Today we begin our annual preparation for the celebration of the Paschal Mystery - the suffering, death, resurrection, ascension of Jesus and the sending of the Holy Spirit. It is intended to be a period of purification in imitation of the forty days that Jesus spent in the wilderness after His baptism by John in the River Jordan. The Gospel speaks of the three principal practices of the Jewish people - almsgiving, prayer and fasting. They are just as relevant today for us Christians. They are not to be done ostentatiously to impress others nor should they be done in a mechanical manner - measuring in dollars and cents, in minutes of the clock or pounds and ounces. Rather through these 'spiritual exercises' we deepen our relationship with God and our understanding of what God did for us in Jesus His Son. As readers of Shalom, we might also focus especially on the rich collection of readings for each day's Mass.