Sunday, March 9, 2003
1^st Sunday of Lent

1^st Reading: Gen 9:8-15

God spoke to Noah and his son, “See I am making a covenant with you and with your descendants after you; also with every living animal with you: birds, cattle, that is, with every living creature of the earth that came out of the ark. I establish my covenant with you. Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.”

God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I make between me and you, and every animal living with you for all future generations. I set my bow in the clouds and it will be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember the covenant between me and you and every kind of living creature, so that never again will floodwaters destroy all flesh.”

2^nd Reading: 1 P 3:18-22

Remember how Christ died, once and for all, for our sins. He, the just one, died for the unjust in order to lead us to God. He died as humans do, but was raised to life by the Spirit, and it was then that he went to preach to the imprisoned spirits. They were the generation who did not believe when God, in his great patience, delayed punishing the world while Noah was building the ark in which a small group of eight persons escaped through water. That was a type of the baptism that now saves you; this baptism is not a matter of physical cleansing but of asking God to reconcile us through the resurrection of Christ Jesus. He has ascended to heaven and is at the right hand of God, having subjected the angels, Dominations and Powers.

Gospel: Mk 1:12-15

Then the Spirit drove Jesus into the desert. Jesus stayed in the desert forty days and was tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, but angels ministered to him.

After John was arrested, Jesus went into Galilee and began preaching the Good News of God. He said, “The time has come; the kingdom of God is at hand. Change your ways and believe the Good News.”

Commentary

"The kingdom of God is at hand.” There is a note of urgency to Jesus’ word. The reign of God is here and now. It has finally come among us and is breaking through at this very moment. The fact is, the Kingdom of God, which Jesus preached is not something so abstract, remote, and distant. It is rather, as he says, “at hand.” It is here, within our reach, unfolding right before our eyes. It’s not something abstract, it’s something concrete. It’s there in every kind and encouraging word, in every generous deed, in every act of compassion and concern, and in every loving and caring thought. Every good deed expands it and brings the Kingdom closer to fruition; every generous impulse suppressed and every unkind act hurts its realization. The holy season of Lent reminds us of the urgency of our mission as Christians, for it is we ourselves who have been tasked by Jesus to bring God’s Kingdom to our world today.

Read also: Gospel Reflections by Fr. Gerry Pierse, C.Ss.R. • Biblical Commentaries from Diario Biblico

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