TKelly homily Lent 1 C 180224
This first Sunday of Lent presents the Gospel of Mark which is not the familiar text for beginning Lent with its experience of knowing that Jesus was tempted as we are. Although the message of this Gospel is the same without the detailed dialogue of Jesus with Satan and the testing of Jesus resolve.
According to Mark, after the baptism by John in the Jordon, immediately the Spirit drove Jesus into the desert. The original Greek word for “to drive” means, literally, “to cast out”, and this scene comes right after Jesus is baptized. Thus, his baptism in the river Jordan and his being put to the test in the desert are linked. And Jesus was tempted and entered so to speak in the common way that is our every day. Is not our experience that soon after a radical choice to follow the way of Jesus by Gospel living, we are tempted? Jesus’s immersion into the baptismal water like we have been, is one part of the human experience. There is the other part, of entering the mystery of death on the cross and Jesus’ descent into hell. That too is the reality of our experience.
Hell is not the beyond of our life. It is, in fact, all those places of despair, violence, and injustice that afflict the world. They are the news of the moment; they are the outrageous mess of Gaza and Israel; of Ukraine; so many countries of Africa, Central America. The immigrants at the borders of this country, the violence in our streets, lives lost to drugs and so on. These corners of darkness can be at the very heart of our life, our own story. But Jesus joins us there, at the very heart and depth of each abyss. He descends only to rise again, and all humanity with him, as he will rise from the tomb.
The sky was torn apart at Jesus’ baptism, revealing the infinitely close Father-God who “speaks” to humanity.” You are my Son; the Beloved,” God says. “My favor rests on you.” It is with the sound of this voice that Jesus then goes into the desert. The “you” that is addressed to Jesus in a unique way is much broader and outlines his mission. It speaks of us, the adoptive sons and daughters of the Father. I listen to the Father’s voice, I ask for the grace to welcome it, and to hear it with the ear of the heart. And I enjoy the Father’s favor when I recognize myself as God’s beloved child.
“And at once, the Spirit drove him into the desert”? Why such a brutal transition? The Greek word erêmos means “solitude”. Jesus finds himself alone, facing himself. It is then, in the heart of silence, that we hear that that he “was put to the test by Satan”. Mark tells us no more.
Matthew and Luke, on the other hand, detail the three temptations that begin with these words: “If you are the Son of God…” (This will also be the last temptation of Jesus on the cross.) What is at stake in the desert, therefore, is the truth of the Son’s relationship with the Father. Will Jesus accept his mission and be day after day with the Father, to find all his joy in Him. There, in the desert, plays out the profound reconciliation of humanity with itself.
Will humanity find the path of trust, will we learn from the human Jesus; will we as human beings accept being the beloved sons and daughters of the Father, or will we choose a self-sufficient way? The “Yes” of Jesus to the Father saves us from our pride of self-sufficiency. In the yes of Jesus to be the Son who follows the will of the Father are found, like seeds, all our yeses that restore us to a trusting, harmonious, and joyful relationship with the Father.
Herein lies the whole Gospel, Good News in action that Jesus proclaims. The Kingdom of God is to be sought in humanity’s renewed relationship with its God. Learning to see and accept ourselves as beloved children of the Father is the beautiful path of conversion that Jesus invites us to this Lent.
Our being together at this Eucharist is our commitment to continue on this journey with Jesus. We do know where the journey leads us. It leads us to live our lives as Jesus did, in total commitment to fulfill the will for the Father which is our salvation, which calls us to be like Jesus and give ourselves so that our Brothers and Sisters may live the fullness of life.