Reflection from Gen 9:
8-15; 1Pt 3: 18-22; Mk 1: 12-15
We
have started our penitential journey called Lent Season. This period proposes a
journey of conversion, preparing us to celebrate the central mysteries of our faith,
renewing our commitment with the new life given by Christ with his resurrection.
Lent season is a great retreat of forty days for many Christians, reminding us
about the period of forty days of Moses on the Mont Sinai to receive the
Commandments; the forty years of the journey of purification of the people of
Israel in desert and the experience of Jesus in the desert also before his
mission. Jesus overcame all temptations because let himself be guided by the
Holy Spirit. Everyone who follows his footsteps, opened to a journey of
conversion is supported by the strength from above in order to perform the
God’s will with success.
The
readings of this first Sunday introduce us in the journey of renewal of our
baptism, showing us the way proposed by God to renew the life in the world. Through
Noah and his family God makes a first covenant with the humanity, renewing all
creation. The proposal here is new creation, which happens when the human being
change his options, performing new relationship with God and all others living
beings. The covenant is sign that God doesn’t want to lose the human beings,
proposing always new opportunity of purification and conversion. In the second
reading, St. Peter speaks about the effect of the Flood for all creation as
symbol of the baptism which purifies, giving human being new life in Christ.
In
the first part of the gospel, Jesus is led to the desert by the strength of the
Spirit. Like this he was very motivated to live this experience focused in the
preparation to the mission entrusted to him by the Father. In the bible, Desert
is always a special place to meet God and it was in that place where the people
of Israel experienced the constant love and care of God. For Jesus it was a meaningful
experience through that he could discern better the plan of God. During this
time, he was also tempted by Satan and conquered all temptations by being
obedient to his Father. He accepted that situation in order to show how to
overcome the trap of the tempter. The temptations to wealth, power and glory
faced by Jesus didn’t distract him from the essential, which was to do God’s
will.
In
the second part of the gospel we have the summary of the beginning of the mission
of Jesus with the announcement of the Kingdom of God and the invitation to
conversion. The presence of Jesus brings the Kingdom of God, inaugurating a new
time, time of the salvation. That is the good news which was expected for all.
In order to believe in the good news announced by Jesus, it is necessary
conversion. The heart is the centre of the decisions and the conversion take
place in the heart; for that true faith in Jesus is possible only if the heart
is transformed.
In
his experience in the desert, Jesus was guided by the Spirit, helped by the
Angels and he was very focused about the plan of God. For that nothing
distracted him from the essential. As followers of Jesus, constantly we are
tempted to give up because it is the plan of the tempter. But the example of
fidelity the Master is invitation to us to let ourselves be guided by the Holy
Spirit, being helped by others and having very clear objectives in our life in
order to discern well in everything. The temptation more common in our
communities is to think that there are people enough to serve or to take
advantage of the some duty in order to dominate and humiliate others. May this
Lent season help us in our journey of conversion, motivating us to stay focused
in the essential - like Jesus in relating to the plan of God - in order to
overcome the temptation to follow other ways.
Fr Ndega
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