Reflection for the First Week of Lent, Year B
Sunday Readings: Genesis 9:8–15; Psalm 24(25):4-6, 7b-9; 1 Peter 3:18–22; Mark 1:12–15
Mark’s Gospel is bold and challenging. It doesn’t beat around the bush. Throughout this year, there will be many Sundays when we really need to tune in because Mark’s Gospel doesn’t wait for the reader to be ready. It is right in your face, to use a modern expression. Sometimes Mark reminds us of the wise old person who doesn’t use many words, but every one of those words counts. There can’t be many books of so few pages that have had such a mighty impact on the world.
Today, a few lines tell us that Jesus went into the desert for 40 days and ‘was tempted by Satan.’ He was ‘with the wild beasts’, meaning he was vulnerable as he was immersed in the natural world. This was surely an experience of struggle and growth. Then suddenly Jesus discovers that John the Baptist has been arrested. In a few lines, Mark creates the impression of a challenging time.
How did Jesus respond? He seems to have been enlivened, to have decided to create change. He is full of energy and purpose. ‘The time has come,’ he says. In his vulnerability, he has discovered that ‘the kingdom of God is close at hand.’
This year, through Project Compassion, Caritas Australia will ask us to consider several stories of vulnerability and hope in action. Over the coming weeks, we will meet a number of extraordinary women: Ronita from the Philippines, Leaia from Samoa and Memory from Malawi. They remind us that in many situations around the world, women are the heart of the community and the drivers of change. In each case, a partnership involving Caritas Australia and local agencies has led to new opportunities not just for an individual but for families and communities. The kingdom of God is, indeed, closer than we think. Together with Ronita, Leaia and Memory, our decisions help to bring it to reality around the globe.
Perhaps we might spend time with the words of today’s Psalm: ‘God guides me in the right path; God teaches the Lord’s way to the poor.’
You can help better the lives of people in some of the most vulnerable communities on earth by making a donation through Project Compassion boxes and envelopes, visiting caritas.org.au/project-compassion or phoning 1800 024 413.
With thanks to Caritas Australia.
