1st Sunday of Lent
My dear parishioners,
God is Good!!! All the time!!! And all the time!!! God is Good!!!
In the first reading, the narrative of the flood draws to a close with God speaking these comforting words to Noah. After nearly a full year floating about on the surface of the waters, Noah is grateful to at last be able to stand again on solid ground. In thanksgiving, he presents a substantial sacrifice to the Lord, choosing offerings from every clean animal and bird (Gn 8:20). But God recognizes that Noah may yet fear that such a devastating phenomenon as the flood may be repeated.
Mark’s Gospel is very concise compared to Matthew’s and Luke’s. The Baptism of Jesus, his encounter with temptations from Satan, and finally his opening statement describing his ministry are all very brief. Today’s Gospel passage presents us with Jesus being tempted by Satan, followed by his brief but packed mission and ministry statement.
Tempted by Satan. The Gospels of Matthew and Luke present the temptations of Jesus focused on three events, all aimed at persuading Jesus to do some fantastic action that would prove that he is in fact the Messiah. Mark offers a very brief and generic account of the temptations. He states simply that Jesus was tempted by Satan. It is interesting that it is the Spirit that “drove” Jesus into the desert. Drove (ekballo in Greek) is a violent word. The desert is also a symbol for purification. The Israelites spent 40 years in the desert preparing to enter the Promised Land. Every spiritual journey must include time in the desert—be it the Israelites, Jesus, or faithful followers of Jesus. According to Mark, Jesus successfully fends off the temptations of Satan.
The programmatic statement. When Jesus finally gets the center stage due to the arrest of John the Baptist, he makes a statement that is so important that it is referred to as Jesus’ “programmatic statement” regarding his mission and ministry. This brief statement is an outline of the entire Gospel of Mark. It is concise but it is packed. The location is Galilee, where Jesus has been proclaiming the Gospel of God. What makes up that Gospel?
The Gospel of God. This statement of Jesus consists of three major emphases: time, a new reality, and action. The first emphasis is that God’s special time (kairos in Greek) has been fulfilled. That means that we have now entered sacred time, which is calculated by the will of God and not linear hours, minutes, and seconds. In God’s sacred time, there also exists a new and alternative reality called the kingdom of God. This is God’s divine presence manifested in the words and actions of Jesus. This new alternative reality demands a radical response characterized by change (repentance) and believing in this good news. All of this is the Gospel of God in a nutshell.
Excerpts from “Sunday Homily Helps”, is used by permission of Franciscan Media. www.FranciscanMedia.org.©2018. All rights reserved
Sincerely in Christ,
Fr. Aloysius