First Sunday of Lent
In today’s readings, especially the first reading, we can first get the sense of Easter. Noah was in the ark for 150 days. When the day finally came for him, his family, and all the animals to come out of the ark, the Lord made a covenant with Noah, saying “I will establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all bodily creatures be destroyed by the waters of a flood…I set my bow in the clouds to serve as a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.” In today’s second reading, “God patiently waited in the days of Noah during the building of the ark, in which a few persons, eight in all, were saved through water.” And in the Gospel, the Lord Jesus goes out to the desert where he is tempted by Satan, but with angels ministering to him. With the help of the Father, he has overcome his temptations.
Today we hear of the destructive power of water, along with its saving grace, which is like another baptism. We can see the grace of Easter joy as Noah comes out of the ark, like a tomb, and God gives us the promise of the rainbow that we see in the sky. St. Peter’s first letter explains the grace of baptism that covered all the earth, purifying it, destroying sin, and giving us a pure soul to carry the word of God within us.
During this Lenten Season, let us be like Christ. Let us go out to the desert to meet him, where He, the font of Living Water, may quench our spiritual thirst and give us strength to persevere! I ask you during this Lenten season, what are some ways that you can be like the Lord, going out to the desert, overcoming temptation, and preparing yourself? When was the last time you went to confession and were quenched spiritually by the fountain of Divine Mercy, hearing the words of Jesus through the priest “I absolve you of all of your sins.”
Reflection by Br. Maximilian Burkhart, OSB
Posted in Articles for Lent, Daily Reflections, Lenten Resources