First Sunday of Lent (Cycle A)

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The Temptation of Jesus Lectionary:  22 Reading 1 -  Genesis 2:7-9; 3:1-7 Responsorial Psalm -  Psalm 51:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 17 Reading 2 -  Romans 5:12-19 Verse - Matthew 4:4b Gospel -  Matthew 4:1-11 One does not live on bread alone. Every year, we begin our Lenten journey in the same place: the desert.   The Gospel for this Sunday places Jesus in the wilderness, fasting and praying, confronted by temptation. In that stark setting we find the pattern of our own Lenten journey: a movement away from distraction toward the heart of God, a testing that reveals what truly sustains us, and a call to conversion that reshapes our lives.  Throughout our lives, we are frequently confronted with tests … and these tests generally reveal something about ourselves: In school, we demonstrate that we have mastered an academic subject with a test  in sports, we demonstrate our level of a particular skill with a contest  In life, we demonstrate the integri...
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Review: The Cross-Shaped Life: Taking on Christ's Humanity

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The Cross-Shaped Life: Taking on Christ's Humanity The Cross-Shaped Life: Taking on Christ's Humanity by Jeff Kennon

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was very curious about the author’s take on what is arguably the central concept of Christianity … to live like Christ.  There really is nothing terribly new here; however, the author does provide a highly accessible treatment of the subject that is useful for instruction and meditation on the Christian Life … why was the cross necessary and significant is covered in the first half; although we don’t get much in the way of how the cross actually calls us [Christians] to live Christ’s example [and how to do so] until the second half … with a fair amount of repetitive thought and discourse along the way.  Ultimately we get the idea that “Sacrifice” is “at the core of the cross” … meaning that we are called to walk a path of sacrifice in service to others … this probably won’t come of much of a surprise for most [devout] Christians; however, it does provide an opportunity to review how well we do it … and where we fall short and need correction.

Introduction
Chapter 1: Our Roots
Chapter 2: Our Ruin
Chapter 3: Our Rescue
Chapter 4: Our Restoration
Chapter 5: Humility: A Life in Perspective
Chapter 6: Service: A Life Focused on Others
Chapter 7: Obedience: A Life of Depth
Chapter 8: Sacrifice: A Life under the Cross

I was given this free advance reader copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

#TheCrossShapedLife #NetGalley.

View all my reviews

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