 in rural Quebec, Andre was frail and sickly from birth. He received little education because his health prevented him from attending school. After losing both his parents at a young age, he drifted from job to job, often dismissed because he was too weak or too sick to meet the demands of work. By worldly standards, he had nothing to offer. At age 25, he applied to join the congregation of the Holy Cross. The superiors hesitated. He had no education, no skills, no strength. What could he possibly contribute? It was only after the local bishop intervened famously saying, "I am sending you a saint," that Andre was accepted into the order. His assignment? Doorkeeper. For decades, Andre greeted visitors, welcomed guests, swept floors, ran errands, intended to his sick brothers. Nothing glamorous, nothing prestigious.

He lived in a small room, no bigger than a closet. He owned almost nothing. His life was marked by silence, simplicity, and prayer. And yet, something extraordinary began to happen. People started coming, specifically to see the doorkeeper. There is nothing more attractive than holiness. People who came to the door noticed something about Andre, a gentleness, a warmth, a quiet but comforting presence. They sensed holiness in his eyes. Many began sharing their struggles with him. The sick asked him to pray for them, and Andre always responded with the same simple gesture. He gently rubbed oil into the afflicted areas, encouraged them to have faith, urged them to pray to St. Joseph, and to trust in God for healing. The oil was not the sacramental oil used by the Church for the anointing of the sick. It was simply oil from a lamp burning besides a statue of St. Joseph. But nonetheless, miraculous healings began to flow. Thousands of them. People recovered from illnesses, and it baffled doctors: cancers, infections, disabilities, injuries, chronic pain. There were stories of crutches discarded, wheelchairs abandoned, diseases reversed, pilgrims flocked to him from all over Canada and beyond. Day after day, long lines formed outside the door where Brother Andre quietly listened, prayed, comforted, and blessed his visitors. People would credit him with healings, and he would always correct them. "I am only a small instrument. It is God who heals through St. Joseph."

This humility was at the core of who he was as a man. And the sick continued to come, and the miracles continued to unfold. More than 10,000 documented healings occurred through his intercession during his lifetime. But the true miracle of Brother Andre's life was not the number of healings. It was the way he loved. 10,000 miracles. He lived simply, prayed faithfully, listened with compassion, and served with joy even though he himself was suffering. When we reflect on the life of this humble doorkeeper, we're invited to ask profound questions of ourselves. What part of my life is God asking me to surrender? Where am I resisting humility and simplicity? How might God use my limitations to reveal His grace? Do I believe in the power of prayer? One of the greatest tragedies of modern life is that we often believe we have nothing to offer. We look at our limitations and conclude we're too ordinary. Brother Andre's life shatters that myth. God loves collaborating with the ordinary to create the extraordinary. God doesn't need your strength. He wants your surrender. He doesn't need your action. He wants your attention. He doesn't need your talent. He wants your trust. God doesn't need your ability. He wants your availability. And he does not need your competence. He wants your communion. He wants to be with you. The miracle of Brother Andre's life is not only the thousands of healings, but the quiet and beautiful truth that his life unearths. Holiness is possible. Even for the simplest hearts, even for the weakest bodies, even for you and me, God has been doing extraordinary things through ordinary people who open their hearts to Him for thousands of years. And you're next.

Trust, surrender.

Believe.

Receive.

Don't let the world steal your wonder.

So what's today's lesson? God doesn't build holiness on impressive abilities. He builds it upon our surrendered availability. Brother Andre had almost nothing the world values. He had poor health, little education, no status, no resume. Yet because his heart was humble, faithful, prayerful, and open to God, his ordinary duties became a doorway for extraordinary grace, wonders, miracles. Stop disqualifying yourself because you feel ordinary. God can do more through a willing, trusting heart than through a raw talent. Holiness isn't reserved for the gifted, it's for the available. And what's the virtue of the day? Today's virtue is humility. The virtue of humility is the starting point of the spiritual life. Small deeds done with humility are infinitely more pleasing to God than great deeds laced with pride. Humility is the fertile ground that produces an abundant harvest, yielding 100 times what was sown. It's great to be with you, taking this journey with you through Lent. If you haven't picked up a copy of the book, 33 Days of Miracles, Wonders, and Grace, encourage you to pick up a copy of the book and a copy of the Limited-Edition workbook. Click the button below to get the bundle today. Have a great day, and remember, Be Bold, Be Catholic.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

God of miracles, wonders, and grace.

I thank you for all the good you have done in my life.

For the miracles I recognize.

And the many graces I so often overlook.

I open my heart completely to you today.

Inviting you to completely inhabit my soul.

So that through me.

Others may encounter your love.

Your mercy.

Your compassion.

Your kindness.

And your staggering generosity. Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Thank you, Ambassadors. You are changing the world. Have a great day.

Have a great day.

Have a great day.

You want to give us a slate? Go.

Simple.

Simple.

Quiet.

Quiet.

You are a miracle.

You are a miracle.

I love the Cubs.

We've been over this.

Oh, you specifically would like that. Okay.

Okay, Walter, you come over here. You're not in this one?

Oh, okay.

In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Oh, Amen.

All right, now you're going to do all of that the same, except then you're all going to do receive.

Trust.

Surrender.

Believe.

Receive.

Okay. Simon, can you do a big smile?

Yeah.

He's like, "This is my big smile."

Yes. Hello. Yes.

Let's take that puppy back outside.

Okay. Come on, baby.