By Ann Mulgrew, assistant director of Campus Ministry and director of M.A.P. and I.M.A.P.
In this Sunday’s Gospel (Luke 4: 1-13), Jesus is filled with the Holy Spirit and is led to the desert for 40 days, only to be tempted by the devil to give up his spirit and motivation. His focus was God—the powerful spirit he needed for success in life. The temptations offered nothing to him.
The image of Jesus filled with the Spirit, entering 40 days of desert temptations is timely with two exciting events happening this month: the upcoming NCAA tournaments and M.A.P. trips.
I’ve been watching this season of basketball like a hawk, catching all the wins and few losses of our Men’s and Women’s Basketball teams. The spirit that fuels my Marquette pride is based on a knowledge of the skills and talents that both teams have—it is here and with God that their potential success lies.
I am also filled with spirit for the upcoming spring break M.A.P. trips. For more than 30 years, Marquette students have participated in service trips during spring break. The Marquette Action Program (M.A.P.) organizes trips within the themes of urban poverty, health, education, human dignity and build/rebuild. Each site offers students the opportunity to live simply and work directly with a community for one week.
Walking with 17 fabulous student facilitators for 12 site locations and almost 80 students, has inspired me with great hope for a truly wonderful spring break of service. It is our relationship with God, blessed by our work with the poor and the marginalized, that will grace us with many great experiences. To God be our glory!
It is with hope that we all have the same high level of inspired spirit as we enter our Lenten journey with Christ—that’s one benefit of Lent, March Madness and spring break overlapping! We begin the season of Lent with great faith and endurance to focus on our relationship with God. We may be tempted away from this spirit with a loss or two, or some hiccups in preparations for the M.A.P. trips. But through it all we know that with God, we shall not fail.