March 9th, 2025 - First Sunday of Lent

While fasting from things we really do not need is a tried-and-true penitential practice, Lent involves so much more than giving up something rather trivial for a while in order to prove our spiritual mettle. These 40 days are given to us not as a stamina contest to see how long we can go without something we enjoy before we crash. The readings for this First Sunday of Lent help us understand the real purpose of this season of grace. Jesus shows us that the thing we really want to give up during Lent is sin, our tendency to be seduced by our demons, our habit of missing the mark in our relationships with God and each other, our caving into our cravings for pleasure, power, fame, all at the price of our human and spiritual dignity. These days are a gift, a graced opportunity to fall more deeply in love with God and to learn how to follow Christ more closely.