First Sunday of Lent
Each year, we keep aside fourty days out of 352, for fasting, abstinence, penance, and prayer. If we really think about it, it seems strange that an entire people would put themselves through artificial hardships. The rest of the year, we try to make life easier. The rest of the year we strive to avoid hardships, inconveniences and pain. And yet, for fourty days, we freely and willfully submit ourselves to the Lenten penances. Why? Why are we putting ourselves through these hardships? Merely because of tradition? Or is it guilt? Is there a deeper meaning to our personal Lenten penances?
Perhaps the contrast between the first reading and the gospel reading can help us reflect more deeply on Lent. The first reading describes the scene of two people in a garden in contrast to the gospel reading which describes the scene of a solitary man in a desert. I would like to focus on the contrast between these two stories to draw out three practical implications for us.
1. Garden Versus Desert. The first man and woman were in a garden. A garden symbolizes life, rejuvenation, rest, relaxation and happiness. In fact, God created human beings and placed them in the garden because God saw how good creation was and wanted them to be happy. Jesus, in contrast, was in a desert. In the Bible, the desert symbolizes numerous spiritual realities. In the book of Exodus, the desert became a place of punishment. But the desert is also a place of solitariness and hope. The desert is where people retreated for intimacy with God. Jesus entered the desert for two reasons. First, Jesus entered the desert to enter the totality of human existence. He must be tempted like the first human beings were and every human person is. Second, he entered the desert to overcome the very cause of human sin and suffering. Whereas the first man and woman surrendered their humanity, Jesus must regain that very humanity for the human race. Practical Implication: Let us remind ourselves that Lenten observances are are meant to remind us the we are on a journey from the garden we came to the garden we are going. Meanwhile, our life on earth, in reality, is our desert. One day, with Jesus, creation will be as good as when God first created it and we will return to the garden and be happy. One day, we will once more be the image in which God created us - without sin and suffering. We enter the fourty days of Lent to remind us our origin and our destiny. Today, let us reflect on our Lenten observances and, like Jesus, connect them with our journey to eternity.
2. Solidarity in the Desert. The first man and woman were in a land of plenty. God had given them every tree bearing fruit and creatures of the sea and land as food. The garden symbolizes fertility and abundance. The only constraint placed on them was to refrain eating of the fruit of one tree. The desert, in contrast, symbolizes barrenness. Jesus entered the desert to experience the hunger of humanity - both body and soul. Jesus fasted in solidarity with each one of us. Jesus’ fasting will ultimately lead us the Eucharistic table which feeds our bodies and our souls. Practical Implication. If our fasting is for its own sake or for us to feel good about ourselves, then we have wasted our efforts. Instead, like Jesus, our fasting must be in solidarity with those who hunger both in body and soul. I would like to draw your attention to our Lenten Almsgiving Project. May I ask you to take a look at the following website http://www.crs.org/media-center/syrian-refugee-crisis-7-things-you-can-do-help, and in solidarity with the people who need our generosity, make them part of our Eucharistic table?
3. Self Versus God. The third contrast between the first reading and the gospel reading is the self versus God. The first man and woman put themselves and their need before God, their Creator’s will for them. Even though they were happy and in a land of plenty, they could not transcend themselves. In contrast, in the desert, Jesus transcends himself in all the three temptations. By refusing to change stones into bread, by refusing to put God to the test, and by refusing the glamor of power, fame, and glory, Jesus submitted his will totally and unconditionally to God. Jesus did this again in the Garden of Gethsemane and then on the cross. However, the crucial thing is that Jesus was able to submit himself to God at the end of his life because he also did it in the daily events of his life. His daily life prepared him for the ultimate sacrifice. Practical Implication. Lent and the Lenten observances are meant to make us better people. The idea of “giving up” things only to get back to them with vengeance after Easter is superfluous. Like Jesus, our fourty days with Jesus in the desert is meant to reclaim the image in which God created us. Lent is meant to create a habit of solidarity with the poor. Lent is meant to help us transcend ourselves to genuine love of God and neighbor. Lent is meant to make us holy the for rest of the year, indeed, for the rest of our lives.
May this Eucharist be our constant refuge as we traverse through the desert. But let us also remember that we do this not alone, but in solidarity with one another, especially the poor. Amen.
- Fr. Satish Joseph