February
13, 2005
First Sunday of Lent
And
he was hungry?
Coming
back?
After Ash Wednesday, quite a number of people decide to come back to
church life. So if this describes you, then let me say “Welcome
back!” Sometimes people have observations or questions after they
come to church and they don’t quite know who to talk to. Well
I’d be glad to chat with you, as would the other priests and members
of our staff. If coming back to church leads you to wonder about things
(within the church or within yourself), then Lent is a great time to
seek the answers.
If you use e-mail, you can reach me through
shepherd@saintbrigid.net
.
It’s good to have you back. .
Catholic
Ministries Appeal
I’ve pledged. Have you?
You can pledge online here!
At
College?
At St. Brigid’s we like to stay in touch through
e-mail “letters from home.”
Once a person has an e-mail address at school (or if he/she uses a personal
address), please let us know what it is so we can include them when
we write.
Here's a handy college link so you
can send this info online.
e-mail Father Ralph:
Past Columns:
Ash Wednesday '05
February 6: Ashes Already?
January 23: Catholic Schools
Week
January 16: Continued Charity
January 9: Migration
January 2:All is bright?
December 26:
A Blessed Christmas
December 19: Here comes everybody!
December 12: The Journey Continues
Columns from 2004
Columns from 2003
Columns from 2002
I always
marvel at the obvious in today’s gospel when Matthew says, “
Jesus fasted for forty days and forty nights,and afterwards he was hungry.”
Well duh! Of course he was hungry! So why does Matthew go out of his way
to state the obvious? One guess is that the three temptations he’s
about to describe are about hunger.
The first is about physical hunger
and Jesus is tempted to do away with his being caught up in the human
condition by magically turning stones to bread. It’s as if the devil
was saying, “Why be human if you can be God?” In rejecting
this temptation, it’s as if Jesus is saying, “ I came to be
human! I embrace the human condition, even unto death.”
The second temptation is about
the hunger to rely on his Father to “cover” for him. It’s
as if the devil was saying, “No need to taker responsibility for
the consequences of your actions -- your Father will take care of you.”
But Jesus responds as if to say, “I’ll embrace my own life
fully -- even if it leads to consequences beyond my control.”
The third temptation is about the
hunger to be loved and adored. Jesus comes to serve, not to be served,
so he goes beyond this very powerful hunger that so many of us struggle
with.
Matthew’s telling of the
temptation of Christ makes us think about what we’re hungry for.
How have we been responding to the these hungers?
During this Lent at St. Brigid’s
we’re focusing on the Eucharist -- the One Bread, One Body that
feeds our hungers. Since Jesus can overcome the hungers of his temptations,
when we unite ourselves to Jesus, we can get beyond our own hungers and
needs. If there is anything that keeps you or a loved one from joining
in the Eucharist, now is the time to get past that barrier and find your
way to the table of the Lord.
You are Person
