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<b style="margin:0px;outline:currentcolor none medium;padding:0px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:currentcolor none medium;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:currentcolor none medium;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:currentcolor none medium;padding:0px;font-weight:normal;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-size:18px;font-style:normal;text-align:start"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;font-weight:400;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:currentcolor none medium;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:currentcolor none medium;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;font-weight:400;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:currentcolor none medium;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;font-weight:400;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:normal">Friends,
 <span style="background-color:rgb(208,224,227)"><b>in our Gospel for the First Sunday of Lent, Luke gives us the story of 
the temptation in the desert. </b></span></span></b></span></b></b></span></b></b></b></b><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><span style="margin:0px;outline:currentcolor none medium;padding:0px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-weight:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:currentcolor none medium;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:currentcolor none medium;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:currentcolor none medium;padding:0px;font-weight:normal;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-size:18px;font-style:normal;text-align:start"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:currentcolor none medium;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:currentcolor none medium;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:currentcolor none medium;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:normal">At every point in the Gospels, we are 
meant to identify with Jesus. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><b style="margin:0px;outline:currentcolor none medium;padding:0px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:currentcolor none medium;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:currentcolor none medium;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:currentcolor none medium;padding:0px;font-weight:normal;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-size:18px;font-style:normal;text-align:start"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;font-weight:400;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:currentcolor none medium;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:currentcolor none medium;padding:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;font-weight:400;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:normal"><b style="margin:0px;outline:currentcolor none medium;padding:0px;font-weight:normal"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;font-weight:400;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:normal">God
became man that man might become God. We participate in him and thereby 
learn what a godly life is like.</span><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;font-weight:400;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:normal"> </span><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;font-weight:400;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:normal"><span style="background-color:rgb(208,224,227)"><b>Jesus
 has just been baptized; he has just learned his deepest identity and 
mission. </b><b>And now he confronts—as we all must—the great temptations. </b></span>What
 precisely is entailed in being the beloved Son of God?</span><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;font-weight:400;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:normal"> </span><br><span style="background-color:rgb(208,224,227)"><b><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:normal">First,
 the tempter urges him to use his divine power to satisfy his bodily 
desires, which Jesus dismisses with a word. Having failed at his first 
attempt, the devil plays a subtler game—the temptation faced by Adam and
 Eve in the garden: you will decide how and when God will act.</span></b></span><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;font-weight:400;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:normal"> </span><br><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;font-weight:400;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:normal"><span style="background-color:rgb(208,224,227)"><b>And
 then the last and perhaps greatest of the temptations: power. </b></span><span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b>Power is 
extremely seductive. Many would gladly eschew material things or
attention or fame in order to get it. </b></span><span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>Jesus’ great answer in Matthew’s 
account of this story is<span style="background-color:rgb(208,224,227)"> "</span></b></span><span style="background-color:rgb(208,224,227)"><b><span style="background-color:rgb(208,224,227)">G</span>et away, Satan!"</b></span></span><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;font-weight:700;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:normal"> </span><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;font-weight:400;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:normal"><span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b>To seek power is to serve Satan</b></span>—<span style="background-color:rgb(255,242,204)"><b>it is stated that bluntly.</b></span></span></b><br></span></b></b><br> Reflect: <span style="background-color:rgb(217,234,211)"><b>Which </b></span><span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b>false idol<span style="margin:0px;outline:currentcolor none medium;padding:0px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:currentcolor none medium;padding:0px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-size:18px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-style:normal;font-weight:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:currentcolor none medium;padding:0px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-size:18px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-style:normal;font-weight:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:currentcolor none medium;padding:0px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-size:18px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-style:normal;font-weight:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:currentcolor none medium;padding:0px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-size:18px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-style:normal;font-weight:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:currentcolor none medium;padding:0px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;text-align:start"><span style="margin:0px;outline:currentcolor none medium;padding:0px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-weight:normal;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;font-style:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:currentcolor none medium;padding:0px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-size:18px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-style:normal;font-weight:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:currentcolor none medium;padding:0px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-weight:normal;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;font-style:normal"><span style="color:inherit;font-size:18px;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:normal">—</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b></span></span></b></b></b></b><span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b>pleasure, power, honor, or wealth<span style="margin:0px;outline:currentcolor none medium;padding:0px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:currentcolor none medium;padding:0px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-size:18px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-style:normal;font-weight:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:currentcolor none medium;padding:0px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-size:18px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-style:normal;font-weight:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:currentcolor none medium;padding:0px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-size:18px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-style:normal;font-weight:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:currentcolor none medium;padding:0px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-size:18px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-style:normal;font-weight:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:currentcolor none medium;padding:0px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;text-align:start"><span style="margin:0px;outline:currentcolor none medium;padding:0px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-weight:normal;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;font-style:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:currentcolor none medium;padding:0px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-size:18px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-style:normal;font-weight:normal"><span style="margin:0px;outline:currentcolor none medium;padding:0px;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-weight:normal;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:18px;font-style:normal"><span style="color:inherit;font-size:18px;line-height:inherit;text-decoration:inherit;font-family:georgia,"times new roman";font-style:normal">—</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>tempts</b></span> <span style="background-color:rgb(217,234,211)"><b>you the most? </b></span><span style="background-color:rgb(234,209,220)"><b>Why? </b></span>

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