Dear my sisters and brothers,
Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ!
The First Sunday of Lent presents us with a promise, a sign of that promise, and it’s fulfillment. Speaking to Noah about a new covenant, God promises no more destruction by flood. A sign of this covenant, God adds, is the rainbow, and the sign simply states that water shall no longer be a sign of destruction. Saint Peter’s letter in the second reading takes up what the waters point to positively. Instead of destruction as in the flood, the waters shall connote salvation. The Gospel presents fulfillment, very literally. Jesus Christ Himself declares openly: “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God has come near; Repent, and Believe in the Good News.”
Saint Mark the evangelist tells us that “Jesus was with the wild beasts,” and that Jesus was “tempted by Satan” all through those forty days of fasting, prayer, and repentance. In the face of conflict, in the midst of wild beasts, Jesus showed in His person and behavior the faithfulness of God. Steadfast in His resolve, Jesus did not just act like a rainbow that stood for the covenant between God and humanity and nature. He fulfilled in His person the demands of the New Covenant promised to Noah.
Thus, this Lenten season is a perfect opportunity for us to become the bow that binds all the conflicting elements surrounding us into oneness. By our own fasting, penance, and prayerfulness, in imitation of Jesus meek and humble of heart, we pacify not only the external wild beasts that roam around us, but also – and, more importantly – the interior wild beasts in our hearts that stand at the root of our sinfulness.
Have a Blessed Lent!
God Loves You!
~ Fr. Neil