February 26, 2012 ( First Sunday of Lent )

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.

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."

Scripture Study

This weekend the Church celebrates the First Sunday of Lent. The liturgical season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and runs almost until Easter. Actually, Lent ends on Holy Thursday evening and is followed by the Triduum (a three day celebration of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus). Lent has a two fold character. It serves as a time for the immediate preparation of the catechumens and candidates who will enter the church at the Easter Vigil when they celebrate the sacraments of initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Eucharist). It also serves as a time for the rest of us to prepare ourselves, by penance, to celebrate the Paschal Mystery and the renewal of our own baptismal promises at Easter. This double character actually speaks of two ways to describe the same journey. All of us, whether new catechumen or long time believer, are constantly being called to more complete conversion. God always calls us to approach Him more closely. During this time, the church invites us to spend time with Jesus, John the Baptist and the ancient prophets of Israel in the wilderness, listening to this call from God and reflecting on the mystery of redemption through the cross and resurrection of Jesus and on what it means for us today. During Year B of the Liturgical Cycle, the general theme of the Lenten readings is "Spirit," in that Jesus leads us from the slavery of the flesh to freedom under the Spirit.

NOTES on First Reading:

* 9:8-15 Covenants in the ancient world involved an exchange of promises between two parties which was ratified by animal sacrifice and the invocation of a god to act as a witness. Here God makes a unilateral covenant with Noah. God takes on obligations to care for the earth but lays no requirements on Noah or his descendants to do anything. Israel saw in the rainbow, a link between the present and God's ancient promise of unconditional love and care. The early church saw it as a precursor of the baptismal covenant that we have in Christ. 

* 9:9-10 Here God makes essentially the same promise that He made to Noah in 6:18 but now it is extended to all living creatures. Noah's free acceptance of the covenant is presupposed.

NOTES on Second Reading:

* 3:18 This verse begins the section which ends in 4:6 and forms the climax of the letter. It stresses that Christ is the basis for the confidence of Christians. This verse does not refer to the contrast between body and soul but rather to the two spheres of Christ's existence: earthly human life and as life as Risen Lord. 

* 3:19 In the New Testament, "spirits" used without a qualifying phrase means "supernatural beings" not "human souls." In 1 Enoch, a nonbiblical book which was very popular during the early Christian years, the story is told of Enoch who went on a mission from God to announce to the rebellious angels that they were condemned to prison. In a later development of the story, Enoch passes through the heavens and meets the rebellious angels. In this tradition, the rebellion of the angels is expressly linked with the flood. In 1 Peter 3:19, this story is applied to the Risen Christ. 

* 3:20 Later Jewish tradition fashioned an elaborate story out of the obscure statements in Gen 6:1-2. The "sons of God" were the angels who sinned with human women and were responsible for the moral corruption of humanity that led to the flood. This is actually another version of the original sin story (Gen 3:1-24) where evil enters the world through the rebellious angels rather than through a man misled by a serpent. Noah preached to the sinful men of his time with hope that they might repent. The number eight (persons) is a symbol of the resurrection (eighth day). 

* 3:21 The waters of baptism are seen as a counterpart to the waters of the flood. The language used here actually fits better in terms of circumcision rather than baptism. Since the church of Rome was probably founded from Jerusalem this language is likely to be the result of a catechesis on baptism that was based on a comparison of circumcision and baptism. 

Appeal to God could also be translated "pledge," that is, a promise on the part of Christians to live with a good conscience before God, or a pledge from God of forgiveness and therefore a good conscience for us. 

* 3:22 In Jesus, all believers now share in this victory over all hostile spirits (Phil 2:10; 1 Cor 15:24,27; Eph 1:21; 6:2; Col 2:10, 15).

NOTES on Gospel:

* 1:12 Mark says Jesus was "driven" into the desert by the Spirit while Matthew and Luke say he was "led". See Mat 4:1 and Luke 4:1. 

* 1:13 Forty is usually used as a symbolic number in the Bible meaning as many or as much as is necessary. Here it was for as long as was needed to accomplish the purposes of God. Mark gives no details of the encounter between Jesus and the Devil. This first confrontation serves to help portray the whole of Jesus' ministry as a fight against evil. Wild beasts carry two ideas into the story: The wilderness was considered the abode of wild animals and of demons. The presence of the animals also echoes the harmony of the creation story which the obedience of Jesus will restore after the disobedience of Adam lost it. The angels who ministered are a reflection of the angel of the first Exodus (Exodus 14:19 and 23:20). 

* 1:14 In Jesus, the Kingdom of God is near and that is the Good News. The Rule of God is described in Ps 97:1-12; 98:1-9; 99:1- 9 

* 1:15 Fulfilled expresses the continuity between the stages of God's plan. The Kingdom of God is present when the will of God is done. In Jesus, the will of God is lived out perfectly and so in Him the Kingdom was always present perfectly.

Meditation: Jesus was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan

What is the significance of Jesus spending 40 days and nights of solitude, prayer and fasting in the Judean wilderness? In the Old Testament 40 days was often seen as a significant period of testing and preparation for entering into a covenant relationship with God. In the days of Noah, God judged the earth and destroyed its inhabitants in a great flood because of their idolatry and total rejection of God. Noah and his family were spared because they obeyed God and took refuge in the ark for 40 days. When the flood subsided God made a covenant with Noah and promised that he would not destroy the human race again. Jesus came to fulfill that promise. When God freed the Israelites from slavery in Egypt he brought them into the wilderness of Sinai. Moses went to the mountain of the Lord at Sinai and stayed there in prayer and fasting for 40 days (Exodus 24:18). At the conclusion of this 40 day encounter God made a covenant with Moses and the people. After the prophet Elijah had confronted idolaty in the land of Israel and destroyed the 400 priests of Baal, he fled into the wilderness and journeyed for 40 days to mountain of God at Sinai. There God spoke with Elijah and commissioned him to pass on the work of restoration of true worship of God in the land (1 Kings 19:8). After Jesus was annointed by the Spirit in the waters of the Jordan River, he journeyed to the wilderness of Judea for 40 days to prepare himself for the mission which the Father sent him to accomplish in establishing a new covenant that would supercede all the previous covenants which God had made with his people.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke tell us in their gospel accounts that Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wildnerness. Mark states it most emphatically: "The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness" (Mark 1:12). Why was Jesus compelled to seek solitude for such a lengthy period? Was it simply a test to prepare him for his ministry? Or did Satan want to lure him into a trap? The word tempt in English usually means to entice to sin. The scriptural word here also means test in the sense of proving and purifying someone to see if there are ready for the task at hand. We test pilots to see that they are fit to fly. Likewise God tests his servants to see if they are fit to be used by him. God tested Abraham to prove his faith. The Israelites were sorely tested in Egypt before God delivered them from their enemies. Jesus was no exception to this testing. Satan, in turn, did his best to entice Jesus to chose his own will over the will of his Father. Despite his weakened condition, due to fatigue and lack of food for 40 days, Jesus steadfastly rejected Satan's sublte and not so subtle temptations. Where did Jesus find his strength to survive the desert's harsh conditions and the tempter's seduction? He fed on his Father's word and found strength in doing his will. Satan will surely tempt us and will try his best to get us to choose our will over God's will. If he can’t make us renounce our faith or sin mortally, he will then try to get us to make choices that will lead us, little by little, away from what God wants for us.

As soon as John the Baptist had finished his ministry, Jesus began his in Galilee, his home district. John's enemies had sought to silence him, but the gospel cannot be silenced. Jesus proclaimed that the time of restoration proclaimed by the prophets was now being fulfilled in his very person and that the kingdom of God was at hand. What is the kingdom of God? The word "kingdom" means something more than a territory or an area of land. It literally means "sovereignty" or "reign" and the power to "rule" and exercise authority. The prophets announced that God would establish a kingdom not just for one nation or people but for the whole world. God sent us his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, not to establish an earthly kingdom but to bring us into his heavenly kingdom – a kingdom ruled by justice, truth, peace, and holiness. The kingdom of God is the central theme of Jesus' mission. It's the core of his gospel message.

How do we enter the kingdom of God? In announcing the good news, Jesus gave two explicit things each of us must do to in order to receive the kingdom of God:repent and believe. When we submit to Christ's rule in our lives and believe the gospel message, the Lord Jesus gives us the grace and power of Holy Spirit to live a new way of life as citizens of God's kingdom. Jesus gives us grace and conviction to renounce sin and Satan, the father of lies (John 8:44) and the ruler of this present world (John 12:31). That is why repentance is the first step. Repentance means to change – to change my way of thinking, my attitudes and disposition, and the choices I determine for my life, so that Christ can be the Lord and Master of my heart rather than sin, greed, and selfishness. If we are only sorry for the consequences of our sins and bad choices, we will very likely keep repeating them. True repentance requires a contrite heart (Psalm 51:17)  – a true sorrow for sin and a firm resolution to avoid it in the future. The Lord Jesus gives us grace to see sin for what it really is – a rejection of his love and wisdom for our lives and a refusal to do what is good and in accord with his will. His grace brings pardon, healing, and help for turning away from everything that would keep us from his love and truth. To believe is to take Jesus at his word and to recognize that God loved us so much that he sent his only begotten Son to free us from bondage to sin and harmful desires. God made the supreme sacrifice of his Son on the cross to bring us back to a relationship of peace and friendship with himself. He is our Father and he wants us to live as his sons and daughters. God loved us first and he invites us in love to surrender our lives to him. Do you believe that the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ, has power to free you from bondage to sin and fear?

“Lord Jesus, your word is life and joy for me. Fill me with your Holy Spirit that I may have the strength and courage to embrace your will in all things and to renounce whatever is contrary to it.”

( Don Schwager )

Father, when I look at my own life and at the world there seems to be so much reason to feel desperate.
For ancient peoples, the world was full of mysterious forces they didn’t understand, that could easily catch them and destroy them. Floods, earthquakes, droughts and fires—all could break their weak grip on life. Today, even though we understand and to some extent control the powers in nature, we are still dependent on our world to sustain us. For our control of nature is not always for the good.

Yet, Father, you promised us, in the story of Noah, that you would remain faithful to the work of your hands. How could you let such a work of beauty and love be so destroyed? Thank you for your commitment to your world. In Jesus you made your faithful love for the world unbreakable. Jesus followed your will, even to a lonely and seemingly futile death. But, in his rising, your promise, Father, remains true.
( Daily Prayer Online )

Start Anew
God of compassion and forgiveness, hear my prayer this Lenten season. Grant me your grace and healing. Give me the strength to be honest about my own shortcomings and sins. Help me to renew my resolve to be a better person and start anew. Amen.
— from Rediscover Lent

February 26
St. Porphyry of Gaza
(353-421)

We go far back in history today to learn a bit about a saint whose name is not familiar to most of us in the West but who is celebrated by the Greek and other Eastern churches.

Born near Greece in the mid-4th century, Porphry is most known for his generosity to the poor and for his ascetic lifestyle. Deserts and caves were his home for a time. At age 40, living in Jerusalem, Porphyry was ordained a priest.
If the accounts we have are correct, he was elected bishop of Gaza—without his knowledge and against his will. He was, in effect, kidnapped (with the help of a neighboring bishop, by the way) and forcibly consecrated bishop by the members of the small Christian community there. No sooner had Porphyry been consecrated bishop than he was accused by the local pagans of causing a drought. When rains came shortly afterward, the pagans gave credit to Porphyry and the Christian population and tensions subsided for a time.
For the next 13 years, Porphyry worked tirelessly for his people, instructed them and made many converts, though pagan opposition continued throughout his life. He died in the year 421.