First Sunday of Lent, Year B – February 18, 2024.
Readings: Genesis 9:8-15; Ps 24:4-6,7-9; 1 Peter 3:18-22; Gospel – Mark 1:12-15.
Theme: Rainbow as a Sign of Contradiction!
Sunday Synopsis
The first reading reveal God’s covenantal love for humanity through Noah and his family. In the second reading, St. Peter draws a typology between the events of the old and the New Testament by disclosing that just as eight people were saved “by water” at Noah’s time, Christians are redeemed by the water of baptism. The gospel recalls Jesus’ faithfulness in resisting temptation the devil through 40 days’ fasting and prayer. Unless the rainbow propels us to genuinely love God and our neighbour, it remains a sign of contradiction.
Introduction
Beloved in Christ, on the first Sunday of Lent, the Church invites us to journey towards unlocking the mysteries of salvation. The cardinal practices of prayer, fasting and alms giving position us to embrace the call to fidelity like God, symbolised by the rainbow, which has sadly become a symbol of contradiction in our time.
Background and Summary of the Readings
The first reading (Genesis 9:8-15) reveal God’s covenantal love for humanity through Noah and his family. It demonstrates his faithfulness to humanity through a rainbow – a sign of covenantal love for all. God promised not to destroy the world again through flood. He also pledged to remember his covenant with the whole of creation.
In the second reading (1 Pet. 3:18-22), St. Peter draws a typology between the events of the old and the New Testament by stating that just as eight people were saved “by water,” Christians are redeemed by the water of baptism. He stresses that rather than washing physical dirt alone, the water of baptism is “a pledge made of God from a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has entered heaven and is at God’s right hand.”
The gospel (Mark 1:12-15) recalls Jesus’ faithfulness in overcoming temptation from the devil through 40 days’ fasting and prayer. Because he impressed God, the Angels looked after him. The gospel closes with a call to repent and believe the Good News.
Pastoral Lessons
1. Be in the Arch: At Lent, we are reminded that just as God saved Noah and his family in the Arch, the Church today remains the symbol of that Arch which we need to enter to access spiritual blessings and salvation.
2. Care for Creation: The first reading reminds us that the rainbow remains the beauty of creation which we are obliged to protect by eschewing illegal killing of animals, destruction of the ecosystem, bush burning and checking the adverse effects of global warming.
3. Be a Covenanted Child: Just as the rainbow signified the covenantal relationship between God and Noah, rather that exploit this symbolism through actions that offend God, we are charged to be covenanted children who are washed by the new waters of baptism like the flood of old as St. Peter’s suggests in the second reading.
4. Resist Temptation: Bearing in mind that the gospel indicates that temptation in itself is not a sin, we are charged to use this holy season to learn from Jesus how to conquer sin and evil by resisting temptation.
5. Be Faithful: Rather being content with success, Lent urges us to be faithful to the most portent spiritual artilleries to prayer, fasting and almsgiving like Jesus our Master, who deployed them to shame the devil.
Summary Lines
1. The first reading reveal God’s covenantal love for humanity through Noah and his family.
2. In the second reading, St. Peter draws a typology between the events of the Old and the New Testament by stating that just as eight people were saved “by water” during Noah’s time, Christians are redeemed by the water of baptism.
3. He stresses that rather than wating physical dirt alone, the water of baptism is “a pledge made of God from a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has entered heaven and is at God’s right hand.”
4. The gospel recalls Jesus’ faithfulness in resisting temptation from the devil through 40 days’ fasting and prayer.
5. The gospel closes with a call to repent and believe the Good News.
Conclusion
It was Bishop Emeritus of Ilorin Diocese, Ayo-Maria Atoyebi who once told us in the Spiritual Year at Eruku that: “The devil is an economist; he does not use his artilleries where he has already conquered.” This means that if you are already a customer, the devil, will not waste his time on you. This is because, you are already in his net 24/7. Satan targets pious people or those struggling to be holy – This calls for fidelity to prayer, fasting or mortification and charitable acts. Unless the rainbow propels us to genuinely love God and our neighbour, it remains a sign of contradiction. May our journey through the via dolorosa be rewarded now and in the end. Amen. Have a terrific Lenten Season!
