“Father, the members are all excited about their new role and are could not wait to work,” said the newly appointed moderator of Leadership in Action. I nodded in agreement because, indeed, I felt this renewed zeal among the members of this recent group of leaders during our first meeting. Later on I would hear a similar sentiment from a fellow priest. “Being here in your parish, Father, renewed me as priest,” he remarked, “I have enjoyed working here with your people.” There was a great deal honesty in his words. We enjoy a fresh start, a renewal, and a recovered zeal because of the new purpose, mission and hope that they bring. These experiences invigorate us, drive us to work, and allow us to accomplish greater things. The Gospel of John on this Third Sunday of Lent conveys a similar experience of “newness”. This is found in Jesus Christ for he is the New Covenant, the New Moses, the New Temple. As the New Temple, Jesus provides a new Spirit of the Law. The letters of the Law were no longer to be confined within the sacred place; rather, they were to be written in the hearts of his followers as they gave witness through their actions of love, service, compassion, forgiveness, and care for others. This new Spirit would encourage the Disciples to carry on the mission of Jesus Christ.

People often complain that God treats them unfairly in sending
them trials, sometimes even regardless of how huge or small such trials
may be. They often say that  God sends them "suprise quizzes" likes the
ones we have at school where, without previous notice the teacher would
announce at the start of the class that there's an exam for his or her
subject and that we need to immediately put aside our books and
notebooks and get a pen and a sheet of paper and answer the following
questions. We complain that it's unfair, that we should be forewarned,