Gospel
The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert,
and he remained in the desert for forty days,
tempted by Satan.
He was among wild beasts,
and the angels ministered to him.
After John had been arrested,
Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God:
“This is the time of fulfillment.
The kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent, and believe in the gospel.”
Please! Do not post political content.
Thank you for this post Menagerie.
Thank you Menagerie for posting the Gospels during Advent and Lent. The Good News refreshes our spirit as we take up our cross daily and fight the good fight.
We are coming upon the anniversary of the quarantine/lockdown of our country and we too have been in a desert, away from society, behind masks and social distancing surrounded by wild beasts rioting, destroying, canceling and hurting their fellow man. Without the love of Jesus and His Angels and His Saints we could not continue to battle in this spiritual warfare.
Agreed.
Almighty God, look on the humble desires of your servants. Stretch forth the right hand of your majesty and be our sure defense; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Jesus goes into the desert to prepare Himself for His mission in the world. For us too, Lent is a time of spiritual “contest”, of spiritual struggle: we are called to confront the Evil One through prayer in order to be able, with God’s help, to overcome him in our daily life. We know that evil unfortunately is at work in our existence and around us, where there is violence, rejection of the other, closure, war, injustice. These are all works of the Evil One. Immediately following the temptations in the desert, Jesus begins to preach the Gospel, that is, the Good News. And this Good News demands our conversion — every single day.
Thank you Dora.
The Cure d’ Ars was also known as a saint that students could turn to. This saint knew what he wanted to do but had financial challenges as well as learning issues, if my memory is correct.
A number of the Saints were humble and poor, But even more left behind their wealth and privilege to serve in His Mission ♥♥♥
The core of the message of The Gospels.
Such a wonderful painting. If at sunrise, then he is facing west. The reverse if at sunset. And the unnaturally standing stone front and center: Does that depict Peter / the coming founding of the Church? And then there is His face. Very powerful.
Very good thoughts on the rock. That’s a lot to ponder on.
I think the small stone highlights the first temptation of Satan, “If you are the Son of God, speak to this stone so it becomes bread” (Luke 4:3)
“Morning Air” on Relevant Radio reminded us this morning that Jesus suffered, like we suffer…that he understands the idea of being ‘human’ since he came as a precious human baby, to fulfill the prophecies.
He knows human challenges. He’s got this!
My favorite short speed prayer: “Jesus, I trust in You”, from the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.
Saint Faustina! Holy God, Holy and Immortal One, Have Mercy on us ♪
Mine is, forgive me Lord, and thank you.
Keep our hearts set on eternity with him. Trust in Jesus, we cannot do it alone.
The test we are going through now is but a tiny dot, but our choices have eternal consequences.
The ten commandments are not suggestions.
He Promised we would never be orphans ♥
I understand from scripture that Jesus was sweating blood in the Garden of Gethsemane
Matthew 26:36-46
But Jesus said about fasting:
16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. Matthew 6:16-18
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So Satan must have been really ticked off that when Jesus fasted 40 days at the start of HIS ministry was smiling, cleaned-up and anointed with oil enjoying spending time with the FATHER alone in the desert. Nothing to get between Him and the Father, yes even our Father.
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So today I see smiling Jesus in the fasting in the desert NOT despondent Jesus. What a JOYOUS TIME of year as we anticipate the Great Pascal Lamb celebration!!!
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Merry Lent Season brothers and sisters Treepers.
First Reading today (Catholic Mass) reminds of us of Noah’s Place in restarting the World. The Gospel from Mark Shows us again the Nature of His Glory. He Lives, and He Is Present ♥
Dallas Tx.. The Thaw..Water is running off my roof not out of my walls, my car battery is dead but I still have plenty of food, my sink is full of dirty dishes but I have hot water, my clothes are dirty but my body (and hair) are clean.. Praise the Lord, may others be a blessed as me..
One should always Praise God for dirty dishes, it means that you got to eat. 🙂
Like that line jay 1776. You speak truth, Praise God.
bverwey
When the Lord appears we will have no excuse. and he knows who loves him. Simple.
That picture is us…
and so can be, in part, or whole… the rest of whole story…. (its been proven, repeatedly…) : )
Faith and good works…
James 2:22
The pensive look on His face…as if He is carrying the weight of the world on His shoulders, which, in fact, He is!!
Thank you, Menagerie!!
Some who are unfamiliar with the Lenten season might find the following link informative, others might appreciate a sermon examining the current situation in America
https://saintmichaelschapel.wordpress.com/2021/02/21/lent-a-time-to-renew-first-sunday-of-lent-year-b/
The desert is a place to escape to, as St. Anthony, the Egyptian founder of Christian monasticism discovered, back in the 4th century (he lived from 251 to 356 A.D.). Known as “St. Anthony the Great” (because the Church has a number of Saint Anthonys), his story is a glorious one for those who live in troubled times.
Out in the desert, there’s not much between you and God. Like a Scottish crofter living on Iona, the famous Hebrides island where the storied St. Columba hads is monastery, “There’s not much on Iona between you and God.”
We live in a time when we’re inundated with all sorts of things, worries galore and duties and crises unending, but in the desert, whether it be the actual desert or a desolate island or one’s “interior castle”, these places of retreat are desperately needed, are they not?
May this Lent be a blessed desert for all of us here.
RC
“Let us be silent that we may hear the whisper of God.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
May God strengthen everyone on their path to make this year spiritually fruitful in preparation for the Resurrection of our Lord and God and Savior, Jesus Christ, the Lord’s Pascha.
This year the season of Great Lent in the Orthodox Christian Church begins in a few weeks.
Today is the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee, in commemoration of the Parable from the Holy Gospel According to Saint Luke.
There is more on this posted on the Open Thread.
As a kid, I used to give up something like bubblegum for Lent – later on, I’d give up a certain food that I liked, or something like that. The idea was that I should give up something that I liked to remind myself daily that Jesus gave up everything for forty days while He endured the temptations of the devil.
I didn’t quite get it.
Since then I’ve had several wilderness journeys or experiences in my life that have taught me much more than those early Lenten periods of enforced denial.
Spiritually for me now, having been through those wilderness experiences of my own,each one represents a place in time where I’m without something that I love (or thought I loved), and where I find God at a deeper level than before. It’s a me and Him existence for a while. I emerge closer to Him, and depending on the mission, oftentimes having overcome the powers of evil that were there when I entered that spiritual wilderness.
A daily fast or longer period of retreat can offer the same thing. After that first one, Jesus often took time out, so to speak, to be with the Father. And He always chose to retreat from the world of things and enter a place where it was just Him and Father God.
In observance of Lent or at any other time when we feel so moved, we might be well served to do likewise.
I know this: God has not forgotten us – He loves us. He is in control. And for the past several months,as the days go by I feel what I can only describe as a more intense loving pull from Him, as He draws me closer to Himself.
Hallelujah. Rejoice. Resurrection Day is coming.
May God love and bless you all, caddisfly
Thought provoking painting. Thank you.
Pause//Awake ~ Salt of the Sound (Journeying together through Lent)
I am a backsliding Catholic that loves his faith, but hates what his faith has become. I am in a Dioceses that has a bishop waffling weather or not to have his priests marry people of the same sex. I have talked to ten priests that have told the bishop that if he decrees this they will quit and see how he gets mass said in their parishes. My original ancestor came here from England in 1640 at the age of 15 and is recognized as one of the “Old 100” as the first Catholic settlers of Maryland. After this Marxist pope and what our faith has become I say my prayers at home and ask God to forgive me for not going to listen to the tripe that our parish priest has to say ( I’m sorry but he is from India and I can’t understand anything anyway) 1cas
Loving God is our first commandment! Love Him with all our hearts! The churches are broken, all the religions, but He is our direction! Keep our eyes upon Him and He will save us! Trust Him! ???
My question has always been this:
if Jesus was alone in the desert for 40 days, who recorded his happenings with the devil?
Did he relate them to his disciples afterwards?
I think it is likely that Jesus did tell his disciples about this event. It occurred just before he called the twelve to follow him and would have been an important lesson to convey during the three years he was with them.
i agree w you. it is the only explanation.
Interesting thought for all. Our Pastor ask for protection an security thoughts for our church today.That was a hit to my heart. It sank so far in my soul that I could not even hear his message today. We met after church an talked in a board group. As a servant of Jesus Christ. I Will wash the feet of my congregation. An I will protect them as I am no more there master an love them as a servant.
Bless it be my savior.
God bless all of you.
It is getting real.NOW
And a joyous Lenten preparation of Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee to the Eastern Orthodox in the branches. Great Lent begins on March 8th in the Eastern Church this year.
To everyone else, have a Blessed Lent!
That painting of Jesus is one of the saddest things I have ever seen.