FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT, March 9, 2025
(Deuteronomy 26:4-10; Romans 10:8-13; Luke 4:1-13)
We began Lent last Wednesday with the reception of ashes,
fasting, and abstaining from meat. But it seems to me that this week we begin
it in earnest. Lent is more than a one-day performance to put us into the
spirit of humility but an extended time to achieve it. The season proposes that
we become more willing to love God with our whole heart.
The readings of each Mass during Lent usually focus on one
aspect of the paschal mystery. Today they emphasize trust in God. Let's deal
with the first reading quickly and give more attention to the gospel. There we will observe not only Jesus' success
over the distorted desires of the human heart but also his solidarity with
humanity. Finally, we will see how the reading from the Letter to the Romans signals
the accessibility of salvation to the entire world.
The first reading from the Book of Deuteronomy gives the
striking phrase: “My father was a wandering Aramean…” It refers to Jacob, son
of Isaac and grandson of Abraham, who left his homeland to seek refuge in
Egypt. Without land to protect them from both hunger and enemies, Jacob’s descendants
lived in precarious conditions for centuries. However, God blessed them so that
they grew into a great nation. In time, God freed them from Pharaoh’s tyranny
and established them in the land of Canaan.
As great as freedom and land are, God eventually gave Israel
nation a far greater gift. He sent his only begotten Son to fulfill the
nation’s destiny to be a “light to the nations,” the source of salvation for
the world. In the gospel, Jesus arrives in the desert “filled with the Holy
Spirit,” which he received through his baptism in the Jordan River. It was a gratuitous
act of solidarity with humans since having never sinned, Jesus did not need
baptism.
Again, like other human beings Jesus suffers temptations
engineered by the devil. In preparation for his ministry, Jesus faces the great
desires of the human heart. First, he must overcome sensual longings
represented by the temptation to break his forty-day fast. Second, he must
subdue the ambition for power and glory in the devil's offer of lordship over
the kingdoms of the world. Finally, Jesus must master the human will to
manipulate God for its own benefit. At each turn he dismisses temptation with a
phrase from Scripture. Jesus proves himself consistent with his teaching
throughout the gospel that humans are on earth to serve the Lord God, not to be
served.
Jesus' solidarity with humans here at the beginning of the
gospel will continue to its end. On the cross he will show its depth when he
suffers death as the sacrifice of the sinless for sinners. Only such
self-giving can redeem humans from their offenses of doing their own will
rather than God's. Having left behind all
earthly ambition, Jesús can truly say, “Father, into your hands I entrust my
spirit.”
In the second reading, St. Paul assures us that being
included among those redeemed by Jesus Christ is not reserved for a few. We have
only to submit ourselves to Christ with an act of faith. We ask, “What about
those who have never had the opportunity to know Christ?” Vatican II teaches
that all who seek God’s will with a sincere heart will not be abandoned. God
will not allow non-Christians who do His will to be lost. But they, like us, must
humble themselves before Him.
