In the Gospel for the First Sunday of Lent (Mark 1:12-15) we read how Jesus was driven by the Holy Spirit to enter the wilderness of the desert for forty days and forty nights, where he was tempted by Satan. And though he was surrounded by wild beasts, the angels of God protected him. The key message of the Gospel is contained in the final line ‘Repent and believe the Good News’, calling us to conversion, to start again on the journey of faith, and to radiate the joy of the Gospel in our lives.
For forty days each year the Church, through the season of Lent invites us to take stock of our lives, make resolutions to do some things better, and take a positive step forward in our relationship with God. It is a time of renewal for each of us and for the whole Church. Lent offers us the possibility of fasting, penance and almsgiving which can help us come closer to God and root sin out of our lives. But it is not just about turning away from sin, Jesus also invites us through today’s Gospel to ‘believe the Good News’. This is what conversion really means – that we leave behind our old ways of living and acting in order to embrace new life in Christ and share in his goodness and love. Then we can truly build the kingdom of God in our families, in our parishes and in our communities.
God is present with us in all of our struggles and temptations, even in the desert of our lives he will will not abandon us. We just need to open our hearts to encounter his love. He knows all of our anxieties and worries and invites us to place them in his loving care. When we turn to God in prayer he gives us the grace that truly sustains us in our walk of faith. This Lent gives us an opportunity to deepen our faith by seeking out the God who constantly seeks us. We can offer our sacrifice and prayer intentions to him and allow ourselves to be renewed in the gift of his unconditional love for us. In this way we can grow in a personal relationship with the God who is always concerned about us.
Lent is a time of renewal for the whole Church, for each communities and every believer. Above all it is a “time of grace” (2 Cor 6:2). God does not ask of us anything that he himself has not first given us. “We love because he first has loved us” (1 Jn 4:19). He is not aloof from us. Each one of us has a place in his heart. He knows us by name, he cares for us and he seeks us out whenever we turn away from him. He is interested in each of us; his love does not allow him to be indifferent to what happens to us. (Pope Francis, Message for Lent 2015)
