Lent has begun. We had a lovely start with the Valentine’s
Day observance of Ash Wednesday, being reminded of Jesus’ Love for us and His
willingness to die for us. We responded
in good numbers with the acknowledgement that we are sinners in need of God’s
Mercy. We have begun the season of
Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving. May we
be truly faithful and continue the journey persevering all the way to Easter
and beyond.
This Sunday, the Gospel
of Mark tells us simply that the Spirit drove Jesus into the desert where He
was tempted. It also mentions the
curious detail that Jesus was “among the wild beasts and angels ministered to
Him.” Then we learn that the Jesus began
His public proclamation of the Gospel: “This is the time of fulfillment. The Kingdom
of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel.”
In other years, we hear
more about the nature of the Temptation.
This year, we learn only that it occurred by the action of the Spirit
driving Jesus to the place where He would experience humanity’s limits. Jesus’ call to us is to acknowledge that God
is accomplishing His purpose and to open our minds and hearts to the Good News.
Opening ourselves to the truth of the
Gospel, we are invited to realize that God knows us completely and that He has
a plan for our salvation.
Each day brings a lot
of “bad news.” On any given day, we will
hear about tragic events, both natural and of our own making. At times there will also be reports of
situations that are clearly demonic, involving more than just what human beings
could do on their own. In the face of
all this, having already confronted the reality of it all, Jesus tells us that
we can put our trust in God and believe the Gospel. But we have to repent, to change our minds,
to move beyond where we have been to where He wants to take us. Are we ready to do so?
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