Giving Up Candy or Going To War?
1st Sunday of Lent
Cycle B/2021
Genesis 9:8-15; Psalms 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9; First Peter 3:18-22; Mark 1:12-15
We have now entered into the season of Lent. I suspect that Catholics have a very wide understanding and practice of this holy season. THE way that each of us should be prepared for and journey through the season of Lent is not based on me or you but on the Sacred Scripture – on the life of Jesus himself.
So, let us journey with Jesus through the season of Lent that we began last Wednesday. It is in the Scripture that we will find what Lent is all about – (the way I put it is, is it just about) – giving up candy or going to war!
The Gospel of the day teaches us that after his baptism the Holy Spirit drove Jesus into the desert for a total of forty day where he would be tempted by Satan. In this very dense description we uncover what Lent is all about. It is linked with our baptism that calls us to mission; our baptism is a call from God to “go forth” and tell the story of what Jesus has done and what specifically he has done for me and you.
In these two verses from today’s Gospel, we hear what Jesus did: Jesus was baptized. Why? So that you and I could be baptized. Why? So that you and I could be saved by God’s gift of grace, by his power. We were lost and incapable to finding our way back to God. God had to become one of us and show us how to get back home to the Father. This means being in relationship with God and able to go to heaven. This – in a nutshell – is why Jesus is baptized.
Where though does the power of baptism come from? The power of this sacrament will come from the cross — the cross upon which Jesus will die and offer himself on our behalf to the Father so that we can be saved and go to heaven.
Before Jesus goes to the cross though he will show us how – even after baptism – we will need to not only open ourselves to his power by baptism but also follow his teaching and example as he will allow himself to be tempted by Satan. Jesus shows us that Satan can be defeated – this powerful angel that many people even deny exists does exist and could crush us if Jesus did not do what he is here to do … die on the cross and make the sacraments available to us so that we can defeat our enemy and go to heaven.
So, St Mark includes the interesting details that are very important. He says that: “…and he was with the wild beasts; and the Angels waited on him.” Why does St Mark include this detail other than the fact that it is true?
St Mark is teaching us – as we begin this season of Lent – that Jesus is going to defeat Satan unlike Adam, the father of the human race, who failed when he was tempted. There was a Rabbinic tradition that Adam was fed by the Angels and he was also at one with the wild beasts. This is what is referred to as a preternatural gift. This was lost with the original sin. Jesus is the new Adam who is here to begin a new people of God.
Jesus is here not just as a teacher and preacher (though he is both of these) but Jesus is here as the new Adam to battle Satan and overcome all of Satan’s temptations. In other words, Jesus is here for war! Jesus is here to defeat our foe, the one who wants to destroy us, make us miserable in this life, tear us apart from God and each other and finally damn us for all eternity.
Lent is the way that we learn not only from Jesus’s preaching and teaching, but we learn how to defeat temptation by Jesus’s power – his grace – made available to us in the sacraments.
To learn from Jesus, we need to hear him teaching about fasting, prayer and almsgiving. These are the three ways that we open ourselves to his power and defeat our enemies – the devil, the flesh, and the world. That you and I do penance should not be in question.
If you question your need to do penance, then you ignore God who said “unless you do penance you will perish” (which means go to hell).
It is not just a little important, it is extremely important but for reasons of love not a “fear of terror.” We can be so into ourselves that we need a good kick in the behinds, something to wake us out of the stupor or the daze we are in.
We succumb to bad habits, mediocrity, we begin to make excuses for not doing penance – for not praying, for not giving alms to the needy, for not fasting. Ask yourself this question: when was the last time I want to confession? And if you hear yourself saying “I don’t have any mortal sins” (this is good!) but you need to do some serious reflection on the life of grace, the damage venial sins can and do cause, the damage that our own undealt with character faults can cause.
Look at Jesus in the desert – forty days and forty nights. He does not need to do this for himself. He is doing this for you and for me. He is winning for us the gift of Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation and Penance and the other sacraments. Jesus is showing us how to defeat temptation and the devil. It is not so much in giving up candy (although that can have a beneficial effect if done properly/for the right reasons) but by engaging in war with the enemy. Our weapons are not bought in a store but are rather: prayer, fast and almsgiving.
I will conclude with this great teaching of St Leo the Great: In prayer faith remains steadfast. In fastings life remains innocent. In almsgiving the mind remains kind.
Learn from Jesus, get your program of penance now, today, and include confession in that plan. How important is getting this going “today” – consider if St Joseph put off leaving for Egypt until the next morning or another day – if Jesus wouldn’t have been murdered by Herod’s soldiers! But he didn’t wait – he got up and left. So do not put this off – today, now is the time. God bless you!
How To Keep Going?
We here in British Columbia have just heard that our “lock down” has been extended to February 5th. This is a cause of everything from discouragement to despondency, perhaps even depression and anger for some … perhaps many. Others could be dealing with this fairly well.
This post will try to lay out some key and I hope simple ideas to help and assist you in getting through this and coming out the other end of the Pandemic and lockdowns with a positive outlook.
For that matter – what I am going to write here is something I hope will help you no matter what circumstance you find yourself in. My approach or plan applies to pre-COVID-19, in-COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 times. Here I go:
The overall key is that we human beings need routine. What is important is that it is not mindless routine. In other words we think about it and review it from time to time.
Within our routine we need structure and discipline. I specify this because our routine can be messy and very unproductive. Our bad routine could very well be 3 or 4 hours in front of the TV or computer screen.
I will be general at first and then perhaps with the next blog or blogs get more specific. We need what I would call a “Plan of Life” or “Regiment” or “My Plan for the Day.” Call it what you will but I hope you get my point.
The plan of life should give us a framework from the time we get up till the time we go to bed. It is not meant to “box us in” or confine us. These points that make up our plan and can help us through all times.
I will lay out here some points. You may not agree with all of them; you may not want to do all of them. No problem. My only suggestion is that you make your own Plan and strive to follow it — diligently, faithfully.
Find a regular time to go to bed and then to get up. The average person needs 6 to 8 hours of sleep. If you cheat on this, you are going to pay for it and others around you will pay (negatively) as well. Don’t mess with your body and soul in this way.
When you get up make a morning offering. I will devote more to these points in later blogs but essentially it is a prayer to begin the day with God. Thank him for the fact that you are alive and ask him to help you offer your entire day to his honor and glory.
Other points sprinkled throughout the day include prayer (meditation) for 15 minutes. Yes, you can do it.
Read the New Testament 3 minutes a day. Start at Matthew and just continue. That is 18.5 hours a year.
Pray the Angelus at Noon.
Think of Jesus in the Tabernacle at 3pm: Jesus, thank you for being there. I love you!
Try – if you can – to pray the Rosary (even one decade to get the devotion started).
Begin a plan of spiritual reading. This has made saints so why not you! 10 minutes a day. This will feed your mind, nourish your soul inflame your heart. I can recommend books to people.
Try to spend time with family or even zoom with friends (Google Meets) rather than watching too much TV or the computer.
Bedtime – really strive to be regular! Before getting into the bed try these three simple things:
a) blessing yourself with holy water;
b) 3 Hail Mary’s for holy purity;
c) brief examination of conscience. I will expand on this later but essentially it revolves around these question: i) what did I do wrong; ii) what did I do write; iii) what specific thing – 1 thing – can I do to improve tomorrow.
I hope that this is not overwhelming. You don’t have to do all of it but to focus on the overall idea: you and I need a healthy routine that is structured.
Remember – God loves you!
Fr Hamilton
Corpus Christi Pastor's Blog 