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1st Sunday of Lent

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The Season of Lent is now upon us.  When you think of Lent most Catholics will say that it’s a season of penance, for giving something up, for prayer and for giving alms.  In fact, the phrase, “Pray-Fast-Give” has become a popular expression of Lent for many Christians.  These are all right, of course, but not entirely.

According to the Constitution of the Sacred Liturgy promulgated from the Second Vatican Council, “The season of Lent has a twofold character: primarily by recalling or preparing for baptism and by penance, it disposes the faithful, who more diligently hear the word of God and devote themselves to prayer, to celebrate the paschal mystery.”  While those who are preparing for Baptism use this season of Lent as a period of “Purification and Enlightenment,” all Catholics are called to remember their own Baptisms.  As such, we will be looking to see where in our readings during this season the theme of Baptism becomes apparent.

The Word for the 1st Sunday of Lent
Genesis 9:8-15
Psalm 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9
1 Peter 3:18-22
Mark 1:12-15

Our readings for Lent always have an overarching theme that bind together the readings for all the Sundays of Lent.  This year for Cycle B (Gospel of Mark), that theme is covenant.  Covenant is that agreement between God and his people that marks the special relationship we have with our God.  It is a word we will hear in our readings this Sunday and a word we will continue to hear in our readings throughout this Lenten season.

Our first reading for this 1st Sunday of Lent starts with one of the first covenants between God and his people – that between God and Noah at the end of the great flood.  Also known as the Noahic covenant, this is the promise that God makes to Noah and all the people that he will never again destroy all life on Earth with a flood.  While this covenant was initially made with Noah, it is also a promise to all humankind, established with the rainbow as a reminder “for all ages to come” of that promise.  Our Psalm this week continues this theme of covenant by reminding us that the Lord’s ways “are love and truth to those who keep that covenant.”

Our second reading comes from the 1st Letter of Peter, wherein he draws a direct connection between the covenant with Noah and the new covenant through Jesus Christ.  He draws a parallel between the salvation of Noah and his family through the waters of the flood with the salvation that Christ offers through the waters of Baptism.

Following this reflection on Baptism, our Gospel from Mark takes us to that moment just after Jesus’ baptism where he is driven out into the desert.  Mark tells us Jesus spent forty days in the desert where he was tempted by Satan.  This is reflective of our forty-day journey through Lent where we are meant to face-down our demons find reconciliation with our Lord.

Final Thoughts:
The covenant with Noah and the subsequent covenants in the Bible between God and his people give us a special status.  We are a people of the covenant:  Beloved and chosen by God.  But a covenant is also like a contract – one where we the people of God also have responsibilities under this covenant.  What are those responsibilities?  Quite simply, to live our lives according to God’s commandments, or as Jesus taught, to love God and love our neighbor.  Simple in theory, but as we all know, much more difficult in practice.  So how are we going in keeping up our end of that covenant?  This is the question we must ponder during this Lenten season.

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