With the 40 days of Lent, we are drawn into the desert with Jesus. The Gospels map our journey, beginning with Jesus' own 40 days spent in the desert before he began his public ministry.  We witness his transfiguration the following week; after that, Jesus begins to teach us as we listen to the story of the barren fig tree.  The fourth week of Lent, we hear the parable of the prodigal son, and finally the story of the woman caught in adultery.  This is a time of grace and conversion; of penance and reconciliation.  As a community, it is a call to reflect on our Baptism, and to prepare to renew our Baptismal promises at the Easter Vigil.