Led by the Spirit into the desert

First Sunday of Lent Year C

Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert 2 for forty days, where he was tempted by the devil. 

Collect 

Grant, almighty God, through the yearly observances of holy Lent, that we may grow in understanding of the riches hidden in Christ and by worthy conduct pursue their effects. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. 

Dt 26:4-10

The confession of faith of the chosen people.

A reading from the Book of Deuteronomy

Moses spoke to the people, saying:
“The priest shall receive the basket from you
   and shall set it in front of the altar of the LORD, your God.
Then you shall declare before the Lord, your God,
   ‘My father was a wandering Aramean
   who went down to Egypt with a small household
   and lived there as an alien.
But there he became a nation
   great, strong, and numerous.
When the Egyptians maltreated and oppressed us,
   imposing hard labor upon us,
   we cried to the LORD, the God of our fathers,
   and he heard our cry
   and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression.
He brought us out of Egypt
   with his strong hand and outstretched arm,
   with terrifying power, with signs and wonders;
   and bringing us into this country,
   he gave us this land flowing with milk and honey.
Therefore, I have now brought you the firstfruits
   of the products of the soil
   which you, O LORD, have given me.’
And having set them before the Lord, your God,
   you shall bow down in his presence.”

The word of the Lord.

Ps 91:1-2, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15

R. :

℟. (cf. 15b) Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.

You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High,
   who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,
say to the LORD, “My refuge and fortress,
   my God in whom I trust.”

℟. Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.

No evil shall befall you,
   nor shall affliction come near your tent,
for to his angels he has given command about you,
   that they guard you in all your ways.

℟. Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.

Upon their hands they shall bear you up,
   lest you dash your foot against a stone.
You shall tread upon the asp and the viper;
   you shall trample down the lion and the dragon.

℟. Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.

Because he clings to me, I will deliver him;
   I will set him on high because he acknowledges my name.
He shall call upon me, and I will answer him;
   I will be with him in distress;
I will deliver him and glorify him.

℟. Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.

Rom 10:8-13

The confession of faith of all believers in Christ.

A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans

Brothers and sisters:
What does Scripture say?
   The word is near you,
    in your mouth and in your heart
   —that is, the word of faith that we preach—,
   for, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord
   and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,
   you will be saved.
For one believes with the heart and so is justified,
   and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.
For the Scripture says,
   No one who believes in him will be put to shame.
For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek;
   the same Lord is Lord of all,
   enriching all who call upon him.
For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

The word of the Lord.

Acclamation before the Gospel
Mt 4:4b

℟. Alleluia, alleluia.

One does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.


℟. Alleluia, alleluia.

Lk 4:1-13

Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert and was tempted.

✠ A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke

Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan
   and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days,
   to be tempted by the devil.
He ate nothing during those days,
   and when they were over he was hungry.
The devil said to him,
   “If you are the Son of God,
   command this stone to become bread.”
Jesus answered him,
   “It is written, One does not live on bread alone.”
Then he took him up and showed him
   all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant.
The devil said to him,
   “I shall give to you all this power and glory;
   for it has been handed over to me,
   and I may give it to whomever I wish.
All this will be yours, if you worship me.”
Jesus said to him in reply,
   “It is written:
   You shall worship the Lord, your God,
      and him alone shall you serve.”
Then he led him to Jerusalem,
   made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him,
   “If you are the Son of God,
   throw yourself down from here, for it is written:
      He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,
   and:
      With their hands they will support you,
      lest you dash your foot against a stone.”
Jesus said to him in reply,
   “It also says,
   You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.”
When the devil had finished every temptation,
   he departed from him for a time.

At the end of the Gospel, the Deacon, or the Priest, acclaims:

The Gospel of the Lord.

All reply:

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Reflection for the First Sunday of Lent 

At the beginning of Lent, we are always led to a very specific place: the desert. It is a place that is characterised by the extremes of heat and cold, which make it unfit for human habitation. It is a place where one can hear one’s own echo. In Scripture, the desert is a place where one enters, encounters, and learns about oneself, maturing in one’s identity. Recognising and hearing the voice of God, who calls them, transforms them, and sends them on a special and specific mission. This happened to Abraham, Moses, and Elijah. It also happened to the Jewish people after they had left the land of Egypt and crossed the Red Sea. Throughout the Bible, the desert is a place where people experience great crises that lead them to their calling, mission, identity, and to a new life.

If you do not enter the desert because you have answered God’s call, life still compels you to, because crises and difficult times, that cause heartache on every level, are an integral part of the human condition. The difference between allowing life to lead you to the desert and entering the desert of your own free will because you have answered God’s call is that one knocks the wind out of you and could lead you to despair, while the other builds you up, and sheds light upon you and draws you nearer to your true identity. It also strengthens you to wrestle with the evil within you, whether it comes from the devil or from our own weak human nature.

This internal journey in the desert of our lives brings us face to face with our inner monsters. These monsters are thirsty for power and fame, for total and instantaneous gratification, as well as for the accumulation of material wealth. These are temptations that, when one succumbs to them, denies our identity as children of God, which each Christian receives at their Baptism. In fact, after each temptation Jesus experienced in the desert there was an attempt by Satan to make Him deny that He is the Son of God. With this renunciation a preference is made to depend upon oneself and one’s efforts, instead of upon God and his boundless providence. Therefore, Jesus prays and fasts in the desert to demonstrate that His dependency upon His Father can satisfy the profound hunger within Him, allowing Him to relate with every person without any personal interest, not motivated by the thirst for power, fame and passing pleasures. 

It would be beneficial to stop for a while and maybe delve a little into our interior desert while asking: Which is the spirit within us that troubles us and tries to make us forget who we are, and what is our real vocation? How strong is the hunger for power and the search for instant gratification within us, and how often do they overcome us in different circumstances? How often do we depend upon ourselves rather than depend upon the Lord in the challenges of daily life? How often do we create a space within ourselves and around us to speak with the Lord (a moment of prayer), begging Him for the power of the Holy Spirit to give us wisdom and strength in important decisions? How often do we endeavour to learn the truth, which is within ourselves in the light of God, even if it stirs up discomfort or causes some pain? 

Prayer: 

Father, send upon us your Holy Spirit so that we can embark on an interior journey that leads us to encounter ourselves and our weaknesses, and to have the courage to better ourselves, becoming purified from our attraction to power, fame, and material wealth. We also ask you to help us base our lives on priorities that reflect your will for us. Amen. 

 

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