I SUNDAY OF LENT - Mark 1:12-15
In his gospel, Mark presents no more than a summary of the beginnings of Jesus’ ministry. If we read the gospel in a very light manner, we will just go through without noticing the real importance of what took place.
Immediately after his baptism, impelled by the Spirit, Jesus went to the wilderness, where he remained for forty days, as the people of Israel had been there for forty years. The desert brings to mind the experience of the people of God, after leaving the land of slavery and while they walked towards the land of promise, that’s the land of freedom. It was a long, hard and very trying journey, during which God took care of his people, guiding, protecting and defending them. He gave them food to eat and water to drink and he asserted them over their enemies. In the desert, they were established as a nation provided with a guiding law, organised and guided by their leaders. However, faced with the hardships of the journey, the people were always grumbling to the point of looking for other leaders who would take them back to Egypt, the land of slavery. They would not trust God and were convinced that He had brought them out of Egypt to destroy them. In the desert, going through big trials, the people proved to be unfaithful. Put to the test, they failed.
In the desert, as the Messiah, Jesus went through the experience of the people of Israel. Reflecting on his life and preparing for his mission, “he was tempted by Satan”. Filled with the Holy Spirit, he was able to screen the different proposals presented and make the right choice, the only one that would keep him faithful to the Father who sent him. Tempted, Jesus remained faithful. Like the people of Israel he had to make choices, but, unlike them, he kept his trust in the Father and remained faithful no matter what. Jesus overcame the temptation, choosing the only way which may restore the harmony intended by God at the beginning. In the desert, being tempted by the Devil, Jesus began to establish a new order, in which the whole universe is in harmony: “He was with the wild beasts, and the angels looked after him.”
After John’s arrest, Jesus went back to Galilee and started preaching the Good News. The message is very simple and clear. There is a piece of news: “the kingdom of God is close at hand” and two straightforward demands; “Repent, and believe”. For us to be part of the Kingdom of God, we must repent and believe. Repentance implies the recognition of our sinfulness, the confession of our sins and the decision to convert. We are called back to God. We are called to believe and start our journey of faith, putting all our trust in the Lord.
At the beginning of Lent, we are called to make our experience of the desert, which prepares us for true repentance to be the followers of Jesus, guided by faith and recognising God’s love and mercy.
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