This week's readings Week of March 9 - 15 Sunday, March 9, 2003 Reading I: Jb 7:1-4, 6-7 Reading II: 1 Cor 9:16-19, 22-23 Gospel: Mk 1:29-39 Monday, March 10, 2003 Reading I: Gn 1:1-19 Gospel: Mk 6:53-56 Tuesday, March 11, 2003 Reading I: Gn 1:20-2:4a Gospel: Mk 7:1-13 Wednesday, March 12, 2003 Reading I: Gn 2:4b-9, 15-17 Gospel: Mk 7:14-23 Thursday, March 13, 2003 Reading I: Gn 2:18-25 Gospel: Mk 7:24-30 Friday, March 14, 2003 Reading I: Gn 3:1-8 Gospel: Mk 7:31-37 Saturday, March 15, 2003 Reading I: Gn 3:9-24 Gospel: Mk 8:1-10 Pope's Prayer Intentions March General Intention The Sacrament of Reconciliation: That the people of God and our pastors may grow in the realization of the importance of God's merciful gift of love, the Sacrament of Reconciliation. March Mission Intention The local Churches of Africa: That in their current difficult situations, they may feel the urgency of announcing the Gospel coherently and courageously.

Repent:
And believe in the Gospel

		Word of God  Word of Life  Fr. John G. Stillmank

Once upon a time there was a big God up in the sky, and he made everything there is, and he liked it. He made people too, and at first things went well. But then the people had other ideas.

The people the big God in the sky made decided they wanted to be big gods in the sky, too. So they disobeyed the big God, but that didn't work out the way they wanted. Instead of becoming big gods, they lost everything.

"Even though sin entered the world and, with sin, death, God did not abandon his people to the power of sin and death. In spite of disobedience and sin, God still loves us."

The people used to be friends with the big God, but now they were not his friends. The people used to live in a beautiful place the big God made especially for them, but now they could not live there anymore. Everything they needed used to be free and plentiful, but now they had to work hard. They used to be free of pain and disease and death, but now they get sick and eventually they die.

Sad story, isn't it?

It's our story, too, the story of the creation of mankind and our fall from God's grace and friendship. Because Adam and Eve thought they could become "like God," as the serpent tempted them, they lost what they had - except for God's love.

Readings for First Sunday of Lent (March 9, 2003) Genesis 9:8-15 Psalm 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9 1 Peter 3:18-22 Mark 1:12-15

Even though sin entered the world and, with sin, death, God did not abandon his people to the power of sin and death. In spite of disobedience and sin, God still loves us. Always has, always will.

The story goes on: But the big God still loved the people he had made, and he sent his messengers and servants to help them become his friends again. Nothing seemed to work well, because the people were very stubborn. Some of his messengers they treated badly. Some of his servants they killed. So the big God in the sky decided to become one of the people by sending his Son to become a man.

The Son of the big God in the sky became a little child and grew up as one of the people. He taught them a new way of living: a way of love and friendship, of mercy and forgiveness, of sacrifice and thanks, of generosity and service. His message was new and powerful, and people could see this was the one way to become friends of the big God in the sky once again.

For they recognized that the man who was the Son of the big God in the sky meant that the big God had come to earth to be with his people once again.

But there was a price. Sin causes death, so the Son of the big God took all the sins that had ever been and all the sins there would ever be and he put them all onto himself and offered himself as a sacrifice of love to the big God in the sky, who is his Father.

Because of the Son's love, the people created by God now became his friends again. The Son formed a special group of people called the Church to continue to tell others his message of love and of the kingdom God was preparing for them. This message is called the Gospel, and the Son told his followers that the kingdom was at hand, and that they should repent of their sins, become obedient again, and believe in the Gospel.

The Son, who is also God, also revealed to his followers that the big God in the sky is their Father, too, and that the Father and the Son send the Holy Spirit, who is also God, to be with his people forever. With their sins forgiven and once more being friends with God, the people lived happily ever after.

This Lent, let's try to make the last line of the story come true . . .

Fr. John G. Stillmank is Moderator of the Curia for the Diocese of Madison and pastor of St. Andrew Parish, Verona, and St. William Parish, Paoli.