21/02/2021 Sunday The First Sunday of Lent
Remember Mark 1:12-15
The Spirit drove Jesus out into the wilderness and
he was tempted by Satan
Croagh Patrick, Ireland’s holy mountain (Pic: Geograph.org.uk) an Irish spiritual desert mountain. Satan.
He was with the wild beasts, and the angels looked after him.
After John had been arrested,
Jesus went into Galilee.
There he proclaimed the Good News from God.
“The time has come” he said “and the kingdom of God is close at hand.
Repent, and believe the Good News.”
Reflect
Every Lent is a new beginning; sometimes beginnings are welcomed, other times half and half! We welcome Lent as a time to make our faith fresh, but we know from other Lents that it’s hard to keep going, and it’s for a long time! We might ask ourselves what is the true purpose of Lent
Jesus forgives the repentant thief
The focus of Lent is not on what we give up but on what we are given.
We focus our minds on the self-giving love of Jesus which we will celebrate in Holy Week.
We allow ourselves believe in this love.
Often it’s difficult to believe in the tender love of God.
This conquers all else in the world; it is given in the mercy and compassion of God.
Lent pours the grace of forgiveness into our world, needed individually and as a people.
We need to know that God is bigger than any of our sins, wars, violence and hatred.
God wants his kingdom to come now.
Lent is our time of saying ‘yes’ to a partnership with God in saving the world from the effects of evil and sin.
Maybe we can ask what our Lent does for others than just what we are doing for Lent.
It is a time of renewal, then it shows love, forgiveness and care of others in our lives
Pray a bit every day-alone or with others
Read a bit of the gospel every day.
Do something good for another every day –
This is the way we share in the forgiving, saving love of God and Jesus.
Pray
Lord,
by your cross and resurrection
you have set us free,
you are the Saviour of the world.
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(The Sundays of our Lenten reflections are provided by Fr. Donal Neary S.J. . taken from his ‘Gospel Reflections for the Sundays of Year B: Mark’ published by Messenger publications, c/f www.messenger.ie/bookshop/)
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