First Sunday of Lent

Reading I
Dt 26:4-10

Moses spoke to the people, saying:
"The priest shall receive the basket from you
and shall set it in front of the altar of the LORD, your God.
Then you shall declare before the LORD, your God,
'My father was a wandering Aramean
who went down to Egypt with a small household
and lived there as an alien.
But there he became a nation
great, strong, and numerous.
When the Egyptians maltreated and oppressed us,
imposing hard labor upon us,
we cried to the LORD, the God of our fathers,
and he heard our cry
and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression.
He brought us out of Egypt
with his strong hand and outstretched arm,
with terrifying power, with signs and wonders;
and bringing us into this country,
he gave us this land flowing with milk and honey.
Therefore, I have now brought you the firstfruits
of the products of the soil
which you, O LORD, have given me.'
And having set them before the Lord, your God,
you shall bow down in his presence."

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 91:1-2, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15

R. (cf. 15b) Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.
You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High,
who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,
say to the LORD, "My refuge and fortress,
my God in whom I trust."
R. Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.
No evil shall befall you,
nor shall affliction come near your tent,
For to his angels he has given command about you,
that they guard you in all your ways.
R. Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.
Upon their hands they shall bear you up,
lest you dash your foot against a stone.
You shall tread upon the asp and the viper;
you shall trample down the lion and the dragon.
R. Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.
Because he clings to me, I will deliver him;
I will set him on high because he acknowledges my name.
He shall call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in distress;
I will deliver him and glorify him.
R. Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.

Reading II
Rom 10:8-13

Brothers and sisters:
What does Scripture say?
The word is near you,
in your mouth and in your heart
--that is, the word of faith that we preach--,
for, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,
you will be saved.
For one believes with the heart and so is justified,
and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.
For the Scripture says,
No one who believes in him will be put to shame.
For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek;
the same Lord is Lord of all,
enriching all who call upon him.
For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

Gospel
Lk 4:1-13

Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan
and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days,
to be tempted by the devil.
He ate nothing during those days,
and when they were over he was hungry.
The devil said to him,
"If you are the Son of God,
command this stone to become bread."
Jesus answered him,
"It is written, One does not live on bread alone."
Then he took him up and showed him
all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant.
The devil said to him,
"I shall give to you all this power and glory;
for it has been handed over to me,
and I may give it to whomever I wish.
All this will be yours, if you worship me."
Jesus said to him in reply,
"It is written:
You shall worship the Lord, your God,
and him alone shall you serve."
Then he led him to Jerusalem,
made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him
"If you are the Son of God,
throw yourself down from here, for it is written:
He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,
and:
With their hands they will support you,
lest you dash your foot against a stone."
Jesus said to him in reply,
"It also says,
You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test."
When the devil had finished every temptation,
he departed from him for a time

Commentary

The passage from today’s First Reading speaks of grateful stewardship in the form of the annual tithe of “firstfruits”. Although not all the people will reap the same harvest, the whole community will benefit from the bounty that God gives. Therefore, all of Israel must be involved in this ritual thanksgiving. The people must acknowledge that they were once a people held in captivity and without a land and that God delivered them from this. In return, they present God with their tithe as a sign of thanksgiving.

In the Second Reading, Paul asserts that what is important is faith as long as it reflects what is in the heart. If a person says they have faith, they must mean it. Faith demands that we “practice what we preach”. Every one who puts faith in Jesus will be saved whether Jew or Gentile. No one who puts faith in Jesus will be left empty.

In today’s Gospel Reading, Jesus is lead by the Spirit into the wilderness for 40 days during which time he will prepare for his public ministry. This wilderness is part of the Palestinian desert which was a dangerous and uncharted place, inhabited by wild animals and bandits waiting for easy prey. Thus the desert was considered to be the dwelling place of demons and so it comes as no surprise that Jesus comes face to face with the devil. This 40 day preparation for Jesus is a parallel to the 40 years that the people of Israel spent in the desert after the exodus from Egypt. However, where Israel failed in their test in the wilderness, Jesus will remain faithful. Both Luke and Matthew will describe three temptations which are typical of lifelong temptations that both Jesus and his disciples will face:

Jesus answers the devil’s temptations with quotes from Scripture (Deut 8:3; 6:13-16), and so does the devil. This is a lesson that Scripture that is wrongly interpreted loses its authority.       

Reflection

With the celebration of Ash Wednesday we began the liturgical season of Lent, a period of 40 days that will span until Holy Thursday. Afterwards, we celebrate the Tridium which culminates in the Passion of Christ on Good Friday and the Resurrection the following Saturday Evening. Between now and the Resurrection Mass, as we celebrate the Lenten Season, we are called to a deeper reflection and redirection of our lives. Lent should be a time where we review our lives and see if it is in tune with Jesus, and if it is not, ask ourselves what we need to do so that we may be more Christ-like. It is a time to seek out forgiveness for what we have done and failed to do. In order to help us on this forty day “journey” through the wilderness, the Lenten liturgy constantly reminds us of the Passion of Christ to which we should unite ourselves wholeheartedly through reflection, prayer, fasting, and charity. We need to become more aware of the suffering Christ who for our sake was nailed to the cross.

Reflecting on the suffering Christ should make us more aware of our sinfulness and the constant forgiveness we need to receive but also offer to others. We are called to make amends – to make right what was once wrong. We need to follow the example of Jesus who remained faithful despite the many temptations and gave everything for love’s sake. There is no doubt that we have been and will continue to be tempted daily. This should be considered a good thing. To be tempted is to be given the opportunity to strengthen our faith and fidelity to God. It allows us to make the decision to follow Christ despite the difficulties that arise and puts into perspective the great sacrifice and suffering of Christ. May this Lent challenge us to once-and-for-all embrace our cross and like Christ be nailed to it through our penance, charity, and prayer.

Biblical Sources

New American Bible; Brown, R. K., and Comfort, P. W. (trans.) and Douglas, J. D., (ed.) “The New Greek-English Interlinear New Testament”; United States Conference of Catholic Bishops; North, M., “The Deuteronomistic History; Weinfeld, M., “Deuteronomy and the Deuteronomic School”; Barrett, C. K., “A Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans”; Cranfield, C. E. B., “A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans”; Fitzmyer, J. A., “The Gospel According to Luke”; LaVerdiere, E., “Luke”; Maddox, R., “The Purpose of Luke-Acts”; “The Collegeville Bible Commentary”; Brown, Raymond E., S.S., “Introduction to the New Testament”; Brown, Fitzmyer, and Murphy (ed.) “The New Jerome Biblical Commentary”.

Reflection by

Deacon Lazaro J. Ulloa