Homily for 1st Sunday of Lent - Cycle B - Set your sights on the Kingdom of God

Have you ever longed to be somewhere else to take you away from your cares and troubles?  I bet today is one of those days with the cold and snowy weather we’re having. The rainbow in today’s first reading reminded me of favorite childhood movie where someone longed to be taken away from her cares at the end of the rainbow:  The Wizard of Oz. Dorothy longed to be in a perfect land beyond the horizon.  She got her wish and wound up in munchkin land and then journeyed to Oz. We may yearn to

escape from our troubles, but we don’t need to search over the rainbow to find it. In today’s first reading God makes a covenant with Noah to never again destroy all the men and creatures of the earth through a flood. God’s reminder of this covenant is the rainbow. It’s fulfilled through Jesus who brings about the Kingdom of God. 

Today’s Gospel is brief, but has a powerful message.  In the first part we hear about Jesus overcoming the temptation by Satan in the desert.  There aren’t a lot of details about this encounter, but it gives us great hope.  We’re told that, “The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert”.  Just prior to this John had just baptized Jesus, and the Holy Spirit had descended upon him.  Jesus’ immediate action after baptism is to battle Satan and the wild beasts in the desert.  Jesus resists the temptations of Satan with the help of Holy Spirit and angels.  His victory over the temptations reverses the consequences of Adam and Eve’s sin. Jesus wasn’t in need of baptism, he’s without sin, but by being baptized and tested in the desert, he unites himself with our struggles to overcome sin.   His obedience in following God’s will triumphs over Satan, and is also triumph for us.   This is Good News!

In the second part Jesus proclaims:  “Now is the time of fulfillment.  The Kingdom of God is at hand.” The Kingdom of God is a prominent theme of Jesus’ ministry.  In proclaiming the Kingdom He’s announces that God’s reign has come through himself.   The people of Israel had longed for God’s reign to come in a Messiah who would overcome the political powers to restore a rightful ruler to Israel. But Jesus was not the mighty ruler they were expecting.  He is a humble servant, who not only came for the people of Israel, but for everyone.

Jesus continues John’s ministry of calling to repentance and baptism, but adds a new dimension.  Jesus proclaims to “Repent AND believe in the Gospel.”  Another word for Gospel is good news. What is the good news: Jesus miraculous healings and forgiveness of sins to bring about the Kingdom of God. Also, the salvation made possible for us through his obedience in suffering and sacrifice. This indeed is good news!

Lent can be a challenging time.  It’s a time that we deny ourselves through daily sacrifice.  We’re giving up things that we like and committing our time in prayer or serving others. It’s a time set apart by the Church to repent through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.  While these practices are a challenge, they’re meant to lead us to where we should really want be: the Kingdom of God celebrating the Easter Joy of the Risen Lord.   If we keep this destination in mind and unite our sufferings with Jesus it can make the time of Lent a time of joyful anticipation. 

We don’t need to go it alone during Lent. Through our baptism we can rely on the Holy Spirit to bring about the virtues to help us in our journey.   We can call on our guardian angel to help fight the temptations the devil puts in our way.   We also have our families and faith community who can support us.  But even with this help we may fail in keeping our Lenten observances and yield to our temptations.   These failures may not be all that bad, as they help us to realize we need a savior.  When we struggle with our temptations please that remember Jesus faced the same challenges and is united with us in our struggles.  He understands what we’re going through and has compassion for us.  If we fail in our Lenten disciplines or fall into sin don’t give up.  Ask Jesus for help and start over.  If you need to go to confession there are plenty of times to receive Jesus’ forgiveness through the sacrament of reconciliation.

If you haven’t chosen a Lenten discipline yet or are struggling in keeping yours, I’d like to offer three for consideration.   The first is to slowly pray the Our Father daily. Meditate on how you’re living out this prayer in your daily life.   Really focus is on, “thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”.  Think about how you are bringing about the Kingdom of God to those close to you and also to those most in need.  A second suggestion is to read Mark’s Gospel from start to finish.  This is the shortest Gospel and is being read throughout the Church year. One of the best ways to come to know the good news of Jesus is to read the story about him.   If you finish before the end of Lent is over, read it again.  Finally, plan on coming to Mass twenty minutes early to participate in the Stations of the Cross devotions. These practices will help you “Repent and believe in the Gospel.”

Instead of longing to be somewhere over the rainbow during Lent set your sights on the Kingdom of God, recalling the covenant of God’s love.  Through God’s love the waters of baptism bring us new life in Christ.  Through baptism the grace of the Holy Spirit provides strength to live a virtuous life and resist temptations to sin.  It also helps to make the Kingdom of God present to those around us through our acts of service to others.   As we prepare to receive the Eucharist let us all thank God for the Holy Spirit and His angels who help us on our Lenten journey.