Sunday Gospel Reflection
Jesus fasted forty days and forty nights and was tempted by the devil

Introduction:

The Temptation

Have you ever been in a deserted area at night? What dangers did you feel in that "desert?"

I live in a suburb of San Diego, California, USA, a semiarid city that sits on a mountain plain. The two and a half million people who live in the area (add another million who live across the border in Tijuana, Mexico), live precariously because almost all the water they drink is imported from rivers many miles away. Turn off the water, and the area returns to the desert. Turn off the water, and the sun would reclaim the land with its tumble weeds and its scrub bush. For those who live in Southern California, water is life!

What would happen if Californians turned off the water? What would they face? Probably some of the same challenges Jesus faced in his desert experience.

First Reading
Genesis 9:8-15

8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him,
9 "Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your descendants after you,
10 and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark.
11 I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth."
12 And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations:
13 I set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.
14 When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds,
15 I will remember my covenant which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.

Second Reading
1 Peter 3:18-22

18 For Christ also died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit;
19 in which he went and preached to the spirits in prison,     
20 who formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water.
 21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him

Gospel Reading
Mark 1:12-15

After Jesus was baptized,
12 immediately, the Spirit compelled HIM (to go) into the desert.
13 He was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with wild animals and the angels were serving him.
14 After John had been handed over (to the authorities), Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the Good News of God,
15 saying, "The moment is right and the Kingdom of God is near! Repent and believe the Good News."

Bible Study

Mark 1:12-13

The baptism of Jesus was a public event, witnessed by friend and enemy alike. But the audience extended far beyond the men and women present. In the mind Jesus' contemporaries, the cosmos teemed with all sorts of living creatures, some physical, but most spiritual. When the spirit realm heard the words "This is my beloved Son," Jesus' contemporaries held, those spirits opposed to God would try to discredit him.

After the heavenly announcement, it was time for spiritual battle. God's Spirit drove the Son into the desert so the war could begin. In the lore of Judaism, the desert was the place to find oneself before God and others. The people of God found an identity in the Exodus. David found his followers (i.e., his "family) in the desert. Elijah heard the Lord's message in the desert. Indeed, the drawing card for John the Baptist was the desert experience. The desert was not a  place of escape, but a place of discovery. The desert dweller found him or herself facing "their own demons."

Jesus faced not only Satan, but a hostile environment with wild beasts. This scene stood as stark contrast to the Garden of Eden in Genesis 2. There, Adam and Eve lived a plush garden surrounded by obedient animals. Their sly adversary broke humanity, creatures, and environment. Then he enslaved all three with his self-centered evil. Jesus stepped into the Evil One's arena to do battle and justify the title given him by his Father. In Mark's account, Jesus did not face Satan alone. God was ever present through the service of his angels.

Mark 1:14-15
With the arrest of John, Jesus began to proclaim the Kingdom. Mark assumed his audience would read between the lines: he was victorious battling his adversary, Satan. For, only the victor over evil could announce such Good News!

Over past Sundays, we have studied Jesus through the eyes of Mark. One detail became abundantly clear: Jesus possessed power over evil in people (Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Mark 1:21-28) and over evil in nature (Fifth through Seventh Sundays: Mark 1:29-39, 1:40-45, and 2:1-12). In Marks' mind he could not have such power unless Jesus vanquished his foe already. With the test in the desert and the proclamation of the Good News, Jesus proved his victory. Soon the people would echo his victory: "With authority he commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him!" (Mark 1:28 RSV)

Meditation/Reflections:

· Please re-read the phrase(s)/sentence(s) that move(s)/touche(s) you and what inner message of the heart is the Spirit whispering to you ?

. Christ in the desert revealed the new Adam, the One who would vanquish the Tempter. Unlike Adam (and, later, the Israelites in the desert), Jesus did not fall to whims of selfish ambition. No, Jesus remained the faithful Son. And in his fidelity, he claimed victory over Satan. He also foreshadowed his obedient acceptance of the cross.
   -----What plans do you have for this Lent? How can you turn away from self-centered interests of the world, the flesh, and the devil? How can you turn toward God this Lenten season?

. Modern conveniences have made life easier. For those of us with computers, the comfortable life is the norm, not the exception. Yet, would we be ready to make a few sacrifices, to make life just a little uncomfortable, so we could realize a taste of the Kingdom? Let us take these next forty days and reduce our comfort level a little bit. It may help us open our eyes and realize how precarious our existence is. It may help us realize how dependent we really are on the Lord. And how much we need the life he offers us in Christ.
  -----Reflect on past Lenten seasons. Which one has changed you? Which ones were wastes of time? How can your plans for this Lent make a difference in your life and the lives of others?

. When you are engrossed in our ministries, do you spend the  time to sanctify of yourselves?

. What are the temptations in your daily life ? In daily temptations, do you recognize aid from the Holy Spirit?

. What do you need to do to "repent" and be free of your sins?

Prayer

Lord, your word is life and joy for me. Fill me with your Holy Spirit that I may have the strength and courage to embrace your will in all things and to renounce whatever
is contrary to it.