“He shall call upon Me, and I will answer Him; I will be with Him in distress; I will deliver Him and glorify Him.” (Psalm 91:15)
Reflections on the readings for the First Sunday of Lent (March 6, 2022): DT 26:4-10; PS 91:1-2,10-11,12-13,14-15; ROM 10:8-13; LK 4:1-13
MISSIO offers “Preaching Mission,” as a homily help, providing connections to mission from the readings of Sundays, Feast Days and Holy Days.
For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all, enriching all who call upon Him.
In the Old Testament reading today, we hear Moses telling the Israelites that they must do whatever Almighty God demands of them. He reminds them that God has always fulfilled His promises to them, particularly in rescuing them from slavery in Egypt and bringing them into “this land flowing with milk and honey” (Deuteronomy 26:9). Even when His beloved Jewish people failed Him, God was there for them. In St. Paul’s letter to the Romans we are reminded that every Christian must believe in Jesus as Lord. We must call upon Him and trust Him to help us walk in His footsteps. “For the Scripture says, No one who believes in Him will be put to shame. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all, enriching all who call upon Him. For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved’” (Romans 10:11-13).
All people are God’s children and Christ’s sacrifice was for each one of us. Looking to Jesus as our Savior, we, too, need to think about what He wants from us. We, like the early Christians whom Paul addressed, are not only expected to say that we believe in him, but also to act like we do. It is our task to accept the gift of faith and to live it out each day. On this first Sunday in the Lenten season, we may still be deciding if we will do something special by way of sacrifice to join closer to our Lord in His passion. We might choose to forgo some pleasure, perhaps something we generally take for granted, like watching television or surfing the net. We can replace it with spiritual reading, helping a sick or elderly neighbor with chores, or some other action that can bring us closer to God. As children, we were often encouraged to “give up” something like candy or desserts or something we want to get for ourselves. We can still do something similar -- and make a point of donating any money saved to help those in need. Or we could give up unkind judgements and uncharitable conversations about others. Our goal is to use each day of Lent to imitate Christ’s love and fidelity to His Father and His concern for His precious children. Just as Jesus fasted and prayed for forty days in the desert, let us focus ourselves more fully on our own acceptance of the Divine will and how we can embrace is more deeply.
