by Eddie MacDonald
There are several themes this week in the readings. Moses shares how his ancestors made their way and established in Egypt, only to be made slaves. Through God’s powerful intercession they became free, following the Holy Spirit by a pillar of fire during the day and a pillar of smoke at night. God protected them and, when they finally arrived in the land of milk and honey, they were to show their gratitude by offering the first fruit – not the second after they ate, but the first. This was to prepare them for sacrifice, giving the best for God first. When we give the best piece of pie or the first bite of your warm biscuit that is dripping with butter and jam to your loved one, you are giving it to God, as God is love.
God takes care of us, as we hear in Psalm 91. This was a Psalm which the Jewish people would recite at night – addressing their fears of the dark. Taking comfort that the angels surrounded their tents so they could rest and knowing that if they just called on His name, He would take care of them. As a child I remember reciting the prayer “Now I lay me down to sleep” and as I grew, I became “friends” with my Guardian Angel. We are encouraged to ask God for his protection and to lean into our Guardian Angel, created just for us. God responds with love and joy because we call on His name.
In the second reading we are reminded about keeping the Word close to our hearts and pronouncing it through our mouths. This is Jesus, the Word! “For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.” How simple, how beautiful! In our faith we wrap our hearts around Jesus, the one who died and was raised from the dead. In our speaking we share Him with others, using the Word – the stories we know of Jesus, and because we do so, we gain eternal life. Whoa!!
Finally, in the Gospel the devil tempts Jesus three times using what we humans would find appealing – comfort (a full belly), power (being the boss of everyone) and prestige (put God to the test). Yet Jesus uses the Word – Scripture to put that temptation to rest. Knowing the Angels would be present to save Jesus, the devil quoted Scripture to try to convince Jesus to go ahead, just try and see for sure… Jesus threw Scripture back at him, “You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.”
So we see, on this first Sunday of Lent, our own beginnings. We too will sacrifice to show our God that we honour him first above all. We will be tempted to return to the old ways, to fail, to give up. But if we can see that it is through these very temptations that we grow spiritually closer to God, then we will prevail. Call on the Word, call on your Guadian Angel to assist you and have hope. Hold fast! It is always darkest before the light.