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Saturday, February 13
th, 2016, 7:00 AM
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"
In Deo Speramus
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(In God We Hope)
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Filled with the Holy Spirit,
Jesus returned from the Jordan
and was led by the Spirit
into the desert for forty days.
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First Reading
Moses spoke to the people, saying:
"The priest shall receive the basket from you
and shall set it in front of the altar of the LORD, your God.
Then you shall declare before the Lord, your God,
'My father was a wandering Aramean
who went down to Egypt with a small household
and lived there as an alien.
But there he became a nation
great, strong, and numerous.
When the Egyptians maltreated and oppressed us,
imposing hard labor upon us,
we cried to the LORD, the God of our fathers,
and he heard our cry
and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression.
He brought us out of Egypt
with his strong hand and outstretched arm,
with terrifying power, with signs and wonders;
and bringing us into this country,
he gave us this land flowing with milk and honey.
Therefore, I have now brought you the firstfruits
of the products of the soil
which you, O LORD, have given me.'
And having set them before the Lord, your God,
you shall bow down in his presence."
The Word of the Lord
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Discussion Questions
1.
The First Reading contains the faith story of a people. Is there a way your faith story is like this one? Discuss.
2.
What good things came out of the Israelites' desert sojourn? Was there any other way for them to go to the Promised Land? Metaphorically speaking, is the desert a place you could fear or do you find its mysteries attractive?
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Second Reading
Brothers and sisters:
What does Scripture say?
The word is near you,
in your mouth and in your heart
-that is, the word of faith that we preach-,
for, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,
you will be saved.
For one believes with the heart and so is justified,
and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.
For the Scripture says,
No one who believes in him will be put to shame.
For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek;
the same Lord is Lord of all,
enriching all who call upon him.
For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
The Word of the Lord
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Discussion Questions
1. How do you proclaim that "Jesus is Lord" in the small places of your daily life (in the parish, at work, with family or friends)? Do such proclamations require words? How can the Church or your parish proclaim itself an "island of mercy in a sea of indifference," as Pope Francis
2. Are your actions for someone colored by the love you have for that person? The word, who is "near you, in your mouth and in your heart," is Christ. How often do you remember this? Always? Sometimes? Not often? How would it impact everyone if you did remember?
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Verse Before The Gospel
One does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.
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Gospel
Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan
and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days,
to be tempted by the devil.
He ate nothing during those days,
and when they were over he was hungry.
The devil said to him,
"If you are the Son of God,
command this stone to become bread."
Jesus answered him,
"It is written, One does not live on bread alone."
Then he took him up and showed him
all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant.
The devil said to him,
"I shall give to you all this power and glory;
for it has been handed over to me,
and I may give it to whomever I wish.
All this will be yours, if you worship me."
Jesus said to him in reply,
"It is written:
You shall worship the Lord, your God,
and him alone shall you serve."
Then he led him to Jerusalem,
made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him,
"If you are the Son of God,
throw yourself down from here, for it is written:
He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,
and:
With their hands they will support you,
lest you dash your foot against a stone."
Jesus said to him in reply,
"It also says,
You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test."
When the devil had finished every temptation,
he departed from him for a time.
The Gospel of the Lord
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Discussion Questions:
1.
When an athlete starts to get flabby or lethargic, he/she exercises to get back in shape. Is there an analogy here for your spiritual life? How do you exercise to get into shape spiritually? What would a "flabby" or a lethargic spiritual life look like? How does yours look now?
2.
Pope Francis says going to the desert helps us hear the voice of God in our lives. He also says it helps us strengthen solidarity with our brothers and sisters. How do those two things relate?
The desert is the place where you can hear the voice of God and the voice of the tempter. In the noise and confusion this cannot be done; we can only hear superficial rumors. Instead in the desert we can go deeper, where our destiny, life or death, is really played out. And how do we hear the voice of God? We hear it in His Word. It is therefore important to know the scriptures, because otherwise we do not know to respond to the attacks of the evil one. The Lenten desert helps us to say no to worldliness, to 'idols', it helps us to make courageous choices in accordance with the Gospel and strengthen solidarity with our brothers and sisters.
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Oremus pro invicem
(Let us pray for one another)
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Holy Spirit,
lead us, if you will, to your desert.
Speak straight into our hearts.
Be our only nourishment,
source of all energy.
Fill our ruts,
fill us up,
with yourself,
to bring good news
for the poor,
as you
did with Jesus.
Amen
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| For what are we born if not to aid one another? Ernest Hemingway "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then we'll have peace." By: Jimi Hendrix "My concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right." Abraham Lincoln If we love one another, God remains in us and his love is brought to perfection in us.
1 John 4:12
Deus fit homo ut homo fieret Deus God became human so that humans might become God (Catholicism, Page 2 by Fr. Robert Barron) "The Glory of God is a human being fully alive." Meyers, Robin R. (2009-02-19). Saving Jesus from the Church: How to Stop Worshiping Christ and Start Following Jesus (Kindle Location 639). Harper Collins, Inc.. Kindle Edition.
God "dwells in us."
God's love is not meant for us alone;
we must give it away.
Do small things today and for many tomorrows,
with a generous heart.
Give God Away Today!
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Help us then, Lord,
to be so united with the paschal mystery of Jesus,
that through Him the world can become a better place to dwell.
You promise us much for this life
and for our eternal presence with You;
may we live into that promise
each day.
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An interesting thought:
The birth of St. John is celebrated on June 24th, in the moment of the summer solstice. From that point onward, daylight begins to reduce. On the other hand, the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ is celebrated on December 25th, during the winter solstice. From that point onward, daylight begins to grow, to get longer.
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