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2003 First Sunday of Lent Mark 1:12-15 |
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| Background: It is interesting to note how much more jejune Mark's gospel about the fast and the temptation is when compared with the later Gospels. It is not unreasonable to think that the later gospels are theological embroidering on the older tradition. For St. Mark the theme of the story is the close link between the preparation by Jesus in the desert and the start of his preaching. He went forth to tell men and women that the kingdom of God' love was near (only a few feet above a man's head as Kerry woman once said) only after he prepared himself by focusing his energies on the work that was ahead. So we who must also tell the world about this kingdom of love use Lent to focus our energies |
read the padre |
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Story: Once upon a time, not so very long ago, the women who were the "leaders" in a certain parish decided that their Lenten project should be something that would benefit the whole parish. They met several time to discuss what each of them thought would be most beneficial project they could sponsor. One woman suggested they have a children’s Easter fashion show. She knew her daughter would love to do something like that. Another woman suggested a "house walk" where some of the owners of the newest and biggest houses in the community could let the rest of the community see how they decorated their houses for Easter. Several similar ideas were put forth but support for each idea was rather evenly split. Finally, one woman who had been silent during the whole discussion suggested that a Lenten project that would benefit the entire parish might best be one in which everyone in the parish could participate as they lived out the season of preparation for Easter. The other women were a bit surprised at her suggestion. No one had stopped to think "outside the box" of spring fashion shows and hose walks. As they thought about it & discussed what they might do, they came to realize that they had gotten caught up in ideas that didn’t really reflect the spirit of Easter. This shared insight helped them focus on ways in which their project would be one that would help the whole community appreciate the spirit of resurrection.
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