Word for the Weekend - March 1

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I'm late in posting the Word for the Weekend: blogging for Ash Wednesday and Lent took quite a bit of time but I hope I'm now back on track. (And a warm welcome to readers guided here by The Anchoress and Deacon Greg Kandra at The Bench.)

This Sunday's scriptures and background materials can be found here and help hints for those bringing children to Mass this weekend are here.

As is the case every year on the First Sunday of Lent, the gospel is an account of Jesus being tempted in the desert before beginning his public ministry. The first scripture tells of God's covenant with Noah after the flood and the naming of the rainbow as the sign of that covenant. The Lenten aspect of all this relates to water (baptismal) as both death dealing and life giving - we are baptized into Christ's death that we might share in his resurrection. In the "strong" seasons of the church year, all three texts have a thematic resonance - as you'll see in Peter's reference to Noah in the second lesson.

-ConcordPastor