Monday, March 3, 2014

FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT - March 9, 2014


 

THE BOOK OF GENESIS

«  This book, the first of the Pentateuch or Torah, tells us about the origins of the world and also the story of the patriarchs. 

«  The authors of the 11 first chapters of the book of Genesis, are interested in the origins of the world. According to the calculations of the scientists the world is 4 billion years old and, the human beings have lived in this world for about 2 million years. In Scripture the origins of the world are presented by means of stories and legends that were present also in the cultures of the peoples surrounding Israel. Israel transforms these stories into a message of the revelation of God as creator who gives life, always ready to forgive and, to take care of the people He has created. 

«  These stories from Genesis are not historical, they are theological reflections on the great truths and  questions that the human beings have always had and have tried to solve in different ways according to their beliefs and cultures.  

«  There are 4 authors, or group of authors, or sources(traditions) in the book of Genesis: Yahwist (J) Elohist (E) Deutoronomist (D) and the Priestly (P)  

«  The text of the first Reading for next Sunday belongs to the Yahwist tradition, which is the most ancient tradition. The main themes of this source are:

o   Creation of the human race – life 

o   Sin and the lost of Paradise -   human suffering  

o   The sin of Cain – violence, hate, wars.                                                    

o   The story of the giants 

o   The story of the flood – Natural catastrophes. 

o   The list of the nations  

o   The tower of Babel – human pride that  ignores God                                        

o   After Babel we enter into the second part of Genesis, the story of Abraham and of the other patriarchs.  

«  For the Yahwist  the primeval history of the human race has 4 points which are repeated over and over again:  

o   God lets  us know what is sin    

o   and its consequences, punishment for sin  

o   The mercy of God   

o   The human being continues to sin. 

«  We may see this in the stories of:  

o   Adam and Eve  

o   Cain and Abel 

o   The flood 

o   The tower of Babel   

«  As we begin the season of Lent let us reflect  on this constant behavior of God and, of the human being.  This mercy and forgiveness of God will become flesh, in Jesus of Nazareth. For our sake and our salvation he has pitched his tent among us, and has become one of us.    

FIRST READING:   Gn 2,7-9; 3,1-7.  

Ø  God formed “man-Adam” name which some authors translate as “creature from dust” (hā’ ādām), man is formed out of the clay of the ground and lives because God blows  into his nostrils the breath of life.  

Ø    Before making  his creature God planted a garden in Eden. This garden is the earth which God gives to man so he can live on it. He does not only live in the garden but must take good and tender care of it. He has to take care of the earth  in the same way God takes care of creation  

Ø  After the creation of man God continues to decorate the garden creating trees, fruit trees, rivers everything that will delight man, because God has created us to be happy.

Ø  Among the trees God puts  two especial trees, the tree of knowledge of good and bad  and the tree of life. 

Ø  In the  text which we will read this coming Sunday  the Church has omitted the story of the creation of the woman. This passage is the first reference to the institution of marriage from the very beginning of human existence on earth.  

Ø  After telling  what God has done for his creature, the author tells the first answer of this creature to his/her Creator.  The story of the temptation of our first fathers is the story of our own temptations. It is described in a very clear and graphic manner.  Let us try to discover the real message which is found beneath the images: 

o   The trees were delightful to look at and good for food   

o   Temptation is usually about something which is attractive and pleasant, but which is forbidden (you shall not eat it or even  touch it, lest you die.”   

o   The woman allows the serpent to talk to her. She has not understood the precept God has given them, she sees it as something  arbitrary, somenting  she cannot do because God said so,  but  not as something God has said for their wellbeing. She says “God has said…” 

o   The serpent is right they will know what is good and what is bad. 

o   But it is not enough to know intellectually but to know from the depth of our heart and  soul. To know what is good and what is evil does not help us unless we love the truth. If this is not so it happens to us what we read in the story of the first sin; the fruit looks good… why should I not eat it? God does not know how good   this is!!! 

o   The woman finally takes the fruit in her hands and shares it with her husband who becomes her accomplice because he does not remind her about the words God has said to them. 

o   To help  us   understand that something has changed for Adam and Eve  with the disobedience or sin, the Bible says that their eyes are opened and they realize that  they are naked. Yes now  they realize how poor they are, how vulnerable, how weak and they are ashamed. Before the sin they were able to look at creation with the same eyes of God and discover the beauty and the goodness in all, they were able to look at reality as God sees it. They have lost their innocence, their happiness, their peace,  they have lost it for them and for the whole human race.  

o   In the next chapter of Genesis we   read about the first fight between brothers, a fight that ends with the death of one of them.  In a very simple way by means of a story the Bible puts in front of our eyes the reality of all our hate, violence,  fights, wars…  

RESPONSORIAL PSALM: Ps 51,3-4. 5-6. 12-13.17
BE MERCIFUL, O LORD FOR WE HAVE SINNED

Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness
In the greatness of your compassion
Wipe out my offense
Throroughly wash me from my guilt
And of my sin cleanse me 

For I acknowledge my offense
And my sin is before me always
Against you only have I sinned
And done what is evil in your sight. 

A clean heart create for me, O God
And a steadfast spirit renew within me
Give me again the joy of your salvation
And a willing spirit sustain in me

O Lord, open my lips,
And my mouth shall proclaim your praise.  

v  Psalm 51 is a penitential psalm composed by David after he repented from his double sin of adultery and murder.

v  A psalm that reflects also our feelings when we are faced with our sinfulness

v  We implore the help that comes only from God, and that he is willing to give it to us, more He always has the initiative, and he offers continually his help to  even before we ask for it.

v  The last verse we will recite this coming Sunday is the invocation of the Church at the beginning of the liturgical hours.  

SECOND READING – Rm 5,12-19
During the seasons of Lent and Easter until Pentecost, the second reading will have the same theme as the First Reading and the Gospel. 

*      Paul compares Jesus with Adam. Jesus is the second Adam, with his obedience obtains for us our justification. He gives back to us what the first Adam had lost and gives to God the worship of obedience which the first Adam did not give to God. 
GOSPEL  Mt 4,1-11
In this fragment of the Gospel according to Matthew Jesus is portrait as the new Adam, whom Paul mentioned in his letter to the Romans. Jesus is faced with the worst of the temptations that confront the human being. He is victorious because he remains firm on  the word of God and to the loving and reverend obedience to the Father.    

«  Let us remember that temptation is always about something we like and we are not supposed to have or do; or about something we fear and we are supposed to do. 
«  In the gospel we read that Jesus after his baptism is led by the Spirit to the desert.  After his baptism Jesus heard the voice of the Father saying “This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.” 
«  With these words the Fathers confirms Jesus in his being and in his mission. 
«  Jesus’ mission is going to be difficult, he will have to teach  who the Father, the God of Israel, really is. The Father, is  a loving and forgiving God.  Jesus will have to interpret the Law, to let us know the real will  and purpose of the Father in giving the law. All of this and many more things will not please the teachers of Israel.   His,  is a fearful mission. On the other hand he feels in himself a power which may be an opportunity for the tempter  to tempt him.      

«  In the loneliness of the desert the tempter approaches him and questions what Jesus has heard after his baptism. The tempter says “if  you are the son….” 

o   Change the stones into bread to satiate your hunger. Take advantage of your power, you can do it and you will not be hungry anymore. The temptation to use the power He has for his own good and not for the good of others, not to serve others but to serve himself. If we look at Jesus when we are tempted we will be able to overcome like He overcame leaning on the Word of God “… we do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”  

o   Throw yourself from the Temple, make something that will attract a huge crowd. If you want to do your mission being humble or in the way the Father will show you, very few people will follow you. “You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.”  God is sublime, awesome, totally different from us, we cannot use Him, trick Him, not even think that He is going to do whatever we want, we cannot blackmail Him. All of this is an offense against God.    

o   The third temptation is very strong, the tempter has not been successful with the hunger or the pride, he will try the temptation of power. “all these I shall give to you, if you prostrate yourself and worship me  the same temptation of Adam and Eve “your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods”. This is a lie! And Jesus gives a strong answer to the tempter “Get away, Satan! It is written: the Lord, your God shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.”    

o   The tempter leaves him and the angels serve him. What might be the meaning of this sentence?   Once we overcome our temptation, the reward is peace, joy, and we acknowledge the continuous presence of God in our life.

 

Claretian Corner  
 
 
 
My God, Three in One: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, give me the light of your infinite wisdom, so that I may know you and may know me.  Help me also to know what you want me to do to serve you and to love you with all my being, as much as it is possible in this present life with the help of your grace.     (From the morning prayer of  María Antonia París, foundress of the Claretian Misisonary Sisters).
 
My Lord, you are mi love, my honor, my hope and my refuge.  You are my glory and destiny. My teacher, my Father. Help me to look for nothing but for you; to know nothing but your divine will to fulfill it. I only want you, and in you and  for you I want to love all the other things. .You are more than enough for me. Let me love you as you love me. (Prayer of St. Antonio María Claret, Founder of the Claretian Missionary Sisters.)

               

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