FIRST
SUNDAY OF LENT – A – 2023
Ø At
the beginning of the season of Lent let us review the message of the book of
Genesis
Ø This
will help us to understand better the meaning of lent.
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 and thus of the people of Israel and the origin of humankind.
« 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
groups 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 teaches us what sin is,
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 for 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 will not only live in the garden but, he 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, something 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 to 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, their freedom;
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 ambitions, 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
BE MERCIFUL, O LORD FOR WE HAVE SINNED
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.
BE MERCIFUL, O LORD FOR WE HAVE SINNED
A clean heart create for
me, O God
And a steadfast spirit
renew within me
BE MERCIFUL, O LORD FOR WE HAVE SINNED
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.
BE MERCIFUL, O LORD FOR WE HAVE SINNED
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 to us, even more He always has the initiative, and he offers
continually his help.
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 he obtains for us our justification. He gives back to
us what the first Adam had lost and, He gives to God the worship of obedience
which the first Adam did not give to Him.
GOSPEL Mt 4,1-11
In this fragment of the Gospel according to
Matthew 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. He had 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. He
is the God not only of Israel but the God of all.
« 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.
o 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.”
o God is
sublime, awesome, and 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, and 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 “Go 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.
The
evangelists has reduced the temptations that Jesus had during his life in three
categories. But Jesus was tempted many more times; after the multiplication of
the loaves, probably whenever they praised him for his words, his miracles, his
good deeds, his power over nature… He also suffered the temptation of tiredness
in his mission “until when will I be with you Mc 9:19?; the temptation of God’s
abandonment “why have you abandon me?” Mc 15:34. But Jesus overcomes temptation
leaning on God his Father, He trusts in Him unconditionally.
I
dare to say that these temptations are in reality temptations of power, the
great human temptation, which is with us since our birth “you will be like
gods… Gn:4” It is true that Jesus is God but He wanted to do our human
experience, experience of limitation, complete dependency on God “… He did not
regard equality with God something to be grasped, rather He emptied himself
taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness… Phil 2:6-7.
CLARETIAN CORNER
Be careful that they do not lack what is necessary, both in the spiritual as in the temporal, especially the first, because with this they will have the second. May all, both religious men as well as religious women, never lack the bread of the Divine Word, at least once every eight days. For the Word of God is bread of life and light that dispels the darkness of the soul. There are many wise people in my Church, but none who understands true wisdom. These, the religious, clergy and nuns, say “what need do they have of sermons?” Some preach everyday, and the others can take a good book where they will find a sermon continued. They say this without reflecting over priestly dignity and that the words of the Holy Law pronounced by their Ministers open the meaning of the Scriptures, and as light of the soul, guide our steps toward God’s altar. Venerable María Antonia París, Foundress of the Claretian Missionary Sisters. Plan for the Renewal of the Church 38.
How will the Prelate dare to preach against luxury
and unnecessary expenses, if he does it himself? He must imitate Jesus and his Apostles. The Prelate will also have a great love for
the virtue of poverty, being satisfied with few things… He will continuously remember that his possessions are the patrimony of
the poor, and thus he has to distribute them among the poor. Saint Ambrose, Saint Augustine, and others,
when it was needed gave to the poor even the jewels of the church. The Prelate will read frequently and meditate
what was decided in the sacred Councils; let him read and meditate the Sacred
Scriptures, especially the letters of St.
Paul, in particular those written to Titus and Timothy; in his first letter to Timothy he requires of
him 10 positive virtues and 6 negative
ones; let the Prelate read them if he wishes to be good, and also the
explanations given by the interpreters and the Holy Fathers. St. Anthony Mary Claret,
Founder of the Claretian Missionary Sisters. Notes of a Plan to Restore the Beauty of the Church: “Duties of The Prelate to
Himself.”
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Claret,
Saint Anthony Mary, Founder of the Claretian Missionary Sisters, Notes of a Plan to Restore the Beauty of the Church.
Paris, Venerable María Antonia, Foundress of the
Claretian Missionary Sisters, Plan for the Renewal of the Church.
THE CATHOLIC STUDY BIBLE. 2005.
