First Sunday of Lent

Readings:

• Deuteronomy 26:4-10: At a harvest festival the people offer first fruits and confess a creed enumerating the great moments of Israel’s salvation.
• Romans 10:8-13: The Baptismal formula confesses that Jesus is Lord, raised from the dead. Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.
• Luke 4:1-13: The temptation of Jesus in the desert according to Luke’s Gospel

Quotes from Pope Benedict XVI, Message for Lent:

• In the face of the terrible challenge of poverty afflicting so much of the world’s population, indifference and self-centered isolation stand in stark contrast to the “gaze” of Christ.  -Benedict XVI, Message for Lent 2006
• By drawing close to others through almsgiving, we draw close to God. -Benedict XVI, Message for Lent 2008
• Fasting is an aid to open our eyes to the situation in which so many of our brothers and sisters live. ….Voluntary fasting enables us to grow in the spirit of the Good Samaritan, who bends low and goes to the help of his suffering brother. -Benedict XVI, Message for Lent 2009
• Giving to the poor for the Israelite is none other than restoring what is owed to God. -Benedict XVI, Message for Lent 2010

Thoughts for your consideration: by Hugo Esparza, CP

We begin our First Sunday of Lent just a month and few days after the earthquake in Haiti. How many powerful survival stories have we heard of people that made it alive after weeks under the rubble, the outpouring of love, charity and service from around the world towards the people of Haiti. In the midst of this worldwide mobilization, however, we are also confronted with the misery of the human spirit:

• Governmental corruption, which makes people question whether or not any help will truly reach those in need;
• the militarization of the country by foreign soldiers, which may bring a sense of an occupation rather than help to this desperate people;
• the population shift as Haitians will be forced to migrate to pursue economic opportunities elsewhere;
• the controversy whether international loans are better than a cancellation of debt for the Country;
• and the presence of those who will take advantage of the chaos for their own benefit.

The earthquake that has devastated Haiti has clearly brought forth the power found in the human community, the power to bless and the power to divide.

 

Jesus’ journey, as we hear in Luke’s account, into the desert to be tempted moves away from the clear-cut presentation of salvation that both readings for this week present us. The liberating power of God as retold in Deuteronomy can almost dismiss the “affliction and toil” lived experienced under oppression by the people of Israel for in favor of the enchanting sound of the “land flowing with milk and honey”. Or Paul’s exhortation to confess with our mouth and believe in our hearts for salvation can almost cause forgetfulness of the much needed personal metanoia, the change of one’s mind, and, as we know now, its life long process. Jesus’ temptation reminds us of the journey that we, at times reluctantly, must embark on as we seek to wrestle to overcome the power of evil that seeks personal prestige or the political or spiritual domination of others.

 

Once again, this Lenten Season we open ourselves to journey into the desert to encounter the possible evil of which we and our world are capable. Yet, we do it in a spirit of hope, for we know that we too have been filled with the Holy Spirit that continues to assert the primacy of God’s Reign in our own life and in our world rather than someone’s private interest. For this reason, we actively trust that God’s Peace and Justice will become a reality in what at times may seem as a raucous journey in the process towards the dignified reconstruction of the Nation of Haiti.

2 Responses to “First Sunday of Lent”

1. donald ware says:

   February 23, 2010 at 3:28 pm

   Just a brief note about the comment last week about “militarizing” U S aid to Haiti. Actually, a number of countries sent troops. U S Army provided necessary logistic help to the relief effort – trucks, radar for the airport, help with the harbor and docks.
   We have militarized responses in the past which are questinable… but I don’t think this one is.
2. John says:

   February 25, 2010 at 2:06 pm

   Thank you for pointing that out. I did not write this reflection and I more then likely would not have used this terminology myself.

   Having worked at 8th Day Center for some time, I know of that some members of the non-violent community are sensitive to any military operation because of a fear with mission creep. I argued against this point years ago with regards to requesting UN military intervention in the Sudan and at that time I was very frustrated by this pacifist perspective.

   For myself peace serves true justice and true justice, like ending the geonicide of a population, cannot be compromised by a false sense of peace. But nevertheless I try to respect this view from pacifisct members of the Catholic community and other Christian groups like the American friends and Mennonite tradition.

   I say this not to offer an excuse but to inform you about a perpsective that is part of the JPIC dynamic. For us Catholics this has been developed for us in the famous Peace Pastoral written by the US Bishops back in 1983.

   This document set a theology for Catholics to address social violence and through this document we have a Catholic affirmation for two approaches: the Just War and the Pacifist tradition. The trick I believe is not to choose one over the other but to apply both in respective tension to each other. As a way of life we Christians are called to adopt the non-violent Cross. We should also socially advocate the promotion of non-violent ways of addressing conflict especially through diplomatic and economic power. However, with the reality of certain forms of systemic violence that is in no way acceptable (geonicide) or in the case of legitimate national security defensive military power can be an acceptable according to the just war theory.

   Now in the case of a natural emergency like with Haiti I would also think that the use of responsible and well regulated military power can be very positive for the pursuit of justice in this area. I think that the caution for us needs to be with making sure that the military use is held to the purpose of serving the victims of the host country and not for the economic interest of another.