Reflection for February 18, 2024

​First Sunday of Lent (B)

Genesis 9:8-15 | Psalm 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9 | 1 Peter 3:18-22 | Mark 1:12-15

​The readings for the First Sunday of Lent get us thinking of the story of God's covenantal relationship with us. He is going to shape you through trials and fulfill his promises about your future. 

​What is the difference between a contract and a covenant? Contracts are broken when one of the parties fails to keep his promise. If Dennis fails to keep an appointment with Dr. Jillian Lee, his dentist, Dr. Lee is not in any way compelled to call Dennis to inquire, "Where were you? Why didn't you show up for your appointment?" She simply goes on to her next patient and has her secretary take note of the patient who failed to keep the appointment. Certainly, Dennis may find it harder the next time to book Dr. Jillian Lee. In Isaiah 49:15 we read, "Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne? Never! But even if that were possible, I would not forget you!" This passage indicates that a covenant is more like the ties of a parent to her child than it is a doctor's appointment. If Carla fails to show up for family dinner, the parent's obligation, unlike the dentist's, isn't canceled. Aling Milagros, Carla's mom attempts to find out where she is and makes sure she's cared for. Carla's failure does not completely destroy the relationship. A covenant puts no conditions on faithfulness. It is the unconditional commitment to love and serve. While the contract says "what’s in it for me?" a covenant says "what can I give or sacrifice for the sake of the other?" Hence, our Lord did not establish a contract with Israel or with the Church. Instead, He created a covenant.

Everyone knows the back story to the First reading. God recognized Noah as the only righteous man left in a world filled with wickedness. Then Noah and his family took two of every animal and floated alone on an ark for 371 days while everyone else perished. The disobedient and rebellious were drowned. But trusting in God, all eight people make it through. Our passage today is the conclusion of the Noah story. The event takes place after the flood waters have receded. After Noah and his family and all the animals leave the ark, Noah builds an altar and worships with his family. God puts a rainbow in the sky and blesses them. He promises never again to destroy all the earth with a flood. God instructs Noah to regard the rainbow as a sign, not of His contract, but of His covenant with them.

Madam Luring made an attempt to gain insights into the future of a frog using Tarot cards. "You are going to meet a beautiful young woman. From the moment she sets eyes on you, she will have an insatiable desire to know all about you. She will be compelled to get close to you — you'll fascinate her," says Madam Luring. The frog said, "Really? That's exciting! Where am I? At the bar, in the park or in the gym?" The fortune-teller answered, "You are being dissected by this beautiful young lady in a Biology class". 
In his letter today, Peter sees the events of the flood as a sign of what was to come. Just as Noah’s ark saved him and his family from the flood, the Church will be a place of refuge, safety, and salvation. It is a life boat — a shelter from the storm. Just as water destroys all the wickedness in the world, so baptism destroys the evil in the lives of those who are washed clean in the water. And just as God established a covenant sign of new life after the deluge, so God has given the sign of new life in the resurrection of Jesus.

Diamonds are formed under great pressure and heat. If these conditions do not exist, they are simply not formed. It is not that they will be low quality, or smaller in size, but they will not form. God brings His refining fire into our lives to create in us what He sees fit. When He sees our lack of character, He will bring into our lives what we need. So next time a fiery trial comes, thank God. He is producing exactly what He knows you need in your life. The only difference between a diamond and a piece of coal is pressure.
The story of the temptation of Jesus is told on the First Sunday of Lent every year. Compared to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, the details throughout Mark’s narrative are sparse. Mark’s account of this event is remarkably brief — just two verses. No sooner had the Spirit descended on Jesus as he emerged from the baptismal waters than that same Spirit "immediately drove him out into the wilderness" where he experienced temptation. No time to bask in the glow of being proclaimed the beloved Son. Just as Jesus, after Baptism, was driven by the Spirit to the desert and was tempted by the devil for forty days, so too, after our Baptism, did we face a fallen world  — full of trials and tests, temptations and difficulties. The good news, however, is that Jesus has emerged victorious. And if he did, we shall likewise do, by his grace. Jesus spent 40 days fasting in the desert and returned ready to spread his message. Forty throughout the Bible is symbolic of trials and testings. Rain poured for forty days and forty nights to submerge the earth underwater during Noah's time; Moses spends forty days and forty nights on Mount Sinai; Israel wanders for forty years in the wilderness; King David reigns for forty years; further, the prophet Elijah sojourned through the desert for forty days en route to Horeb, the mountain of God. Forty is a period of trials and a time of testing. It should be no surprise that the Church chooses the number forty for this season of Lent. This is what the 40 days of Lent are for us, too — a test, a trial. Lent is an opportunity to follow the path of Jesus into the desert. In the desert, we can find the quiet of prayer and spiritual renewal. But in the desert, we will also find temptation. The spiritual disciplines of Lent — fasting, prayer, and almsgiving — are difficult for us. This Lent challenges us to declare war with sin. This is the work of Lent. It will take more than the 40 days allotted on the church calendar for changes to take root, become real, and permanent. But let’s make a good beginning together this Lenten season. 

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