First Sunday of Lent, Cycle B February 18, 2018

FIRST READING
Genesis 9:8-15
God establishes a covenant with Noah, giving a rainbow as its sign.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Psalm 25:4-5,6-7,8-9A prayer praising God for his covenant

SECOND READING
1 Peter 3:18-22
In our baptism, we are saved through Christ's death and Resurrection.

GOSPEL READING
Jesus is tempted in the desert by Satan.

GOSPEL MK 1:12-15

The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert,
and he remained in the desert for forty days,
tempted by Satan.
He was among wild beasts,
and the angels ministered to him.

After John had been arrested,
Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God:
"This is the time of fulfillment.
The kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent, and believe in the gospel."


BACKGROUND ON THE GOSPEL READING

On the first Sunday of Lent, the Gospel reading in each Lectionary cycle
is about Jesus' temptation in the desert. This event in the life of
Jesus is reported in each of the Synoptic Gospels--Matthew, Mark, and
Luke--but it is not found in John's Gospel. This year we read Mark's
account of this event.

Compared to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, the details throughout
Mark's narrative are sparse. This is evident in Mark's account of Jesus'
temptation in the desert. Mark tells us only that Jesus was led into the
desert by the Spirit and that for 40 days he was tempted by Satan. The
Gospels of Matthew and Luke explain that Jesus fasted while in the
desert, that Satan presented him with three temptations, and that Jesus
refused each one, quoting Scripture. Only the Gospels of Matthew and
Mark report that angels ministered to Jesus at the end of his time in
the desert.

In each of the Synoptic Gospels, the temptation of Jesus follows his
baptism by John the Baptist. In Mark's Gospel, we are told that Jesus
went into the desert immediately after his baptism, led by the Spirit.
Jesus' public ministry in Galilee begins after his temptation in the
desert. Mark's Gospel makes a connection between the arrest of John the
Baptist and the beginning of Jesus' ministry. Jesus' preaching about the
Kingdom of God is in continuity with the preaching of John the Baptist,
but it is also something new. As Jesus announces it, the Kingdom of God
is beginning; the time of the fulfillment of God's promises is here.

The fact that Jesus spent 40 days in the desert is significant. This
recalls the 40 years that the Israelites wandered in the desert after
being led from slavery in Egypt. The prophet Elijah also journeyed in
the desert for 40days and nights, making his way to Horeb, the mountain
of God, where he was also attended to by an angel of the Lord.
Remembering the significance of these events, we also set aside 40 days
for the season of Lent.

In Mark's Gospel, the desert marks beginning of Jesus' battle with
Satan; the ultimate test will be in Jesus' final hours on the cross. In
a similar way, our Lenten observances are only a beginning, a
preparation for and a reinforcement of our ongoing struggle to resist
the temptations we face in our lives. During Lent, we are led by the
Holy Spirit to remember the vows of Baptism in which we promised to
reject sin and to follow Jesus. Just as Jesus was ministered to by the
angels, God also supports us in our struggle against sin and temptation.
We succeed because Jesus conquered sin once and for all in his saving
death on the cross.

FAMILY CONNECTION

The announcement that Jesus makes as he begins his preaching in today's
Gospel is recalled on Ash Wednesday at the signing with ashes: "Repent
and believe in the gospel." This is our challenge for Lent; indeed, it
is the challenge of our entire life. During Lent, we are invited to
strengthen and to renew the promises that we made at our Baptism, to
reject Satan and sin so as to live as children of God. Through the grace
of God that we received at Baptism, we follow the promptings of the Holy
Spirit and know that with Jesus' help, we will be victorious over sin.

As you gather as a family, talk about the importance of Baptism. At our
Baptism, our sins were forgiven, and we promised to live as children of
God. As part of the Rite of Baptism, we rejected sin and Satan. Read
today's Gospel, Mark 1:12-15. During Lent, we renew the promises of our
Baptism, turning again from sin and promising to follow God. Light a
candle, perhaps a candle used at one of your family member's Baptisms,
and pray together the Act of Contrition.


Sources: Loyola Press; Sunday Readings