St. Augustine of Canterbury Parish
Theme:
“After Jesus was baptized,
the Spirit drove him out into the wilderness.
He was in the wilderness forty days,
tempted by Satan;
and he was with the wild beasts;
and the angels waited on him.” (Mark 1:12-13)
What is motivating and moving us to make decisions in our life? What is the driving
force that motivates the things we plan to do? What forces and powers are with us when
we carry out our plans and projects? This first Sunday of Lent 2021, St. Mark invites us
to review the kind of force and spirit that are driving and motivating our actions. St. Mark
invites us to review where the forces and spirit are leading us in life. St. Mark informs us
that the Spirit of God drove Jesus into the wilderness for forty days where he defeated
and vanquished the temptations and tricks of Satan as well as wild beasts:
“After Jesus was baptized,
the Spirit drove him out into the wilderness.
He was in the wilderness forty days,
tempted by Satan;
and he was with the wild beasts;
and the angels waited on him.” (Mark 1:12-13)
First week of Lent 2021 invites us to follow Jesus Christ to defeat and conquer the
temptations of Satan and wild beasts around us. Unlike most of the exodus people in the
wilderness who submitted to the temptations of Satan (see Psalm 95; Exodus 17:7) or
Adam and Eve who succumbed to the temptations of the devil (Genesis 3), Jesus defeated
the trials, the temptations and tricks of Satan. First week of Lent 2021 is the time to
defeat the trials and temptations of Satan so that we might be in the company of Jesus and
his angels.
First week of Lent is an occasion for us to be part of the complete and accomplished time
of God’s grace:
“Now after John was arrested,
Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying,
‘The time is fulfilled,
and the kingdom of God has come near;
repent,
and believe in the good news.’” (Mark 1:14-15)
In order to be part of the productive and accomplished grace of God, we need to allow the
Gospel and the message of God to change the way we see and perceive things in the
world. We need to believe in the good news so that we might defeat the snares and the
trials of the devil. This Lenten 2021, what tricks and temptations of Satan are we willing
to defeat in order to gain victory for God?
Jesus defeated Satan in the battle of temptations in order to bring each one of us to God.
What are we doing in order to maintain the victory of Jesus Christ? How are we
following Jesus to bring someone to God? We need to believe in the good news in order
to proclaim it to those still in spiritual bondage or in the devil’s new forms of prison:
“Christ suffered for sins once for all,
the righteous for the unrighteous,
in order to bring you to God.
He was put to death in the flesh,
but made alive in the spirit,
in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison.” (1 Peter 3.18-19)
First week of Lent is an accomplished and a complete time to be made subject of the
power, victory and authority of Jesus who is at the right hand of God. It is a time to be
part of those saved by the victory of God, even if that means only eight persons are saved
as was the case in the days of Noah:
“In former times these did not obey,
when God waited patiently in the days of Noah,
during the building of the ark,
in which a few, that is, eight persons,
were saved through water.
Baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you—
not as a removal of dirt from the body,
but as an appeal to God for a good 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 made subject to him.” (1 Peter 3:20-22)
First week of Lent is a time for us to be with Jesus now so that later we might be with
him at the right hand of God.
First week of Lent is a time to part of the covenant and the agreement that God is
establishing with humanity so that the waters of Baptism and the works of God might
protect us from any form of destruction:
“God said to Noah and to his sons with him,
‘As for me,
I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you,
and with every living creature that is with you,
the birds, the domestic animals,
and every animal of the earth with you,
as many as came out of the ark.
I establish my covenant with you,
that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood,
and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.’
God said,
‘This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you
and every living creature that is with you,
for all future generations:
I have set my bow in the clouds,
and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.
When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds,
I will remember my covenant
that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh;
and the waters shall never again become a flood
to destroy all flesh.’” (Genesis 9.8-15)
First week of Lent is therefore a time to remember and carry out the covenant and the
great promises of God. Let us win multiple victories for God this Lent 2021. Let us be
part of the great promise of God. Let us be part of the good news that Jesus Christ
proclaimed. Let us ensure that Christ’s suffering for us is not in vain, rather his suffering
might bring about victories to God.