Episode Transcript
[00:00:06] Speaker A: Hello.
[00:00:07] Speaker B: It's the first Sunday of Lent, February 22nd.
Today, Catechumen signed the Book of the Elect.
[00:00:26] Speaker C: Pope Leo XIV has brought renewed attention to the religious order to which he.
[00:00:32] Speaker B: Belongs, the Order of St. Augustine.
[00:00:36] Speaker C: Members study the teachings of St. Augustine as they journey to seek God as.
[00:00:41] Speaker B: Their founder did, by means of a deep interior life, the practical love of.
[00:00:47] Speaker C: Neighbor, and the constant pursuit of truth.
As a child, Augustine was enrolled as a Christian catechumen.
[00:00:57] Speaker D: His baptism was delayed, however, as was.
[00:01:00] Speaker E: Often the case at the time.
[00:01:02] Speaker C: He later struggled with the Church's teachings and remained unbaptized into his early 30s.
The persistent prayers of his mother, Monica, are credited with helping bring him into the church.
[00:01:16] Speaker B: In 387 A.D. augustine began intense preparation for baptism under St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan.
[00:01:26] Speaker C: It's not so different today.
As a church, we pray for and walk alongside those who are preparing to become Catholic, just as St. Monica did with her son Augustine.
On this first Sunday of Lent, bishops bring together catechumens with their sponsors for.
[00:01:45] Speaker F: The rite of election.
[00:01:47] Speaker C: Catechumens are those who have never been baptized and want to enter the Church.
At this rite, they publicly affirm their intention to become full members of the Church and come forward one at a time to sign their names in the.
[00:02:03] Speaker G: Book of the Elect.
[00:02:05] Speaker C: As the Church prepares to welcome new members through baptism at the Easter Vigil, St. Augustine's story is a reminder that conversion takes time, prayer, an open heart.
This was true in the 4th century and remains true today.
[00:02:31] Speaker A: Let's turn to our gospel reflection.
[00:02:40] Speaker C: Today's reading on the tempting of Jesus in the desert takes place right after.
[00:02:45] Speaker D: The baptism of Jesus, where he is revealed as the Son of God.
[00:02:52] Speaker C: The tempter is challenging that identity.
[00:02:55] Speaker E: But Jesus will not let anything come between him and his Father.
This is not a gloomy scene.
Even the fasting wasn't gloomy.
[00:03:18] Speaker C: Scripture says Jesus wasn't hungry until his time in the desert was over.
Jesus is taken up by the Spirit. He's close to his Father.
Then only after the 40 days, figuratively after Lent is over, does the devil come and try to ruin this relationship.
By the way, we might worry more about temptations coming after Lent than during Lent.
[00:03:47] Speaker E: Lent is when we plunge in and.
[00:03:49] Speaker C: Try to experience who we are and enjoy the exhilaration of clearing away things.
[00:03:55] Speaker E: That come between us and God.
And that's not something gloomy.
[00:04:02] Speaker B: Sometimes we think of making sacrifices during Lent.
The word sacrifice means to make holy.
[00:04:09] Speaker H: It's a gift that we give to.
[00:04:11] Speaker E: God as we take away anything that stands between us.
And it's the best gift we could.
[00:04:17] Speaker C: Ever give ourselves because it makes us.
[00:04:20] Speaker A: Holy, closer to God.
[00:04:23] Speaker E: It eliminates something between us and God.
Let Lent be the happy time of.
[00:04:36] Speaker B: Giving beautiful gifts to God.
[00:04:45] Speaker E: Spend some quiet time with the Lord.
