Gospel of Mark, chapter 1:13

Today’s scripture for the first Sunday of Lent urges us to ferret out the evil in and around us-the evil that is so often flashy and attractive but that is ultimately an empty cheat.

We find Jesus in today’s Gospel (Mark 1:12-15), not in the garden of paradise, but in a dry and barren desert where He takes on the forces of evil. This is the setting of the temptations of Jesus over evil. This is the setting for a new beginning, a new Genesis. In a grueling human struggle, Jesus takes on the full force of the devil. He rejects the temptations of materialism; fame; and power by standing up to the false power of the devil. Jesus tips the course of human behavior Godward. His message is simple: “Repent and believe in the Gospel.” We need to repent of our sins. We need to renounce the selfish pursuit of money; the glitter of fame and notoriety; and the temptation to Lord it over others, to control them and use them. We need to repent in order to free ourselves of the evil within us; the evil of hatred that leads to acts of murders; the evil of greed that leads to injustice.

Today we need to look hard at renewal. We need to face up to evil. This is our time to enter into the renewal that Lent urges. We need to know our dark side; we need to know where we have cheated ourselves and one another; we need to know where we have lost track of the good news of the Gospel in our lives.

Today we must make up our minds to follow through on what Jesus teaches us.

Fr. Hugh Duffy