1st Sunday of Lent
Genesis 9:8-15
1 Peter 3:18-22
Mark 1:12-15

February 18, 2024

A. Text/Context

• In the 1^st part of the gospel Mark has narrated that the Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert where he remained there for forty days and where he was tempted by Satan
• So it was the Spirit who brought Jesus into the desert and this is some kind of a mystery because this is the same Spirit in the form of a dove who descended upon Jesus during his baptism where the Spirit proclaims this is my beloved son
• Now it is an irony and a mystery that the same spirit proclaims love for somebody at one time and pushes somebody to be tempted at another time
• In the 2^nd part of the gospel after the arrest of John Jesus came to Galilee saying Repent and believe in the gospel
• And Jesus said: this is the time of fulfillment
• There is a relationship between John and Jesus: 1^st they are cousins, 2^nd after John prepared the way of the Lord, Jesus came to Galilee after the arrest of John
• John makes an exit and Jesus made an entry in the ministry. It means that Jesus is the fulfillment of what John has started

B. Human Situation

• If Jesus who is already the son of God is brought to the desert by the Holy Spirit, God can do the same thing for all of us
• We ask the question why? Because we need to be tested of our faith, we need to be purified
• And what is there in the desert? It is a very dangerous place. There are many wild animals ready to devour you anytime
• The Jews are scared to go to the desert because it is inhabited by demons, the dwelling place of all kinds of evil
• The desert is a place of horror and that is where Jesus is now and to complicate matters, aside from the risky environment he was also tempted at the same time
• If Jesus could have so little faith he would have surrendered even before temptation has begun. But Jesus is strong and withstood all the trials
• And when God has strengthened him Jesus came to Galilee and he started the ministry preaching to the people the KOG. The kingdom of God is at hand repent and believe in the gospel

• In our lives as Christians, problems, trials are always there. And sometimes due to the intensity of the problems we feel so alone as we carry the heavy burdens daily
• We become so overcome with our problems we do not want to socialize anymore and it is not helping us and the manner that we treat the problem makes our lives worse and unbearable
• For example there are couples who do not have children. And it is a big problem for them not to be blessed with children
• But there are also couples who have children but they do not care for their children and even abandoned them
• If childless couples have already tried their best to have children consulting doctors to no avail, then it is the right time to accept the fact of the reality living without children
• They will then grow old and gray but they will be happy living even without a child
• If engaged couples would break the norms of sexual purity and they now bear the responsibility of pregnancy and birth, then, it is a right decision to accept the responsibility of their action
• And we must remember this, we can never force a man or a woman to marry his or her partner. The Church will never perform the wedding rites if there is no love in a relationship
• Unless, if during the marriage interview you will lie to the Church
• But it is sinful to deny our responsibility to our own children
• You see we can really escape the problems, the responsibilities, we can even escape the legal entrapments of the law but it is sinful because of what we have done and in what we have failed to do which we recited earlier, the sin of omission
• You must have escaped responsibility but the problem you left behind is now getting worse. Others are now committing sin because of what we did
• Even if you have escaped the responsibility you are now in a far-away land you have hidden your dark secret
• That person, at the moment that he or she is alone he or she would be crying. Why? Because there is the guilt of conscience that haunts even in our deathbed
• I especially focus family relations because we are celebrating National Migrants Sunday the tide of influx of Filipinos going overseas has created a lot of problems and strains on family relationships

C. Challenge

• The challenge for us today is to repent and believe in the gospel
• We must humble ourselves to accept the wrongdoings that we did. We will really commit errors in decision even if how much we plan and care to run our lives
• If these trials would come to our lives, we must face it squarely because even in our wretchedness God is still there full of mercy to welcome us back to his fold
• If Jesus who is already the Son of God is tried and tested, then how much more of us when we are just one of his creations
• In the first reading there was a flood, a time for a great cleansing and purification, but after that God established a covenant because humanity is now clean
• In the 2^nd reading Peter appeals for a clear conscience
• Always remember, the tests, the trials are there according to our own capacity to handle them for the purpose of cleansing and purification and from there we become strong again
• In this season of Lent God is calling all of us to make amends with our past mistakes, reconcile with the present
• We use the right spiritual formula “Repent and believe in the gospel” as what the gospel has mentioned