In today’s first reading, God promises to hold back the forces of nature from mankind. He makes a covenant with Noah and his children not to subject the world to another devastating flood, but rather to preserve them and all living beings from what quite literally could have destroyed them. Enduring the flood that lasted for forty days, Noah and his children proved faithful to the Lord, and through them God forged a covenant with all who would come after. Perhaps after witnessing the force of nature this week, this story resonates with us in a deeper way. In reality, though, it is meant to draw our attention to today’s Gospel. Jesus also endured a trial, a period of forty days in the desert, by which he prepared himself for his public ministry. This period of spiritual testing and temptation also foreshadows Jesus’s final trial: the suffering of his Passion. It is there, on the Cross, that he proves his fidelity to the will of his Father and takes upon himself the burden of sins for our sake. In doing so, he established a New Covenant between God and humanity, giving us salvation not from flood waters but from the devastation of eternal death.
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| Thomas Cole, The Subsiding of the Waters of the Deluge (1829) |
Today is the First Sunday of Lent. It’s almost a year now since the world as we know it was upended by the COVID pandemic, and in many ways, it feels as if we have been enduring a long “Lent” ever since. Perhaps we feel somewhat like Noah must have felt, unsure about when this ordeal will end. Perhaps the last thing we want to do is suffer some more, to enter into another period of trial and penance. I think we can respond in one of two ways. One response is to opt out – to decide that we have already had our fill of trial and suffering, whether from the pandemic or the recent weather or whatever else.
A better response, I think, is to imitate Jesus, and to enter into this period of forty days with purposefulness and with trust in God. Each year, Lent offers us the chance to face our own need for conversion, for spiritual renewal, and to recognize where it is that we are putting our hope not in the promise of eternal salvation but in worldly things. Maybe that is especially true this year in light of everything we face collectively. It’s worthwhile to consider whether at times we value such things – even good things, things like physical health and well-being – more than we value our spiritual well-being and hope for salvation. Don’t get me wrong: of course we should be praying for an end to this pandemic, working hard to end it, and helping alleviate the suffering of those in need. But we also can’t lose sight of the fact that the greatest threat we face is not the dangers of the natural world, but the destruction that comes from within ourselves – our sinfulness, our spiritual fickleness, our failure to trust God. We have to own up to the fact that often we are focused on earthly blessings and well-being and not the spiritual things that will last beyond this life. Lent gives us a chance to reorient those priorities – especially through prayer, fasting, and giving alms – so that we are prepared well not only for the celebration of Easter but for eternal life.
Friends, there is a lot of suffering at the moment. Rather than opt out of this season, let’s imitate Jesus and enter into this time in the desert with purpose, with trust, even with hope that our sufferings will bear fruit. In his Son, God has forged a covenant with us, a friendship, the purpose of which is not to spare us from every earthly trial but to carry us through them into eternal life. May this Eucharist strengthen our fidelity to the Lord, so that by our prayer and penance, we too may hope to share in the eternal blessings it promises.
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