This week we enter into the penitential season of Lent. Each year on the First Sunday of Lent, we hear the story of Jesus being tempted in the wilderness precisely because we are all tempted every day! Tempted to rely on ourselves rather than God, tempted to accept the flattery and empty promises of the world, tempted to overindulge ourselves while others go without, tempted by power, privilege, honor, comfort, pride, wealth. We need to listen less to the world and more to Jesus… that is exactly why we need Lent every year! The disciplines of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving that we undertake in Lent help us to tune out the insatiable demands of a selfish, self-centered world and tune in to God’s invitation to love, truth, and goodness. Bring on the discipline!
This week's readings:
Gospel – Luke 4: 1-3
1st Reading – Deuteronomy 26: 4-10
Psalm 91
2nd Reading – Romans 10: 8-13
