Dear Parishioners and Visitors,

In Hebrew, the word Satan means adversary or enemy. This was the common usage in the Old Testament, but its current usage grew and by the time Jesus arrived on the scene, Satan was understood to be the principal spirit of evil who opposed God in all things.

So after his baptism in the Jordan, Luke has Jesus going out into the desert for 40 days. The number 40 is an echo of the years of wandering under the leadership of Moses by the Jews who had escape from Egypt.

Would Jesus be able to ward off the temptations of Satan now he had been baptised and heard of the voice of the Father, ‘this is my beloved son...’? The temptations were hunger, power and life itself. I believe that this is a strong story of the struggle of humanity and in Jesus, his humanity. He was tempted the same as us in every way that we are, by without sin. (Heb:4:15). If Jesus is identified with the devine (as Son of God) only after his baptism, there is no way he could be tempted by even the most subtle or forceful spirits (i.e. Satan). Well he could be tempted but with no prospect of success. So Luke is giving all of us hope. If God’s son was tempted, who are we to think it should not or could not happen to us. How we deal with our own temptations will echo how close to the person of Jesus we are. Do not lose hope, even much later Peter would be addressed as Satan.

• Ministry at Mass: Thank you to everybody who serves the community in this way. For those of you who filled out the forms indicating a wish to change etc, thank you. The new rotas which are being prepared will hopefully reflect your wishes, some new faces, some changes and some have moved on.
• The Schola of St Peter and St John, Camberley have recorded an excellent CD of 18 tracks of traditional and modern pieces. This is available from www.spjschola.org.uk it costs £9.95 and £7.00 goes to the Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice.
• Parish Club for year 5-7 begins on Friday next at 7pm.
• Divers, do you bit to help others, turn left as you exit the car park.
• Stations of the Cross on Friday’s during Lent 7.15pm.

God Bless, Fr John