Lots of people share that they have failed to put God first in their lives. I inevitably ask them “What do you mean?” What follows is often akin to the deer in the proverbial headlights. I often follow up with something like, “What does it look like to put God first in your life?” Not easy questions to answer off the cuff, on the fly, but then this is Lent. Probably a pretty good question to ponder during this season.
Today’s gospel is Matthew’s version of the “Our Father” also known as the Lord’s Prayer. “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Mt 6:9-10) Words that are familiar, words that almost flow without thought from our lips. Words that, here in the Lenten season, we might do well to dedicate some time for reflection and musing. So here is some food for thought. Continue reading
Next Sunday is the 
“After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove coming upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, saying, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.’” Turn the page and we hear the opening verses of today’s gospel: “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.” This passage is famously known as the Temptation in the Desert (or the Wilderness) 
We celebrate lots of weddings here at Sacred Heart. It is a young vibrant parish with young professionals forming about 1/4 of the households. Add to that a beautiful church and you will have lots of weddings!
Why do we fast? Because somewhere in the stack of hungers and desires of our life we have a hunger for God. The hunger for God is the most intrinsic – hardwired as it were. It is the deepest hunger. The question is where in the stack is it? There are quotidian hungers – the ordinary ones of everyday. There are episodic hungers. There are the ones that are baseline – safety, security, companionship, knowing why we are here. And there is the hunger for God, the deepest bedrock hunger of existence. 
Ash Wednesday, the first day of the penitential season of Lent in the Catholic Church, is always 46 days before Easter Sunday. It is a “movable” feast that is assigned a date in the calendar only after the date of Easter Sunday is calculated. How is it calculated? I’m glad you asked.
There was a married couple that upon reaching retirement age, the wife announced that they were going to make some changes in their life. They were going to lose weight, get in shape, and start living right so that they could enjoy their well-earned rest with a new quality of life. In no uncertain terms she announced that her husband’s standard diet of bacon, bratwursts, and beer would be replaced by diet based on bran! He was to discover the plethora of recipes based on bran. But, besides becoming quite regular, he was making a new life. In the ensuring months and years, they lost a lot of weight, became more active in life and in the parish, and had a great quality of life. 
Our gospel highlights the three spiritual practices of Lent: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. The readings all warn of not being gloomy about it all, not being ostentatious so that you’re sure to be noticed, and not to announce your generosity so that all might acknowledge your faithful giving. It calls into question not the tradition of the Lenten practices, but the meaning, intention, and purpose you assign to your practice. 
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