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For The Bulletin Of ancestors and their wilderness wandering in 21 February 2021 what for them was not only a place of God’s revelation and promises, but also a place of their temptations and failures. Jesus will show Himself to be the most faithful Israelite. The opposition between human sin and divine presence, between the “angelic” and the “beastly” was starkly exposed in Jesus’ own psyche. And if we are honest and mindful, we know them in ourselves and in our own struggles to be faithful daughters and sons of our same Father. The English artist Stanley Spencer (1891- 1959 painted a “wilderness series” about the life of Christ. In one of these paintings he depicts Jesus sitting on the desert sands with a “wild beast.” But the beast is not a roaring THE FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT lion or a skulking tiger. In His cupped hands He holds a small but deadly scorpion. From Father Robert Jesus is no wraith-like ascetic, but very Every year on the First Sunday of Lent, the much a plump “flesh of our flesh” man. gospel proclaimed is the wilderness Spencer may be suggesting that the really temptation of Jesus. Mark’s account is dangerous beasts are those small ones that hones to three short verses following can slither insidiously into our lives; the immediately and urgently after the baptism persistent sins and small infidelities that, of Jesus. The Spirit “drove” Jesus into the almost unnoticed, can inject a paralyzing wilderness, says Mark. We often describe venom into our discipleship. Alternatively, people as “driven” by ambition, lust, we might read Spencer’s painting, and desperation – but what drives Jesus is the Mark’s account, positively: as a vision of Holy Spirit. He is tossed into the physical peace and harmony in a restored creation in and spiritual space where, before He begins the hands of the New Adam on Whom His public ministry, before He proclaims angels wait in service. one word of the Good News, He must struggle with two consequences of His Jesus comes out from His wilderness baptism: His naming as Son of the Father experience strengthened for praise and pain and His solidarity with sinful humanity and mission. The arrest of John the Baptist represented by the crowds on the Jordan’s is the first storm that breaks over Mark’s banks who were called by John to a baptism gospel, but over it rises a Galilean rainbow of repentance. Now there are no crowds; of hope as Jesus proclaims His first words: Jesus is alone with the Spirit of God and the “This is the time of fulfillment. The spirit of evil, with the wild beasts and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and angels, with communion and conflict, with believe in the gospel.” On Ash Wednesday, the struggle – that will persist throughout the last words of that proclamation were an His life and death – to be the faithful Son. alternative that was pronounced as we were He is alone with the memory of His signed as baptized disciples of the tempted 1 One and called to Lenten mindfulness of the After Jesus’ baptism, the Spirit drives “Jesus struggle between sin and grace, success and out into the desert.” Where do you find failure, into which we too are tossed. solitude and quiet to be with God? The desert sand is not under our feet but in our hearts. Its grit is the daily irritations and indefinable loneliness we often feel. We need these Lenten weeks of heightened awareness of the importance of uncluttered spiritual and physical space where we can come to grips with our pain, where we can discover the beauty of God and our sisters and brothers under the surface sands of our busy lives, and where we can allow our ears to be “dug out” by closer listening to the Word of God in our Sunday liturgy. We may then become much wiser about the spiritual baggage that we, as wilderness travelers, need to keep or discard in the trek About Liturgy: The Liturgy of the Hours toward Easter. The General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours (GILH) serves as a great resource for anyone wishing to grow in understanding of this lesser known, and still underutilized form of prayer. More and more parishes are using the Liturgy of the Hours, sometimes on weekday mornings when a priest is not available to preside for Eucharist, and, In the first reading, God institutes a frequently, seasonally, during Advent and covenant between Himself and the earth. Lent, perhaps on Sunday evenings, the What role do you see creation playing our mornings of the Triduum (as we do here), or relationship with God? other convenient or special times. Sometimes this is due to a diminishing The psalmist says, “Your ways, O Lord, are number of priests, and sometimes one might love and truth to those who keep Your attribute the slowly rising interest in this covenant.” How would you like to grow in form of prayer to a desire from some of the love and truth this Lenten season? faithful for more chant, more contemplative prayer, and an opportunity to pray in Today’s verse before the gospel reminds us, gathered ways outside of the eucharistic “One does not live on bread alone, but on liturgy. every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.” What nourishment have you As the GILH tells us, Christians gathering to received from God’s word recently? pray at fixed times of day is an ancient practice and one that has continued, principally in monasteries and convents, to 2 the present day. Like a eucharistic liturgy, A popular website and smartphone app with this liturgy is also a “public and common the texts for each celebration can be found at prayer” and links us with Christ, is Christ’s universalis.com and many publishers offer own prayer, and is prayer by Christ’s resources with order of worship and music command. for the hymns, chants, and canticles of the various liturgies. Quoting Lumen Gentium, it continues: “Christ’s priesthood is also shared by the As Lent begins this year, consider whether whole Body of the church, so that the some form of the Liturgy of the Hours baptized are consecrated as a spiritual would be a positive way for you to pray in a temple and holy priesthood through the new way this year. rebirth of baptism and the anointing by the Holy Spirit and are empowered to offer the worship of the New Covenant, a worship that derives not from our own powers but from Christ’s merit and gift.” Later, when describing who ought to pray the Liturgy of the Hours, the list leaves no one out, mentioning those in religious life, but also being sure to include groups of lay faithful Lenten Fasting and Abstinence and the domestic church. Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of universal fast and There are many ways in which to pray this abstinence. Fasting is obligatory for all who liturgy, but the core of the prayer is psalms have completed their 18th year until the and canticles (songs in Scripture outside of beginning of their 60th year. Fasting allows the psalms). The instruction envisions them a person to eat one full meal. Two smaller to be sung and if one is unfamiliar, the meals may be taken, not to equal one full psalms of this liturgy are structured meal. Abstinence (from meat) is obligatory differently than the responsorial psalms of for all who have completed their 14th year Eucharist. These are much longer, of age. If possible, the fast on Good Friday frequently whole psalms, for all to pray is continued until the Easter Vigil (on Holy together – often in alternation side to side, or Saturday night) as the “paschal fast” to men, women – with an antiphon only at the honor the suffering and death of the Lord beginning or end. Often, too, one Jesus and to prepare to share more fully and encounters psalms that are less familiar, if celebrate more readily his Resurrection. the ones principally known are those that Fridays in Lent are obligatory days of regularly appear at Sunday Eucharist. The abstinence (from meat) for all who have whole of the psalter is prayed through, completed their 14th year. As always, various times each day, day by day, week by anyone for whom fasting or abstinence week. There are also other familiar parts of would pose a health risk is excused. communal prayer: hymns, Scripture (or perhaps a reading from a saint’s writings or a patriarch’s homily), intercessions, and the Lord’s Prayer to name a few. 3 On behalf of all of us, I express our thanks to our parishioners who come faithfully every two weeks to clean the sanctuary and The word “Catholic” means “universal,” and church bathrooms. They were here last our faith cares for all our sisters and brothers weekend, February 13th to give of regardless of the parish in which they themselves in service and in love for us. worship. One should give to the Appeal Our thanks to Angela Bueno, Al Cosce, because there are certain ministries and Carole Miller, Alfred Madoshi, Reno and services that cannot be provided by a parish Thelma Benasfre, Mency Osborne, Rose but only by a diocese. With your support, Salamanca, Finian Anyanwu, and Steve the diocese recruits, educates and forms Rojek. seminarians, pays a pension and needed medical care for our retired clergy, supports a diaconate program and ethnic minorities.

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