1st Sunday of Lent
Sunday, March 9, 2014
The first Sunday of Lent is upon us. Lent began on Ash Wednesday of this past week
and here we are already at this first marker-point…the first Sunday. I’ve asked some people what they are doing
for their Lenten project or penance, some have given up a particular food or
beverage they enjoy, others are even going to live without t.v. for forty days,
some have sworn off video games, and some have neglected to make any commitment
whatsoever. If you are in this last
category, make up your mind that this week you will commit to some project or
penance – don’t let another week go by.
Your project or penance can have something to do with prayer, fasting or
almsgiving – the three classic themes of Lent…themes which help us turn away from sin and be faithful to the
Gospel. Especially to be encouraged
is to approach the sacrament of penance, to go to confession so as to begin
again with a clean slate.
Pope Francis took up the theme of confession recently
during a general audience
“The Sacraments of Penance and Reconciliation
[...] flow directly from the Paschal mystery (…) In fact, the same evening of Easter the Lord
appeared to the disciples, closed in the Cenacle, and, after addressing to them
the greeting ‘Peace be with you’, he breathed on them and said: ‘Receive the
Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven.’”
This indication by Jesus, the Pope stressed,
shows that the forgiveness of our sins is not gained through any strength of
our own, rather it is a gift that springs from the heart of Christ Crucified
and Risen.
Departing from his prepared statement, the Holy
Father spoke on the reservations one might have to confessing their sins to a
priest. “Someone may say: ‘I confess only to God.’ Yes, you can tell God:
‘Forgive me’, and say your sins,” he said. “But our sins are also against the
brothers, against the Church, and for this it is necessary to ask forgiveness
to the Church and to the brothers, in the person of the priest.”
The Holy Father also said that some may feel
ashamed of confessing their sins. However, he noted, feeling shame for one’s
sins is good because it humbles us.
"Do not be afraid of Confession!” he
exclaimed. One who is in line to confess himself feels all these things - even
shame - but then, when he finishes confessing, he leaves free, great,
beautiful, forgiven, [...] happy. And this is the beauty of Confession.”
Concluding his catechesis, Pope Francis
encouraged those who have not confessed, whether it be for two weeks or 40
years, to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation as soon as possible. “Jesus
is there, and Jesus is much better than the priests, and Jesus receives you. He
receives you with so much love. Be courageous, and go forward to Confession,”
he said.
“To celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation
means to be wrapped in a warm embrace.”
Today’s
gospel alerts us to the fact that there will be temptation along the road –
this we must struggle against the devil’s tactics. Notice how he comes to tempt Jesus precisely
at his lowest point – it is only after the 40 days, when Jesus is ‘famished’
–that the devil makes an appearance. Yet
we see also that Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by
the devil. Thus we should never despair
that the Lord has left us alone to face our trials, instead he is there with us
whenever we face distress. We, too, must
guard against temptation, which comes to us at an unexpected hour, when we are
weak and vulnerable. We must keep our
eyes and hearts fixed on Christ so as to walk the path that leads to life. Notice that the Tempter came to Jesus with
legitimate concerns: turn these stones into bread – for you are hungry – on the
verge of starvation. Then notice how the
devil quotes the Bible to try and deceive Jesus – on the roof of the Temple he
says to Jesus – throw yourself down for it is written “He will command his angels concerning you – so that you do not dash
your foot against a stone”.
Apparently the devil knows how to twist truth to fit his own purposes,
and Jesus responds to each of the three temptations by quoting the Bible to the
devil. ‘Man does not live by bread alone’
and later ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test’ and –when the devil
brought him to a high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the earth and
the devil said All these I will give you if you will fall down and worship me - Jesus said: “Away with you Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God and serve only Him.” The Evil One knows how to put something to us
which is immoral and wrong but He dresses it up so that it looks good,
admirable, desirable. We need God’s
wisdom to see through the smoke-screen and choose the path of right. We see in the first reading how this has been
a difficult proposition from the very beginning – when we see Satan once again
as a liar and father of lies, when he declares to Adam and Eve that by sinning ‘you will not die – your eyes will be opened.’ The devil in his cunning twists the truth,
but the Savior will, by his crucifixion, by himself being twisted and scourged
by sin – will put things right again – so St. Paul teaches in the second
reading.
As we walk our pilgrim journey of Lent this first Sunday and first full week of Lent may we do so awake to the various ways that the Tempter comes to us – to silence our voice when the truth should be spoken, to undermine our faith when we suffer our poverty and limitation, to unsettle our peace by speaking half-truths to us. If we fall prey to temptation and give in to sin, let us make the psalmists cry our own, “Have mercy on us Lord, for we have sinned.” This plea for mercy is a good place to begin our walk back from the desert of sin. It is to the one who cries out for mercy that healing is given. As Jesus pointed out in the gospel, ‘worship the Lord your God, and serve only Him.’
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P.S. Now for something completely unrelated. This song has really got into my head!
