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1st Sunday of Lent 2013

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What exciting times we live in!  Not only is it the beginning of Lent, but the resignation of our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, makes this one Lenten season one for the history books.  No doubt we'll be keeping up with all this news and the coming Conclave to elect a new pope.

This week our topic is "Divine Election".  What is Divine Election?  It recognizes that it is God who chooses us to be his people.  While we must individually come to accept that invitation, it is in fact, God, working through the Holy Spirit, that calls us to him, and inspires us to take this journey through Initiation.  Through these past few weeks we have been listening to the "call" of various prophets.  Now as we enter the season of Lent, we discern our own call to God.

The Word for the 1st Sunday of Lent:
        Deuteronomy 26:4-10
        Psalm 91:1-2, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15
        Romans 10:8-13
        Luke 4:1-13

As we ponder our election to the Christian life, it is also a good time for us to reflect on the challenges we face in trying to follow the path Jesus has laid out for us.  Not only does the Christian message of "loving one another" seem contrary to our "every man for himself" society, but there is particular vitriol from some circles for the Catholic Church itself.  Is this justified?  What do we do?  Do we just turn the other cheek?  How do we stand up for ourselves?

Catholic Update:
Ash Wednesday:  Our Shifting Understanding of Lent
St. Therese’s ‘Little Way’”  Our Guide Through Lent
Advent Day By Day:  Home for a Better World
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