Lent Reflection for 2018: First Sunday in Lent

First Sunday in Lent, February 18, 2018

Reflection

Lent is up and running. Hopefully, after four days of orientation, we too are off to a good start. The four days since Ash Wednesday grounded us in Lent’s three basic disciplines: prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Today’s First Sunday focuses us on three convictions:

  1. that God is in covenant with us to help us and all living creatures to flourish;
  2. that our goal as human creatures baptized into Christ is a “clear conscience”; and
  3. that we are living in a “time of fulfillment” when God’s reign is as close as our hand.

This year’s Lent challenges us to strengthen our trust in the gospel message while we get those three perspectives deeply enough into our mindset that they show up in the way we live and move and have our being. We’ll face discouragement soon enough and often enough, but if we stick with it, Lent will transfigure us.

The Scriptures often portray Jesus’ disciples as ‘running.’ Mary Magdalene ran to tell the disciples that the tomb was empty. Peter and John ran to take a look for themselves. The Emmaus disciples rushed back to Jerusalem to tell everyone they had supper with Jesus. Paul asserted that he had ‘run a good race.’ We too are often running about, too often without focus.

But Jesus walked. Being human as well as divine, he knew that it takes time for things to sink in. For us to really adjust our mindset and figure out just how we have to allow God to reign and transfigure us, we need to walk with Jesus. Perhaps that’s why we have 40 days. More about transfiguration next Sunday. Meanwhile, keep walking.

Liturgical Readings

Click the links below to view the Liturgical Readings for each day of the week.

Click here to go to the Lent Reflection for the Second Sunday in Lent
and links to the Liturgical Readings for that week …

We are most grateful for this year’s Lent reflections from Voice of the Faithful members Fr. Bob Bonnot, Priscilla Deck, Svea Fraser, Patricia Gomez, Dennis Grohman, and Margaret Roylance.