The desert was a symbol of deep significance for the Israelites as well as for early Christians.

The call to be born again during Lent is all about our willingness and openness to recognise the goodness, the giftedness, the God and Jesus presence in the minds and hearts of our neighbour, writes Fr Michael Knight SVD.

During Lent then we are all called to die to our old selves so that a new self and a new community can be born.

As you receive this edition of In the Word, we have just entered into the season of Lent, a time which calls us especially to look at how we can become closer to God and to our neighbour.

This is an important time of reflection and action for all Christians – a time of taking spiritual stock – and for us, as Divine Word Missionaries, it is a time to dig deep and consider afresh how we are meeting the needs of those we are called to accompany and serve.

Palm Sunday commemorates the triumphant entry of Christ into Jerusalem, just days before He was to be crucified.

There was a priest who got assigned to a new parish. While listening to  confessions of the people, he noticed that a lot of them confessed that they “fell off the bridge”.

The temptations of Jesus in the desert is the theme for this Sunday. We’ve well and truly begun the season of Lent.

In this day and age we may well ask what meaning and relevance such a season of the year could have for us. When I was young it was about “giving up something” like chocolates or biscuits.

Now, for me, it means more about being aware of certain attitudes and behaviours that need healing.

As the headlines continue to swirl around the Catholic Church in Australia it is a distressing time for both victims of abuse and also for regular Catholics who have been rocked by one scandal after another for years.

We often hear the phrase that these years of crisis and shame have led to a “humbler” Church and lately I’ve been wondering what that humbler Church might look like in practice.

Temptations are a regular part of our lives. Five days a week, I used to go out in the morning and take an hour’s walk around the corner in Macquarie Fields when I was serving in that parish.

Lent as a traditional season has always had a positive impact on me, giving blessings in disguise through reconciliation, prayer and fasting. I encountered Lent this year with the same natural and rich instinct brushing aside all the temptations. At times I found it harder than I had thought it would be in a new missionary arena.

Many of us try to be somewhat disciplined for Lent and give up something that we really like and what we think needs eliminating. That’s great! Fasting has always been an important tradition of Lent. This year however, I thought we could also consider other things that we could give up, keeping in mind all the Biblical texts that guide and confront us ...