20150222 Lent 1 B

The Gospel of Mark presents the story of salvation very rapidly. Here are the highlights of the first sixteen verses. Mark’s Gospel starts with: “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ [the Son of God].” The prophet tells how God will send a messenger to prepare the way. John the Baptist appeared in the desert proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John. A voice came from the heavens, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” Then the Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert.
Mark establishes that Jesus is the Son of God and a short twelve verses later, Jesus is in the desert being tempted by Satan. In another two verses, Jesus begins his ministry and in two more verses, Jesus calls the first disciples.
Jesus’ temptation in the desert is only two verses long. Jesus was in the desert among wild beasts and was tempted by Satan for forty days. There is a long history of the desert as a place to break the weak or sometimes the strong. The children of Israel wandered for forty years in the desert before they could enter into the Holy Land promised by God. Moses described the desert when he talked to the Children of Israel in Deuteronomy: “God guided you through the vast and terrible wilderness with its saraph, serpents and scorpions, its parched and waterless ground; he brought forth water for you from the flinty rock and fed you in the wilderness with manna, a food unknown to your ancestors, that he might afflict you and test you, but also make you prosperous in the end.”
In today’s Gospel the number forty appears again: “The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan.” Jesus had to go through his desert experience before he could begin his ministry. He had to spend the time in prayer with his Father to prepare him for his ministry and to overcome temptation. Jesus went through these forty days so we would know that he lived and experienced the same human difficulties and temptations that we do.
Our Catechism tells us that Lent is the primary penitential season in the Church’s liturgical year, reflecting the forty days Jesus spent in the desert in fasting and prayer.
The Oxford dictionary of the Christian Church defines Lent as the fast of 40 days before Easter. In the first three centuries the period of fasting in preparation for Easter did not exceed two or three days. The first mention of a period of 40 days of Lent occurs in the Canons of Nicaea in 325 AD. The custom may have originated in the prescribed fast of candidates for baptism, and the number 40 was evidently suggested by the 40 days’ fast of the Lord Himself.
During the early centuries the observance of the fast was very strict. Only one meal a day near evening was permitted. Meat and fish, and in most places eggs and dairy, were absolutely forbidden. What a contrast with today. We frequently struggle to fast and abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and the Fridays of Lent. How would we truly fast for forty days?
The emphasis of Lent gradually moved from fasting and abstinence to service and preparation. Rather than giving “UP” something for Lent, we give of ourselves by serving others and spending more time in prayer.
Fr Jay has taught us about prayer in his homilies since the beginning of this year. He told us how to pray and encouraged us to pray and also to be quiet to listen for God’s direction. That is the most difficult task for us to do today: be still and quiet while we communicate with our Heavenly Father.
In scripture, the word wilderness and desert were frequently used interchangeably. The desert was a terrible place for ancient peoples. The desert was a place where one could get lost and wander for days. There were wild beats and robbers who would kill anyone who ventured into the desert. Even in small communities, the night was filled with fear of what might happen in the dark.
Over time, the desert came to mean an experience of grave magnitude. A desert experience is one of the difficult periods in our life. Chances are that we will not physically go out into a desert to fast and pray for forty days but we will have our own desert experience. It is easy for us to lose hope when it seems that the whole world is against us. That is when we are most likely to question God or doubt that he exists. But it is us who question or doubt. God is always there, waiting, loving us in spite of our sin. That is the hope that is always there for us sinners. We never have to despair because God is there.
The struggles and disasters in our lives seem to overwhelm us at times, but Mark gives us hope. We are not alone just as Jesus was not alone in the desert; the angels ministered to him during his days of preparation for his ministry. Jesus remained steadfast in his relationship with his Father even through the temptations from Satan. This gives us strength that we too can remain steadfast in our relationship with God even in moments of great despair.
After his period of preparation in the desert, Jesus began his ministry. Jesus preached that the Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the Gospel. The Good News in the Gospels is about the coming of that kingdom, a world that God rules, a world filled with his love. We must always look forward to that world. That is the hope that we always have in spite of the temptations and trials of this world.
Repentance by its definition involves forgiveness. First, there is forgiveness of our sins by God. Second, it requires us to forgive the same as God forgives us. Since most of the dark periods in our lives involve a disagreement or feelings of hurt by a family member or friend, forgiveness with that person is the most difficult task. Through prayer, the angels will minister to us when we travel through the desert of life’s darkest times.
Am I taking the necessary steps to be prepared for the Kingdom of God? Am I willing to seek God as a priority over the material things that the world offers? Am I willing to repent, to ask Jesus to forgive my sins? And then, am I willing to forgive those who hurt and wronged me?
Lent is a time of fasting and sacrifice, alms giving and service to others, receiving forgiveness and forgiving others, prayer and preparation for a closer relationship with God. The Kingdom of God is at hand! Repent and believe in the Gospel!