Deacon Tom Anthony

First Sunday of Lent
Lectionary: 23

Reading 1 Gn 9:8-15

God said to Noah and to his sons with him:
"See, I am now establishing my covenant with you
and your descendants after you
and with every living creature that was with you:
all the birds, and the various tame and wild animals
that were with you and came out of the ark.
I will establish my covenant with you,
that never again shall all bodily creatures be destroyed
by the waters of a flood;
there shall not be another flood to devastate the earth."
God added:
"This is the sign that I am giving for all ages to come,
of the covenant between me and you
and every living creature with you:
I set my bow in the clouds to serve as a sign
of the covenant between me and the earth.
When I bring clouds over the earth,
and the bow appears in the clouds,
I will recall the covenant I have made
between me and you and all living beings,
so that the waters shall never again become a flood
to destroy all mortal beings."

 

 

 

 

Responsorial Psalm Ps 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9.

R. (cf. 10) Your ways, O Lord, are love and truth to those who keep your covenant.
Your ways, O LORD, make known to me;
teach me your paths,
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my savior.
R. Your ways, O Lord, are love and truth to those who keep your covenant.
Remember that your compassion, O LORD,
and your love are from of old.
In your kindness remember me,
because of your goodness, O LORD.
R. Your ways, O Lord, are love and truth to those who keep your covenant.
Good and upright is the LORD,
thus he shows sinners the way.
He guides the humble to justice,
and he teaches the humble his way.
R. Your ways, O Lord, are love and truth to those who keep your covenant.

Reading 2 1 Pt 3:18-22

Beloved:
Christ suffered for sins once,
the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous,
that he might lead you to God.
Put to death in the flesh,
he was brought to life in the Spirit.
In it he also went to preach to the spirits in prison,
who had once been disobedient
while God patiently waited in the days of Noah
during the building of the ark,
in which a few persons, eight in all,
were saved through water.
This prefigured baptism, which saves you now.
It is not a removal of dirt from the body
but an appeal to God for a clear conscience,
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
who has gone into heaven
and is at the right hand of God,
with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him.

Verse Before the Gospel Mt 4:4b

One does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.

Gospel Mk 1:12-15

The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert,
and he remained in the desert for forty days,
tempted by Satan.
He was among wild beasts,
and the angels ministered to him.

After John had been arrested,
Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God:
"This is the time of fulfillment.
The kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent, and believe in the gospel."

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

As the earth was cleansed in the waters of the flood, so were we cleansed of Original Sin through our baptism and were claimed by Christ. We became new creations and our birthright as Children of God was recognized. During this Season of Lent, we are encouraged to meditate on this fact more closely and ask ourselves how we should let this knowledge influence our spiritual life. Recognizing our special status enables us to build on a foundation of faith, hope, and love that has been preconfigured by God through Jesus Christ. This should be viewed  as a wonderful opportunity to structure our lives around our relationship with Jesus Christ and constantly make it better. Even more, going forward, we can be comforted with the fact that whenever we make a mistake or when the structure becomes weak, the foundation established through our baptism always remains strong as long as realize that it is in place.

Jesus’ words in the Gospel Reading today are strong and profound:

 “This is the time of fulfillment.
  The kingdom of God is at hand.
  Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

The time of fulfillment is the Word Becoming Flesh which is the Incarnation. The Kingdom of God is Jesus himself. His baptism by John had just occurred forty days prior and with it came the full revelation of the Holy Trinity. Now, in this passage, Jesus commences with His ministry, telling everyone in the world what we have to do. Included in this is repentance which was first proclaimed by John the Baptist. It means having true remorse for our past sins. With this remorse comes a commitment to change our past behaviors which threaten our relationship with Jesus. This repentance, for it to have its desired effect, must be continuous. There should be a constant examination of our conscious through prayer and reflection. Through repetition comes familiarity. Through familiarity comes a deeper relationship with Jesus. We can then see the difference between our old self and our new selves.

Every day brings a new opportunity through Jesus Christ. When we lay down to sleep He is with us. When we wake up He is there. He never abandons us. He died for us so that we might be led to God. It is a powerful affirmation for us that He who is everything gave everything for us and in return asked for nothing except our love. This is only the beginning of the relationship. Consider what more is in store for us if Jesus started this relationship between us and Him with His own death. This alone should make us feel special. Yet, there is so much more for us to receive if only we be receptive to it. A way to do this is by stripping ourselves down to the foundation that Jesus built for us and to not be afraid of rebuilding everything again. Thoughtful prayer, worship, and a dedication to Sacred Scripture will bring about an abundance of fruit. Acts of charity adds to the harvest. Through the Journey of Lent we will then encounter the Crucified Christ walking His Passion as we endure own. We can be encouraged by the fact of what lies beyond that: The Easter Joy and our redemption.

Deacon Tom