40

Three days ago, we officially marked the start of the great and holy Lent and in this Sunday’s Gospel we hear Mark’s brief account of Christ’s temptation in the desert.

“The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert and he remained in the desert for forty days.”

As we all know, numbers have a significant role in the Bible and in this Gospel we hear Christ remaining in the desert for 40 days. Commonly we associate the number 40 to words like purification and testing. But this is not the primary use of the number in Sacred Scriptures. The number 40 specifically points to a period of preparation; a transition into something that is great. Moses fasted for 40 days before receiving the Law, Elijah fasted for 40 days before being taken up by a Chariot of Flame into Heaven. Goliath taunted Israel for 40 days before the arrival of David. In the first reading for this Sunday’s Liturgy we hear the end of the 40 day preparation of Noah and his family for the Covenant established by God which is symbolized by the Rainbow.

Likewise, in accordance to the divine plan of salvation, Christ embarked on his 40 day preparation in the desert. Before going out and doing miracles, Christ needed to prepare himself in the desert where he immersed himself in intense prayer, fasting and spiritual combat with the Devil, the World and the Flesh. This was the preparation necessary to carry out his mission of salvation. And this is what we see in this Sunday’s Gospel where Mark narrates how after the Baptizer’s arrest, Jesus now inaugurates his public ministry and begins to proclaim the time of fulfillment, the arrival of the Kingdom of God and the exhortation to repent and believe in the Gospel.

We have all heard of the maxim “good things take time” and I think this is what the Gospel wants me to understand. Christ underwent 40 days of temptation, hunger, fatigue and loneliness in the desert before starting to do the wonders and the works of his Father. In the same manner, I am also called to imitate Christ – not just during this Lenten season – but throughout my journey in the Religious Life. Ever since I entered the seminary, I’ve learned a whole lot about myself and one of the things that really stuck to me was the reality of my weakness. As I struggle day by day here in the seminary, I realized that there is no day that I will not fall into some kind of weakness: too much social media, a gossip here and there, a judgmental look toward somebody, my laziness, my desires, my lack of charity and many more. I keep on making resolutions to myself: telling myself that I should be better, I should have done this better, I should have not said this word or that word, I should have said this in a calmer and kinder tone, but at the end of the day, I see myself falling over and over and over again. It is as if nothing is changing from my perspective. I commit the same imperfections everyday and the knowledge of this reality really makes me suffer a lot.

But now the word of God is telling me to be patient with myself. If even Christ underwent a period of preparation, I, who seek to follow him should also be willing to undergo trials and purification. Like a seed, I must be willing to be planted in order to bear fruit; to be buried under the ground, enveloped by the darkness, surrounded by the dirt and the worms. I must be willing to watered and cultivated by my Father in Heaven who wishes me to grow. My growth does not depend on my capabilities or strength, but it relies on the grace and mercy of God alone. Like Christ in the Desert, I must be dependent on my Father’s providence this time of Lent. The practice of fasting, prayer and abstinence should lead me to develop my reliance, relationship and love for God.   I pray that this Lent, I may come to a realization that Christ is truly “Emmanuel” – God with me – in my journey through the desert of my interior desert. I should not seek to see progress in myself and desire to see the fruits of my prayers and labor; that is for Christ alone to see. I also hope that this Lent would help me develop my heart as a follower of Christ. I hope that my voluntary sacrifices and my fasting would lead me to a deeper hunger and thirst for Christ; that my prayer be authentic and true and not just for traditional observance and show; that I might grow in charity and authentic Christian love that leads to love of neighbor.

To end this, I want to share with you a prayer by Thomas Merton. May this prayer help us learn that the journey of Lent is a journey with Christ and if we wish this season to be fruitful, we must learn to abandon and allow ourselves to be guided by Him through our Lenten journey.

Prayer of Trust and Abandonment by Thomas Merton

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you and I hope that I have that desire in all that I am doing. And I know that if I do this, you will lead me by the right road although I may know nothing about it. Therefore, will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death, I will not fear, for you are ever with me and you will never leave me to face my perils alone. Amen.

18 February 2024 | 1^st Sunday of Lent

Mk 1:12-15: He was tempted by Satan, and the angels served him

And immediately the Spirit drove him out into the desert.

And he was in the desert forty days and forty nights, and was tempted by Satan; and he was with beasts, and the angels ministered to him.

And after that John was delivered up, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,

And saying: The time is accomplished, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent, and believe the gospel.

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