Lent is a Gift
- Fr Raphael Ma, CR
- Mark 1: 12 - 15
A Resurrectionist Vocation Minute for February 18, 1st Sunday of Lent
Lent is a Gift
It’s easy for us to think of Lent as something we do “for” God, or as something we “have” to do as Catholic Christians. And one of the reasons is that we think in principle, we are supposed to do everything by ourselves – including our Lenten observances, whatever they may happen to be this year.
But when we look at today’s Gospel, Mark paints a very stark picture of what is going on. Jesus was driven by the Spirit – it was not just his own idea – to go into the wilderness for 40 days, where he was tempted by Satan, lived among wild animals, and Angels waited on him.
It’s hard for us to imagine today what going into the wilderness would actually be like, even for one day. Let alone 40. It’s probably not something any of us could do without help.
But maybe that’s the point. Maybe Lent is not a time where we prove something to God, but where we risk doing something that we will actually need help with – and to actually receive the gift of God’s help. And perhaps this is true of the vocation that God is calling us to as well.
“…We believe that God's love for us is merciful and unfailing. We have not earned his love. We are nothing, have nothing, and can do nothing without God. We are attracted to evil. We are sinners. Yet, God continues to draw us to himself.”