First Sunday of Lent

✠ | CLICK TO VIEW TODAY'S READINGS

Jesus clearly promised that we would be able to accomplish great things with ease if only we have faith.  Why?  Because it is not we, but God himself who performs the actions.

- Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan (1928-2002)

The readings for the first Sunday of Lent remind us of the covenant that God has established with humanity from the beginning of time.  In the Hebrew Scriptures, we hear of the unique covenants that God makes with Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David.  While we may liken the idea of covenant to that of a contract between equals, when it comes to God’s covenant with humanity He always has the upper hand.  Lent is a time for us to reenergize our faith in this covenant, but how exactly can we do that?  Rather than placing the burden solely upon ourselves with acts of personal sacrifice, perhaps we could shift the emphasis on accepting God’s acts of personal sacrifice for us.

Faith in God is only possible because of His faithfulness to us.  The covenants in the Bible reveal that our lives have meaning and purpose and that the same God who gave us life in the first place will continue to sustain us and provide us with everything we need when we need it.  The great “sin” of humanity is thinking that we are independent contractors who need to convince ourselves—and God—as to what we need and when we need it.  Even the temptation of Jesus in the Gospel reveals that Jesus needed to lean into the faithfulness of His Father who sent angels to minister to him in His moment of need (Mark 1:13).  The mission of Jesus culminates in the resurrection which is the ultimate sign of God’s faithfulness to Him—and to us.

Perhaps this Lent we could make it a point to daily mediate upon the faithfulness of God towards us—especially when we find ourselves in a difficult place.  We can think back on a challenging moment in our life and reflect how we were given everything we needed in that moment to get us through.  In short, the struggles of our past are often what strengthen our faith in God.  For those times when we refused to see God’s hand in our personal passions we ask for His forgiveness, but more importantly we ask for the grace to once again embrace the covenant of love that He first made with us at our baptism.  May we pray, “Jesus, I know that you love me, help me to see your love for me with your eyes!”

Fr. John Gribowich

Administrator

St. Augustine - St. Francis Xavier Park Slope