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First, please pray for Japan. It amazes me that people do not believe that the devil exists. Even folks who believe in God and consider themselves Christian. The question I want to ask them is, "have you read the Bible?" Last Sunday's gospel reading recounts the meeting between Jesus and the devil. The fourth chapter of Matthew's gospel tells you all you need to know about the devil. He is intent on leading you away from a relationship with God. He is focused on making sure that you try to place yourself on the same level as God. He tempts and most of the time it is with subtle words or whispers. So don't always expect big and flashy when it comes to the devil. Matthew 4:10 tells us, Jesus said to him, "Get away, Satan! It is written: The Lord, your God, shall you worship and Him alone shall you serve." Good advice for all of us. Later this week we will celebrate two special feast days. The first is in honor of St. Patrick. Of course, this special day has become one of revelry and green beer. I urge you to celebrate the day in the spirit of Lent and remembering that St. Patrick worked mightily to bring people to God. The second feast day is in honor of St. Joseph, who was Mary's husband and served as the father of Jesus while He was on earth. St. Joseph is a very special role model especially for fathers. He was the spiritual leader of his family and his family was not your ordinary family. Did you hear that the Vatican is uploading a new Facebook page devoted to the upcoming May 1 beatification of Pope John Paul II? The site will link to video highlights of John Paul's 27-year papacy. It should be very informative and inspiring.

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