FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT
Also Read: Mass Readings for 06 March 2022
First Reading: Deuteronomy 26: 4-10
“So, now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground, that you O Lord have given me.” (10)
We have been blest by God in many different ways, in the past and in the present times too. Our very being and our very faith are a few of these blessings. Then, we must be bringing to the altar of God; the fruits of these blessings! To begin with, let us dedicate time in deep reflection on the word of God. Other outward rituals are fine to practice, but it is in the depths of our hearts that we must yearn to communicate with the Highest God.
It is only through God’s infinite mercy, we are called; may we respond with a strong and deep faith in His Power. Amen!
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 91: 1-2, 10-15
You who dwell in the shelter of the Highest, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty. (1) – no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent. (10)
We Believe Lord! Amen!
Second Reading: Romans 10: 8-13
The scripture says, “No one who believes in him will be put to shame.” (11)
For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (13)
There is no distinction … the same Lord is Lord of all. Whether Jew or Greek, rich or scholarly, we all have the same opportunity to be saved!
May we see the signs and turn our steps to Him!
Amen!
Gospel: Luke 4: 1-13
The Temptation of Jesus!
First, the devil finds Jesus at his physically weakest moment and entices him with food-(bodily pleasure). Next, he tries to seduce him with the glamour of the power and riches of this world. And finally, when all else fails, he tries to coax Jesus off the pinnacle – abetting his suicide perhaps!
These are the same old bag of tricks that satan still tries to employ today! -our weaknesses are filed in his records at the top. When we try to overcome them, he ventures to disrupt or distract us with the glamour of the rich and famous lives. We get hooked to T.V serials, gossip channels, and hordes of useless cyber-activity, in the name of information and/or entertainment. Well, this isn’t by mere chance, it is the well-designed plan of the enemy! Then when all else doesn’t work for him, he attacks our family lives, mental lives, and the lives of those whom we love. He would love to see us jumping off the pinnacles of our marriages, churches, and off our minds! Abandoning either of ourselves –our physical and social, spiritual and psychological selves would mean victory for that crook.
Let us not be deceived anymore and take charge of our own actions. May we find the Word of God in our hearts as a shield from those deceptions. And may we earnestly believe and remind ourselves of our own redemption through Jesus Christ our Lord! Amen!
