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The First Sunday of Lent
predmore.blogspot.com
February 18, 2018
Genesis 9:8-15; Psalm
25; 1 Peter 3:18-22; Mark 1:12-15
It is important for us to begin
Lent knowing we do not enter the season alone. We can make all types of sacrifices,
but unless we first consult the Lord, we may cleverly be doing religious
actions by ourselves, and that is not the point of Lent. Lent is intended to
bring us closer to the Lord and to accept a humble, penitential reordering of
our life knowing that life is short and precious.
The whole point of today’s
readings is to remind us that God is with us with every step we take. In
Genesis, God tells Noah, “See. I am now establishing my covenant with you. I
will set a sign in the sky as a covenant between me and every living creature.
When the clouds cover the earth, and the bow appears in the sky, I will
remember the covenant I made between me and all living beings.”
In the second reading, Peter
tells us that Noah prefigured baptism in Christ, which is the gift that saves
us. Through the waters of baptism, we are given new life and are led to God by
Jesus is our advocate who sits at God’s right hand. Christ is bound to us and will
never abandon us.
In Gospel, right after the
baptism, which is the action that fortifies us spiritually, the Spirit drove
Jesus into the desert and he remained there for forty days and was tempted by
Satan. The Spirit never left him. The Spirit abided by Jesus, even as Satan was
tempting him. Jesus does not go into the period alone. When the period of
purification was over, Jesus announced to the world, “The time of fulfillment
is at hand. Repent, and believe in the Good News.” In an even fuller way, Jesus
proclaimed the Word of God with great confidence, and his earthly mission began
in earnest.
We are wise if we remember that
we do nothing on our own. From the most mundane activities to the most
profound, we will find a sign that God is with us if we raise our eyes and
minds. For many of us, the Eucharist is that sign, for whenever God sees the
sign that we offer, God blesses it in the same covenant of Noah. God promises
to be with us, and when we consume Jesus in the Sacrament, we know he is part
of us.
We then need to keep mindful of
this relationship. We are never far from God, but we might want to invite God
deeper into our lives than we do. We have a readily available resource very
near to us, but we just have to lift our heads and look for that sign. I often
think that God must feel neglected when we decide to make religious acts
without inviting God into the conversation. Life has to be much more meaningful
and engaging when we decide to consult each other and do things as partners.
Lent is merely beginning. Let us
use this opportunity to involve God in to the daily grind of our lives. God
promises support. All we have to do is make a sign that we want to be
remembered and God will come through for us. God always does. The one who has
God discovers she or he lacks nothing. God alone suffices. When we realize this,
we are truly ready for Lent.
Scripture for Daily Mass
First Reading:
Monday:
(Leviticus 19) The Lord gives Moses ten commandments that he inscribes on stone
tablets.
Tuesday:
(Isaiah 55) God’s word will issue forth from his mouth and shall not return
until it has fulfilled his will.
Wednesday:
(Jonah 3) Jonah set out to Nineveh asking them to proclaim a fast and then
repent. The king does repent and the Lord dropped his threat because they
turned from evil.
Thursday:
(Esther 3) Queen Esther appeals to God for help in converting the king’s heart for
hatred of the enemy that threatens them.
Friday:
(Ezekiel 18) If the wicked turns from sinfulness and keeps the Lord’s statutes,
he will surely live. Likewise, if a virtuous man becomes wicked, he shall die.
Saturday:
(Deuteronomy 26) Moses tells the people to observe the Lord’s statutes and
decrees with their whole heart and soul. The Lord will stand by you.
Gospel:
Monday:
(Matthew 25) Jesus tells his disciples about the last judgment when the goats
and sheep will be separated. The measuring stick is the mercy shown to the most
vulnerable.
Tuesday:
(Matthew 6) The disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray. He tells them not to
pray like the pagans, who seek honor and glory, and then gives them the Lord’s
prayer.
Wednesday:
(Luke 11) Jesus chastises the crowd that seeks a sign, but none will be given
to them. Because of Jonah’s preaching, the king and people repented.
Thursday:
(Matthew 7) Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and
the door will be opened. The Father is generous, especially to those who love
him.
Friday:
(Matthew 5) Your righteousness must surpass the levels of the scribes and
Pharisees in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Show righteousness by
quickly settling disputes.
Saturday:
(Matthew 5) Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you
may be children of your Heavenly Father. Be perfect as the Father is perfect.
Saints of the Week
February 21: Peter
Damian, bishop and Doctor (1007-1072), was orphaned and raised by his
brother, Damian, a priest in Ravenna. He began as a hermit monk and was then
made abbot and cardinal. He became a reformer in the church often speaking out
against clerical laxness.
February 22: The Chair of Peter is celebrated on
this day. Previously, both Peter and Paul were remembered until their feast was
transferred to June 29th. As the custom was ingrained in practice,
Christians continued to honor the contributions Peter made to the church as the
first of the apostles in continuous succession.
February 23: Polycarp, bishop and martyr (69-155), was
made bishop of Smyrna and was the leader of the second generation Christians.
He was a disciple of the apostle John and a friend of Ignatius of Antioch. He
wrote catechesis and rites for initiation into the Christian community. He was
martyred in 155 and is a Father of the early church.
This Week in Jesuit History
·
Feb
18, 1595. St Robert Southwell, after two and a half years imprisonment in the
tower, was removed to Newgate and there thrust into a dungeon known as
"Limbo."
·
Feb
19, 1581. The election of Fr. Claude Acquaviva as fifth general in the Fourth
General Congregation. He was only 37 years of age and a Jesuit for only 14
years. He was general under eight popes. He had been a fellow novice with St
Stanislaus.
·
Feb
20, 1860. Pope Pius IX visits the rooms of St Ignatius.
·
Feb
21, 1595. At Tyburn, the martyrdom of Robert Southwell after he had suffered
brutal tortures in Topcliffe's house and in prison. He embraced the jailer who
brought him word that he was to be executed. As he breathed his last, Lord
Mountjoy, who presided over the execution, exclaimed: "May my soul be one
day with that of this man."
·
Feb
22, 1599. By order of Pope Clement VIII, the superiors general of the Jesuits
and the Dominicans, assisted by others, met to settle, if possible, the
controversies about grace. Nothing came of the meeting, since the Dominicans
insisted on the condemnation of the writings of Fr. Molina.
·
Feb
23, 1551. The Roman College, the major school of the Society later to become
the Gregorian University, began its first scholastic year with 15 teachers and
60 students.
·
Feb
24, 1637. The death of Francis Pavone. Inflamed by his words and holy example,
sixty members of a class of philosophy that he taught and the entire class of
poetry embraced the religious state.
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