From The Bishop

The First Sunday of Lent provides beautiful Readings as we begin this holy season. In the Gospel of St. Luke we are presented with the three temptations of Christ. The devil tempts Him by focusing on areas where he thinks Jesus may be weak. He is fasting so satan offers Him food. Next, he appeals to the quest for power and promises all the glory and authority of the world. Finally, satan appeals to pride encouraging Jesus to prove He is the Son of God. In all of these events satan is trying to tempt Jesus to focus on himself rather than on the Father. Jesus responds by continually directing satan to God. The root of all sin is turning in on self. Lent helps us to be less self-absorbed and focus on God and others. The Collect for The First Sunday of Lent states: “Grant, almighty God, through the yearly observances of holy Lent, that we may grow in understanding of the riches hidden in Christ and by worthy conduct pursue their effects”. The phrase, “riches hidden in Christ” is quite profound. There is no question that many today are looking for “riches” and they can be found in Christ. The term “hidden” implies that it does take some effort to find them. Lent gives us the time and tools to search for those treasures. As we enter the “wilderness of Lent” let us focus on Christ and not be tempted to be self-absorbed. To quote John the Baptist, “He must increase, I must decrease.” (Jn 3:30)