First Sunday of Lent February 18, 2024
Genesis 9:8-15; 1 Peter 3:18-22; Mark 1:12-15
Embracing the Journey of Lent: A Time of Reflection,
Renewal, and Transformation
A mother camel and her baby are talking one day and the baby
camel asks, “Mom why have we got these huge three-toed feet?” The mother
replies, “To enable us trek across the soft sand of the desert without
sinking.” “And why have we got these long, heavy eyelashes?” “To keep the sand
out of our eyes on the trips through the desert” replies the mother camel. “And
Mom, why have we got these big humps on our backs?” The mother, now a little
impatient with the boy replies, “They are there to help us store fat for our
long treks across the desert, so we can go without water for long periods.”
“OK, I get it!” says the baby camel, “We have huge feet to stop us sinking,
long eyelashes to keep the sand from our eyes and humps to store water. Then,
Mom, why the heck are we here in the Toronto Zoo?” Modern life sometimes makes
one feel like a camel in a zoo. And like camels in a zoo we need sometimes to
go into the desert in order to discover who we truly are. Lent invites us to
enter into this kind of desert experience.
The desert is the place where people felt close to God and
away from the distractions of the world. It is in the desert that the people of
Israel received God’s Law. It is in the
desert God made his covenant with his people.
It is there in the desert that God took care of Israel giving them food
and water. It seems necessary then that those whom God calls including God’s
own Son must be purified by spending their time in the desert. The forty days symbolize the temptation of
Israel in the wilderness for forty years, Moses’s experience in the desert, and
Elijah’s flight.
During that time in the desert Jesus was tested by the Evil
One. Mark does not tell us how he was tested but Matthew and Luke do. These
tests are really examples of the kind of tests that Jesus was to face in the
course of his public life, even on Calvary. Its purpose is to help us to
understand the conflicts that were in Jesus' own life, and which will also be
found in ours too. Matthew and Luke tell us that the tempter asked Jesus to
change stones to bread and satisfy his hunger after his long fast in the
desert, asked him to jump down the pinnacle of the Temple to make a spectacular
entry as Messiah, and called him to worship him and in return he would possess
everything in the universe. They were
the temptations to be unfaithful to God’s call.
Faced with such challenges, each time Jesus said a firm 'Yes' to his
Father.
During Lent, we are invited to enter into the desert of our
hearts, to confront our sins, our shortcomings, and our need for conversion.
Like Jesus, we are called to fast, to pray, and to repent—to turn away from sin
and to turn towards God. Lent is a time of self-examination, a time of
stripping away all that distracts us from God, so that we can focus on what
truly matters.
But Lent is not just about giving up things; it is also about taking on new practices that draw us closer to God. Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are the traditional disciplines of Lent, and they are powerful means of grace that can help us to grow in holiness. Through prayer, we open our hearts to God's presence and allow Him to speak to us. Through fasting, we discipline our bodies and our desires, learning to rely more fully on God for our sustenance. And through almsgiving, we reach out to those in need, sharing God's love and mercy with others.
As we journey through Lent, let us keep our eyes fixed on
Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. He is our model and our guide,
showing us the way to the Father. Let us follow him with trust and with
confidence, knowing that he walks with us every step of the way.
But let us also remember that Lent is not just a time for
personal piety; it is also a time for communal renewal. As members of the body
of Christ, we are called to support one another on our journey of faith, to
encourage one another in our struggles, and to bear one another's burdens. Let
us reach out to those who are struggling, offering them a word of encouragement,
a listening ear, or a helping hand. Let us be a source of light and hope in a
world that is often dark and despairing.
May this Lenten journey be a time of grace and blessing for
each one of us. It is a time to realize that we are meant to be in a zoo. We
are blessed with a heart to love others, legs to walk across the road and find a needy and hands to
serve others. And may we emerge from this
Lent with renewed faith, refreshed in
spirit, and ready to proclaim the good news of salvation in our context.
Happy Sunday
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