First Sunday in Lent – Year B

Jesus was tempted by Satan, and the angels served him

# The name « satan » first appears in the Hebrew Bible. For Daniel E. Gershenson, there is a strong possibility that the name « satan » comes from the Greek and its etymology would be « he who dwells in heaven ». In the Christian tradition, Satan is mentioned in the Book of Job and in the Gospels by Jesus who calls him « the prince of this world ». He is identified with the ruler of the fallen angels. This conception is based on biblical writings: the rebellious angel was fallen according to Isaiah and Ezekiel in the Old Testament and Peter and Jude in the New Testament.

According to the teaching of the catechism of the Roman Catholic Church, angels were all created by God to be good, but some became evil and turned against their creator. Since angels do not need faith since they already have knowledge of all heavenly things, their rebellion against God is an unforgivable act for those who say it, therefore men (who write it), that to betray the Lord is also to betray Time, it is a fatal fall, a fatal error. Matthew called this rebellion an unforgivable sin in this age or an age to come. Satan is also identified with the Serpent of Genesis.

From the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark

Jesus had just been baptised. Immediately the Spirit drove him out into the desert, and in the desert he remained forty days, tempted by Satan. He lived among the wild beasts, and the angels served him. After John’s arrest, Jesus left for Galilee to proclaim the Gospel of God; he said, « The time is fulfilled: the kingdom of God is at hand. Convert and believe in the Gospel.  » (Mk 1, 12-15)

Living a joyful Lent

Jesus had just been baptised. The Father’s voice was heard : « You are my beloved Son… Immediately after this event, the Spirit drove him into the desert (Mk 1:9-12). In the Gospel of Mark the word « Immediately » comes up very often. This is already an important message for us, for the way we live our Christian life. It is not  « I begin tomorrow… or later… when I retire… ». It is now, right now, that the Lord awaits my answer.

This desert was for Jesus the place of a battle against the devil. He had to fight against the temptation of prestige, power and the marvellous that would solve all problems. In fact, the demon has nothing to offer. Everything in his promises is a lie. And it is still true today: he makes people believe that with alcohol and drugs one can cure all anguish; and in the end it is mental alienation.

He suggests that couples in difficulty will be happier when they separate, and in the long run it is distress for them and their children. Behind the triumphant political slogans, it promises victory over unemployment, and in the end it is racial hatred. Satan perverts everything he touches; it is the trace of his passage.

The great temptation that we will also have to resist is to do nothing special to mark Lent. These forty days could well be like all the others because we are too often caught up in the usual routine. And it is here that we must remember the « at once » of the Gospel. It is now or never.

The true face of Lent is a smiling face, not a gloomy, depressed face! This time of grace opened on Ash Wednesday with an enthusiastic and joyful tone: « Convert and believe in the Gospel ».  A vast programme that we find in the readings of this Sunday. We are all called to conversion, we are all invited: it is a time of love.

The first step is to listen attentively to the Good News: it is the encounter with Jesus whom we believe we know and who never ceases to amaze, shake us, and even shock us with each new contact. It is in this spirit that we can undertake and live this time of opportunity and renewal that the climb towards Easter offers us.

Lent is a strong time that challenges us to reorient our lives, to get out of routine, to rediscover how much God loves us all and to help, through our practice of almsgiving and sharing, those who are less fortunate. To want to live a joyful Lent is to be convinced that the Lord will give us back the joy of being saved (Psalm 50), that this joy is already within our reach if we open our hearts to Him.

Deacon Michel Houyoux

Links to other Christian websites

◊ Young Catholics : click here to read the paper→   First Sunday of Lent – Year B (2021)

◊ Bnedictine Abbey of Christ in the desert : click here to read the paper→   First Sunday of Lent, Year B

♥  Fr. Cull, Vocation Director for the Diocese of Hamilton