First Sunday of Lent
Lectionary: 23
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.”
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.
Reading 2
1 Peter 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.
Verse Before the Gospel
Matthew 4:4b
One does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.
Gospel
Mark 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.”
Reflection 1
Catholic Daily Reflections
The Ministry of Angels
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. Mark 1:12–13
What an amazing event we reflect upon today. Jesus, the Son of God, the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity humbled Himself in two ways in the passage quoted above. First, He allowed Himself to endure the temptations of satan. Second, He permitted His very own creation, the good angels, to minister to Him in His human form.
First of all, recall that satan is a fallen angel. He was created by God and was created good. But the Book of Revelation (12:4) indicates that one-third of the created angels were cast out of Heaven to roam the earth. These demons act under the direction of the highest fallen angel, satan. Thus, according to the passage above, it was satan himself who tempted Jesus in the desert. Additionally, Jesus permitted the good angels to minister to Him in His human nature. These acts reveal the perfection of the virtue of humility within the humanity of our Lord.
According to Saint Thomas Aquinas, angels were created for three primary reasons. The first is for the purpose of worship. Worship of God brings about communion with God and enables perfect love to flow back and forth from God to each angelic being. Second, angels enact the will of God in all things. This includes the implementation of the laws of nature and the imparting of the grace that Christ won on the Cross. Third, God uses angels as messengers. Scripture records various ways that the angels spoke to the prophets, to our Blessed Mother, to Saint Joseph and to others. Saint Thomas Aquinas also believed that each of us is given a particular guardian angel whose role is not only to protect us but also to communicate the will of God to us.
As God, Jesus was the Creator of all angelic beings with the Father and the Holy Spirit. As man, Jesus was the recipient of both the ministry of the good angels and the attacks of the fallen angels. By humbly subjecting Himself to the natural powers of these angelic creatures, Jesus was also teaching us that we must do the same.
One of the primary natural powers of both the good and bad angels is the power of influence and suggestive thought. Angelic beings have the ability to put before your imagination ideas meant to either influence you for the good (the good angels) or to deceive you and lead you into sin (the bad angels). These communications are real, and we should be aware of them. In his book, The Spiritual Exercises, Saint Ignatius of Loyola devotes much time and energy to the ministry of angels. He teaches how to distinguish the lies and deceptions of the fallen angels from the consoling direction communicated by the good angels. In many ways, our Gospel passage today, by which Jesus submitted Himself to the temptations and ministry of the angels, lends much support to the importance of trying to understand how these angelic creatures influence us.
Reflect, today, upon the amazing truth that both angels and demons are constantly active in your life, seeking to influence you. As you ponder their spiritual role in your life, consider the various ways you can learn more about them. Speak to your guardian angel. Ask for the intercession of the highest of angels. Try to join them in their divine worship. Pray for their protection. Ask them to communicate to you the highest of truths from God. Seek to be attentive to these holy angels so that as you learn to discern their voices, you will be ready to follow the direction they give to you from God.
Reflection 2
One Bread, One Body
LENT ON TRIAL
“He stayed in the wasteland forty days, put to the test there by Satan.” —Mark 1:13
Lent is a time of special testing. The Lord lets us be tested by Satan so that we will grow in holiness. Then we will have a strong faith by which we can renew our baptismal promises this Easter time and receive the glory of the risen Christ. “There is cause for rejoicing here. You may for a time have to suffer the distress of many trials; but this is so that your faith, which is more precious than the passing splendor of fire-tried gold, may by its genuineness lead to praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ appears” (1 Pt 1:6-7).
We often have “many trials” throughout our lives. However, there’s something unique about Lenten trials. There may be more trials in Lent than at other times, or the combination of trials may be more challenging. Possibly the timing of our Lenten trials may seem exceptionally bad or even mysterious.
If we pray more than ever through these trials and fast as Jesus did in the desert, trials will bring out the best in us. If we repent and do penance, trials will not warp, twist, poison, confuse, or weaken us. Rather, God will use these trials to greatly strengthen our trust in His providential, faithful, and perfect love for us. However, if we endure trials without praying, fasting, and repenting, we can become lifelong slaves because of the fear of death (Heb 2:15); or bitter, unforgiving, resentful shadows of our former selves. If we mix sin and trials, we will become slaves of compulsions, self-deception, and self-hatred.
Thank the Lord for trials. Be holy and become holier.
Prayer: Father, no matter what it takes, make me holy.
Promise: “The reason why Christ died for sins once for all, the just Man for the sake of the unjust, was that He might lead you to God.” —1 Pt 3:18
Praise: Praise the Lord, for His loving kindness will never fail. Alleluia.
Reflection 3
Shared from God's Word
In the Gospel, we reflect upon the moments of Jesus in the wilderness where He spent time in aloneness with God so that He could be strengthened to face the forces of evil that were battling against Him. The wilderness could be a place where we are either distracted or we could draw closer to God. Even if we are tossed amidst confusion in our moments of temptation, we are called to reflect on our limitations and weaknesses and our need for Jesus as Saviour. The wilderness is where we can return to God wholeheartedly and recommit our lives to Him. God sends us reminders in our lives as in the life of Noah when He put a rainbow in the sky. Recall the times God has sent you signs of His loving presence and be grateful to Him! Lord Jesus, meet me in the wilderness that I experience in my life from time to time.
Prayers
My Lord and Creator of All, You created the angelic order for the glorious purpose of love and worship. You also give them the mission of enacting Your holy will and communicating to us on earth. Please help me to be more aware of the deceptions of the fallen angels and the direction of the good angels. Angels of God, pray for me, protect me and guide me into God’s perfect will. Jesus, I trust in You.
Lord Jesus, your word is life, joy, wisdom, and strength 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 your will for me.
Daily Reflections on Divine Mercy
Reflection 49: Being Misunderstood
We are called to be saints. And if we walk down that road, we will be called to live heroic virtue. Heroic virtue will not always be understood by others. In fact, in the opinion of worldly wisdom, heroic and holy virtue is foolishness. But we must not allow the opinions of worldly “wisdom” to confuse us, tempt us or distract us from the road of true virtue (See Diary #126).
Are you misunderstood, at times, because you are striving to live a holy life? Do others give you this or that bit of advice which seems to be in contradiction to the voice of God in your own conscience? Reflect upon the road of virtue God is calling you down. The world does not understand the road of virtue, Mercy and forgiveness that we are called to embrace. The world does not understand that we must accept injustice at times in silence and trust. The world does not understand the joy we have when we suffer for the sake of Christ. Keep your eyes on the voice of God as He speaks to you in your conscience and do not let the opinions of others or the world lead you astray.
Lord, help me to walk the road of heroic virtue. At times, this road will leave me misunderstood. And, at times, others will tempt me to turn away from Your divine voice. Help me, at all times, dear Lord, to hear only You and to be obedient only to Your most holy Will. Give me wisdom, strength and courage to always follow Your divine ways of Mercy. Jesus, I trust in You.
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