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“The Temptation of Christ”
by Tintoretto, 1579-81 |
Readings for the First Sunday of Lent [2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [3]
Readings and Commentary: [4]
Reading 1: Genesis 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."
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Commentary on Gn 9:8-15
In this passage God establishes and seals his covenant with the earth in the person of Noah, using, as an eternal symbol, the rainbow. In this covenant, God once again gives humankind dominion over all his creation. He further promises not to destroy the earth using a great flood. The requirements placed upon Noah and his sons, which fall upon all of their descendants as well, are found in the opening verses of this chapter (see text and commentary of Genesis 9:1-13)
"After the unity of the human race was shattered by sin God at once sought to save humanity part by part. The covenant with Noah after the flood gives expression to the principle of the divine economy toward the 'nations', in other words, towards men grouped 'in their lands, each with [its] own language, by their families, in their nations'." [5]
CCC: Gen 8:20-9:17 2569; Gen 9:8-16 2569; Gen 9:9 56
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 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.
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Commentary on Ps 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9
Psalm 25 is an individual lament. The sinful psalmist prays that “your ways” be made known. This request directs us to repentance and ultimately guides us to justice. In the first strophe of this hymn, we hear support for our belief that God answered the prayers of our ancient ancestors. Their trust was justified. The song continues as an individual prayer asking for guidance and salvation.
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Reading II: 1 Peter 3:18-22
For 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.
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Commentary on 1 Pt 3:18-22
St. Peter appeals to a Church under persecution for faithfulness to the baptismal call to holiness. This part of his didactic discourse focuses on the eternal nature of Jesus’ redemptive mission. The apostle recalls that Christ suffered and died (in the flesh – he being truly human) and remains alive and present in the spirit, free from human weakness (see also 1 Corinthians 15:45).
This dialogue next links the image of the salvation of Noah (Genesis 9:1-15) “saved through water,” with the baptismal bath that frees the Christian from sin. That purifying event wipes away every sin to free the conscience from guilt and allows the baptized to live as God’s children.
CCC: 1 Pt 3:18-19 632; 1 Pt 3:20-21 845; 1 Pt 3:20 1219; 1 Pt 3:21 128, 1094, 1794
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Gospel: Mark 1:12-15
At once 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."
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Commentary on Mk 1:12-15
The events described in this passage from St. Mark’s Gospel occur immediately following Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan by St. John the Baptist. This selection is the shortest of the three synoptic accounts of the event (see also Matthew 4:1-11 and Luke 4:1-13).
“The same Spirit who descended on Jesus in his baptism now drives him into the desert for forty days. The result is radical confrontation and temptation by Satan who attempts to frustrate the work of God. The presence of wild beasts may indicate the horror and danger of the desert regarded as the abode of demons or may reflect the paradise motif of harmony among all creatures; cf. Isaiah 11:6-9. The presence of ministering angels to sustain Jesus recalls the angel who guided the Israelites in the desert in the first Exodus (Exodus 14:19; 23:20) and the angel who supplied nourishment to Elijah in the wilderness (1 Kings 19:5-7). The combined forces of good and evil were present to Jesus in the desert. His sustained obedience brings forth the new Israel of God there where Israel's rebellion had brought death and alienation.” [6]
It is noteworthy to observe that all of the synoptic Gospels show Jesus not beginning his public ministry until after the active ministry of St. John the Baptist has ended. The “Voice” decreases while the “Word” increases.
CCC: Mk 1:12-13 538; Mk 1:12 333; Mk 1:15 541, 1423, 1427
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Reflection:
As our Lenten journey begins, we hear of the beginning of Jesus' public ministry following his days of trial in the desert. Symbolically, we are to follow the spirit into the desert as well. Like the Lord himself we are invited to take stock of the circumstances in which we find ourselves.
From the ten-thousand-foot level, our desert does not bear much resemblance to the wastelands that Jesus encountered. He faced the physical solitude of barren wilderness, inhabited only by wild beasts. St. Mark’s description, although terse, implies a place fraught with danger, physical and spiritual. Spiritual danger because Satan, we are told, tempted him in this place of solitude and hostile forces.
We can see, in our own circumstances, analogous forces arrayed against us. We may not face “wild beasts,” but we do live in a dangerous world and face forces beyond our control that can cause us physical harm. These forces range from the vague but real threat of attacks on our homeland to the more intimate and urgent threat cause by individuals who are driven to steal and kill by impulses provided by the same Evil One who also encouraged the weak-minded to kill Christ those many years ago.
We are also confronted by temptation from Satan who, while not described in the account given today, nonetheless uses fair sounding arguments to lead us down paths that end in our own spiritual destruction. The very advances in technology that God allows the tremendous potential in his creation to explore become tools for the Fallen One. He uses every good thing to evil purpose, and we must constantly guard ourselves and those weaker from the worst of these opportunities to become victim to him.
Fortunately for us, we have been given added armor against the worst ravages of this malevolent spirit’s attacks. In baptism an indelible change was made in the very essence of our being. The fallen nature of our humanity, evidenced by God’s epic punishments ̶ the expulsion from the Garden and the Great Flood from which only Noah and his family survived ̶ was changed through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. In the baptismal bath of which St. Peter says “It is not a removal of dirt from the body but an appeal to God for a clear conscience” we are set free from sin, the shackles Satan would put upon us. We are sanctified and made holy; the gift of grace through the Holy Spirit becomes indwelling.
Armed against evil in this way we are given this season of Lent to inspect that armor. We look to see that no chinks have appeared and refortify ourselves with prayer, fasting, and charity. We meditate upon our circumstances to ensure that no new threat has appeared for which we are unprepared. Thus, we begin our own journey with a reassessment of the perils that lie ahead. We gird our belts and strengthen our resolve in Christ Jesus who is our guide and hope.
Pax
[1] Catechism links are taken from the
Homiletic Directory, published by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 29 June 2014.
[2] The picture used is “The Temptation of Christ” by Tintoretto, 1579-81.
[3] S.S. Commemoratio[4] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[5] CCC
56.[6] NAB footnote on Mark 1:12-13.
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