Sr. Phyllis Jaszkowiak
First Sunday of Lent
February 18, 2018

Jesus was led into the desert for 40 days, to find what?  He had just been baptized by John the Baptist and heard the words, “You are my Beloved.  In you I am well pleased”.  What did that mean for him in his life?  He was then led, by the Spirit, into the desert to reflect and pray on his baptism experience.
 
In the desert, Jesus resisted the temptation to go after the idols, or demons, of power, wealth, popularity.  These idols would not bring about the Kingdom of God that he preached, by word and action, after his sojourn in the desert.

Leif Kehrwald
February 4, 2018

Our readings today are about remaining faithful amidst hopelessness, despair, and darkness.
 
They are about relationship, and recognizing that the journey through life is hard, and while God offers no explanation, really, for why we suffer, still God yearns to connect.
 
They are about discovering that healing and reconciling are still possible even though Jesus has moved on to another town.