Friday 16 February 2018

First Sunday of Lent: 18 February – Jesus is tempted (Mark 1: 12-15)


In our recent spring newsletter, the Prior Provincial, Fr Kevin Alban suggested how we might understand the gospel for each of the five Sundays of Lent, and how we might pray them. Each Friday, we'll add these reflections to our blog so you can read them and prepare for the Gospel before Sunday:

First Sunday of Lent: 18 February – Jesus is tempted (Mark 1: 12-15)

Mark reminds us immediately of Jesus’ true and complete humanity. He is tempted in the desert, but God’s messengers, the angels, are always with him to emphasise that the Father always looks after the Son and protects him. The desert or wild places is a key concept in Mark’s gospel. The desert is a place of solitude where the presence of God may be more apparent. It is a place where the Spirit can act on us without distractions. But the desert is also a place of danger, of extremes of hot and cold. It is a threatening place where we are faced with our mortality. Are we ready to face up to the risk of belief?

I hope that Lent proves to be a fruitful time for you. One way of deepening our appreciation of this season might be to read the Sunday gospel during the preceding week so that when we hear it again at Mass we are really familiar with it.


Fr Kevin Alban, O.Carm



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Thursday 15 February 2018

Spring 2018 newsletter


We are pleased to announce that the latest issue of Carmelite News is now available to all our online friends.

Carmelite News is available to view via a system called Page Tiger. You do not need special software for the online magazine and you will be able to print all, or part of it, if you wish to do so. Page Tiger will allow you to read the newsletter as if it was printed.

The spring issue has all relevant web links enabled so you can click to go directly to any site mentioned. Each newsletter can be read either as a two-page spread or as a single spread. It is also possible to zoom into each page.

In this edition, the Prior Provincial, Fr Kevin Alban, O.Carm writes his third letter to the friends of Saint Jude where he discusses the outreach of Saint Jude and his shrine; some suggestions on how we might understand the gospel for each of the five Sundays of Lent, and how we might pray them; an update on province and Saint Jude news; plus much more.


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