Resolve now: Each week in Lent I will take time to study the scriptures for the coming weekend to be better prepared to hear, understand, receive and be nourished by the Lord's Word in my mind and heart on Sunday!(For more on the image to the left, and if you missed Ash Wednesday this past week, be sure to read through the whole of this post...)
The scriptures for the First Sunday of Lent and commentary on them can be found here and hints for helping youngsters prepare to hear the Word can be found here.
In all three years of the Lectionary, the gospel passage for the First Sunday of Lent tells of Jesus. time in the desert and his being tempted by the Evil One. This year we hear Luke's account. I like the illustration above because it presents the temptation of Christ in the way I often experience temptation: in the half-light of shadows, seeming to sneak up on me out of nowhere, appearing harmless, beckoning innocently and mysteriously... (Click on the image for a larger version)
The first lesson, from Deuteronomy, does not pair obviously or with great strength with the day's gospel but does offer us the heart of the Hebrew scriptures: a confession of faith based on thanksgiving for God's deliverance of his own in the Exodus. The intervening text, from Romans, serves as a call to Christians at the beginning of this holy season, that “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
A Little Late for Lent?
Did Ash Wednesday pass you by? You might want to "catch up" a bit and ponder the scriptures from the Ash Wednesday liturgy. And you can read all of my Ash Wednesday and Lenten posts to date right here.
Image: Tentaciones by Hermanoleon
I am enjoying your posts very much Father and have printed some off just so that I can ask myself the important questions...:-) Hugs
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