Homily for the 1st Sunday in Lent - February 21, 2021

 Readings for today can be found here.

            Our Gospel begins with Jesus going into the desert for forty days where He is tempted by Satan.  The word in the original text that we translate as “tempted” actually has a much deeper meaning.  It implies a trial or battle.  Jesus goes into the desert to experience a series of trials meant to test Him.  The Gospel of Matthew describes these trials and temptations.  But what is the reason that Jesus undergoes these tests?  Scripture has many passages of prophets or major figures that go through a significant trial.  In nearly every case, the trial prepares them for mission.  We must go through a period of difficulty and testing before we’re ready take on the mission God has in store for our lives.

            The season of Lent can be a time for us to undergo a similar preparation for the mission God has in store for us.  We need not go into a deserted place, but we should consider this a time to separate ourselves from our everyday routines and make a concerted effort to listen for the voice of God.  Or perhaps, like Jesus, we can use this season to do battle with some demon in our lives.  Lent can be a time to focus on something we’re struggling to change or overcome.

            We have several tools at our disposal to help us during Lent.  They are three traditional practices of which I’m sure you’ve heard: almsgiving, fasting, and prayer.  Father Joe preached about them last week but it’s helpful to review them again.  Almsgiving is fairly straight forward.  We’re asked to be generous and give to those less fortunate than we.  This can mean being generous monetarily.  We can give to a charity, participate in the Rice Bowl campaign, increase our weekly contribution, etc.  We could also give up some of the luxuries in our lives and use what we would have spent on them to help the poor.  For example, perhaps instead of buying a morning coffee, we could put that amount into the Rice Bowl instead.  We can also be generous with our time and our talent in whatever way possible within our current COVID environment.  Almsgiving is important as it helps to convert our hearts by putting the needs of others first.

            When we think of fasting, we usually think of Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.  We’re called to limit our intake of food in order to focus on God.  It can be a good practice to fast on additional days during Lent, perhaps every Friday if your health allows.  The reason fasting is a helpful spiritual practice is that it allows us to control out “appetites”.  Through fasting we learn self-discipline and moderation.  And our “appetites” aren’t limited to food.  An appetite can be anything that appears to rule our lives.  It can apply to unhealthy habits, social media, anything we do in excess to make ourselves feel happy but never quite succeed.  Fasting from these appetites, even if it’s only one or two days a week, can help us see that it isn’t the things of the world that fulfill us, but God.

            Prayer is, I believe, the most essential of these Lenten practices.  Without prayer, almsgiving and fasting are not really spiritual practices.  Prayer is the glue that holds our Lenten practices together.  Regardless of where we are in our prayer life, there’s always something more we can add.  If you don’t feel we have a good prayer life, start with something small, like a single prayer once a day, either when you awake or go to bed.  If you feel you have a good prayer life, you can add a new practice, such as a daily rosary, or reciting the Divine Office at morning or evening prayer.  You can read Scripture and pray on it for five minutes each day.  Our bulletin has details about participating in the Best Lent Ever.

            Just as Jesus went into the desert to be tempted and tried before beginning his mission on Earth, so we too can use this Lent to quiet our lives a little and listen to what God may be calling us to do.  We can use the spiritual practices of almsgiving, fasting, and prayer to battle whatever may be keeping us from hearing God and open ourselves to the will of God in our lives.  What can we do to prepare ourselves for mission this Lent?