This Sunday marks the first full week of the holy season of Lent, a time where Holy Mother Church bids us to fast, pray, and give alms in preparation for the world changing events of Holy Week and Eastertide.<\/p>\n
We begin our Lenten journey with Ash Wednesday, a day that calls us to \u201cfree ourselves from the illusion of chasing after dust\u201d (Pope Francis). In our first reading from Deuteronomy, we hear of a retelling of Israel\u2019s history: its journey to Egypt and subsequent enslavement; the afflictions and oppression it suffered; and the demonstration of God\u2019s great love and power, which freed Israel from its captivity. God leads Israel into the Promised Land \u201cflowing with milk and honey\u201d (Dt 26:9). Perhaps surprisingly, once the Israelites have arrived in the land of abundant blessings, they are asked to sacrifice the \u201cfirst of the fruits\u201d (Dt 26:10) to God, in thanksgiving and recognition of all that He has done. In our own journey this Lent, let us call to remembrance our own history, our own slavery to sin and need of forgiveness and freedom. Let us remember the gifts God has given to us and lovingly offer the first fruits back to Him. We do this through acts of charity and sacrifice, putting the needs of others before our own, and by using our gifts and talents for good and the benefit of all, rather than for selfish or even sinful reasons.<\/p>\n
Jesus helps us to refocus our attention on what is truly important. In the Gospel we hear Luke\u2019s account of Christ\u2019s temptation in the desert. Pope Benedict XVI notes, \u201cthe desert \u2013 the opposite image of the garden \u2013 becomes the place of reconciliation and healing\u201d (Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth<\/em>). In Lent, we too are invited to enter into the desert, to encounter the Lord more personally and substantially, and to grow in love and singular devotion and reliance on Him. In our desert of fasting, prayer, and charity we remove everything that distracts us from God.<\/p>\n St. Thomas Aquinas tells us there are three reasons for the Church\u2019s teaching on fasting during Lent: 1, to check the desires of the flesh, to gain control over our appetietes; 2, to raise the mind more freely to God, unimpeded by worldly and material desires; and 3, to make satisfaction for sin by allowing our hearts to increase in contrition and humility by recognizing our complete dependence on God (Aquinas, Lenten Meditations<\/em>).<\/p>\n In the desert, Jesus is tempted by Satan in all the same ways we are. Satan attacks Our Lord\u2019s hunger, he tempts Our Lord to abandon God and give into idolatry, and he asks Our Lord to test God\u2019s love and resolve. How often are these the very temptations we face? \u201cAt the heart of all temptation is the act of pushing God aside because we perceive him as secondary in comparison with all the apparently far more urgent matters that fill our lives\u201d (Benedict XVI). Let us heed the words of Christ this Lenten season and \u201cnot put the Lord our God to the test\u201d (Lk 4:12), but rather let us enter into the desert with Christ to deny ourselves of everything non-essential and focus entirely on God, and the gracious works He does for us.<\/p>\n Lent \u201cis a time of grace that liberates the heart from vanity. It is a time to fix our gaze on what abides\u201d (Pope Francis). In the end, Lent prepares our hearts to receive the fullness of life at Easter. Let us deny ourselves now and follow Christ, so as to be made worthy of the life of freedom that He has prepared for us.<\/p>\n Kevin Ponte<\/strong> –\u00a0St. Joseph Seminary, Edmonton, Alberta<\/p>\n Fot. Freely.com<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" First Sunday of Lent<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":1998,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,17,18],"tags":[179,24,27,38,77,109,142,111],"class_list":["post-1997","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-strona-glowna-najnowsze","category-strona-glowna-slider","tag-benedict-xvi","tag-church","tag-francis","tag-gospel","tag-grace","tag-i-sunday-of-lent","tag-kevin_ponte","tag-lent"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n