Today is a very meaningful Sunday for me, as I have just begun my first mission here in this parish. I am still learning your names, your stories, and the life of this community. Thank you very much for your kindness and warm welcome.

If one single word is used to describe the foundation upon which the whole Christian life is based, it is HOPE. Hope is the main theme running throughout the heart of the Bible, from Genesis down to Revelation.

We have once again entered into the season of Lent, bringing with it a fresh invitation to return to God and allow our hearts to once again be transformed.

Traditionally, the Church asks three things of us in Lent: Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving. All of those things are deeply intertwined with Mission.

Today is the First Sunday of Lent, and  today’s Gospel is taken from the opening of  Matthew, chapter 4.  We hear the well known, dramatic story of Jesus’ temptations in the desert which takes place before he begins his public ministry.

In this Sunday's Palm Sunday Liturgy, the people and priests process into church carrying blessed palm branches and singing blissful songs in praise of the Lord who saves us from the bondages of our sins.

With the arrival of the Fifth Sunday of Lent, our Lenten journey is almost over. The concept of Lent as a journey, rather than a time of denial, has been frequently suggested and promoted by Pope Francis.

We are over halfway in our Lenten journey now, this precious season of reflection and preparation before we once again enter into the passion, death and resurrection of Our Lord during Holy Week and Easter.

In this Jubilee Year, Pope Francis entitled his Lenten Message, “Let Us Journey Together in Hope” and no doubt this prayer sustained him during his recent serious health crisis, as millions around the world joined their Lenten prayer journey to his sufferings.

A few years ago a friend of mine,  a fellow priest,  shared this story with me: He and his brother were the joint heirs to their father’s estate. Several months before their father died, he called his son, the priest, saying he wanted to talk about something very important.

Suffering and tragedy are things that we don’t want to reflect on or think too much about because of the pain that it brings into our lives.

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness, to spend forty days and nights in prayer and fasting. The Holy Spirit not only led Jesus into temptation but also gave Him the sustaining power to overcome the temptations.