Greeting (see the Gospel)
The Lord Jesus is among us today and speaks his word to us: “The right time is now: the kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent, and believe the Good News.” May we listen to his word and may he always be with you. R/ And also with you.
Introduction by the Celebrant
Tempted in The Desert
Are we surprised that we are sometimes tempted to do evil which we do not want to do or to neglect or abandon what we should do? We are in good company. Saint Paul complains about his difficulties of resisting the attraction of evil. And no less than Jesus was tempted. From his example and grace we can draw the strength to prevail over any temptations that come to us. For he has already overcome them for us.
Repent and Believe the Good News
As we begin Lent, the urgent message addressed to us today is: “Repent! Have a change of heart, be converted!” But who likes to change one’s habits, one’s mentality, one’s lifestyle? We’d rather be left alone and go our old ways. Even Jesus was driven by the Spirit – yes, by the Spirit! – to the desert to be tempted there, to see with clear eyes who he was and what was his task and how people and events would try to turn him away from his mission. But Jesus was stronger than temptation and sin. May his Spirit convert us to be what we are called to be and to do what we have to do as Christians. May he help us to overcome our temptations and make us stronger than sin.
Penitential Act
Let us pray to the Lord our God that we may not give in to temptation. (pause) Jesus, you were tempted in the desert. Help us by your strength to overcome temptations and to remain faithful to you. Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Jesus, you died for our sins. Keep our faith and our love alive, that we may serve God and people with you. Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
Jesus, the Father’s will was your life. Attune us to God’s plan for us and for the world. Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
God, give us the grace to repent and be merciful to us. Convert us to you and to people and lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.
Opening Prayer
- Tempted in The Desert
Let us pray that during this Lent we may turn fully to God and to people (pause) God of the covenant of love, you invite us to follow your Son. As the Holy Spirit led him to the desert, may he open our eyes to see the wastelands of evil we have created in our world. Help to pray in solitude, to feel our hunger for all that is good and to overcome our temptations. May we learn from Jesus to believe in the Good News and to give shape to your Kingdom of truth and justice and unselfish love. We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord. R/ Amen.
Repent and Believe the Good News
Let us pray that these forty days of Lent may bring us a time of grace (pause) God of mercy, you give us the forty days of Lent to let us become aware of the desert of our heart. Thank you for letting us come to you with a life marked with the scars of our own defeats and failures and those caused by others. Heal us, Lord, and forgive us, make us whole and wholesome again. Give us the strength of Jesus, that we may be faithful to you and live for one another. We ask this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
First Reading: God’s Covenant with Noah
We have God’s promise that he will never destroy the work of his hands. His covenant is steadfast, as the rainbow reminds us.
Second Reading; One with Christ by Baptism
To discouraged Christians, Peter writes: Christ too has gone through suffering and death, but he is risen. You are one with him by baptism and he will save you.
Gospel: Repent and Believe
Jesus sums up his mission in the words: “This is the right time... Repent and believe the Good News.” He speaks these words to us today.
Intercessions
Let us answer the call of Christ our Lord to repent and to believe in the Good News. Let us say:
R/ Lord, hear the cries of your people.
– For the community of the Church, that it may let the Spirit renew it all the time, reject the temptations of power and greed, and bring Good News of God’s forgiveness to all, let us pray:
R/ Lord, hear the cries of your people.
– For those who have stopped practicing their faith, that they may find the way back to church, and return to the Lord and his gospel, let us pray:
R/ Lord, hear the cries of your people.
– For people facing important choices in life, that they may choose the ways of justice and love, and in everything seek the Lord’s will, let us pray:
R/ Lord, hear the cries of your people.
– For young people and adults who are preparing for baptism and for those who help them in this preparation, that the Lord may give them peace and joy, let us pray:
R/ Lord, hear the cries of your people.
– For those who are passing through deserts of suffering, failures and disappointments, that the Spirit may give them the strength to overcome their troubles, let us pray:
R/ Lord, hear the cries of your people.
Lord our God, touch the heart of each and all of us to make us turn fully to you and to live the Good News of Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Prayer over the Gifts
God our Father, the bread and wine we bring before you come from your hands and you will give them once more to us as bread and drink of eternal life. Take us too; accept us the way we are, but let us not go away from this meal before you have changed us more into the likeness of Jesus, your Son and our brother. We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord. R/ Amen.
Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer
During Lent we may always use the Eucharistic Prayers of Reconciliation.
With Jesus among us what have we to fear? Let us praise and thank our Father for giving us Jesus the Lord.
Introduction to the Lord’s Prayer
Moved by the Spirit of Jesus, let us pray to the Father of all that he may give us the strength to resist all the temptations of greed, power and self-conceit. R/ Our Father...
Deliver Us
Deliver us, Lord, from all temptations to keep our old selfish ways, for they lead us only to the evil of sin. Make us strong in the trials of life and confirm us in the joy of knowing that you love and accept us and that you rely on us to prepare in hope the full coming of our Savior Jesus Christ. R/ For the kingdom...
Invitation to Communion
This is Jesus our Lord who went through our trials and temptations to make us free for God and one another. Happy are we to receive him as our joy and our courage. R/ Lord, I am not worthy...
Prayer after Communion
Loving and patient God, we thank you for Jesus your Son. He has spoken to us words of peace, of forgiveness and encouragement. He has given us himself as our food. Let him be our companion on the road that we may not stumble and fall, but that he may lead us through trials and lapses on the ways of conversion to you and to people. May we also support one another by the power of Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
Blessing
In this eucharist we have celebrated God’s covenant with us into which we have entered through baptism. But let us never forget that his bond commits us also to our brothers and sisters. We are responsible for one another. May no need remain unnoticed, no cry fall on deaf ears, no hand be extended in vain. Perhaps the conversion we need most is to discover our neighbor and to turn to him or her. May God help and bless you all: the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.
Go in the peace and the love of Christ. R/ Thanks be to God.
Commentary
On the first Sunday of the Lent, we have The forty days of Jesus in the desert and his temptation by Satan. Jesus is tested in the desert by satan for forty days. Number forty is significant in the Bible. The first references on this number is the Exodus story where the Israelites had travelled for 40 years through the desert before they entered the land that God had promised. During this journey, most of the people who had started this journey from Egypt died on the way. Hence number 40 is a reference to a life-time rather than just the exact number of days or years. For Jesus, his days in the desert is his own days of Exodus. And this exodus will lead him to Calvary and there he would cross over to the Promised Land of the God’s Kingdom. Therefore, as we read and meditate on this gospel passage today, register this message in our hearts: The 40 days are not merely the number 40, rather it refers to the life time of Jesus. He was tempted by Satan. Satan means everything that obstructs a way, everything that opposes a certain way of life. Satan means the adversary, the one who opposes the way that God wills. Who is this Satan? Satan is indeed the impulse of the flesh that leads to making decisions that oppose the Spirit... that is Satan. It is also the logic of this world that incites you to think of yourself, to disinterest yourself in others, to do what you like. This impulse is 'satan.' Satan are also the institutions that promote immoral behaviors, that finance projects contrary to the good of man; Satan are the organizations that spread drugs, pornography; those who oppose the gospel, who obstruct the way of those who want to follow Christ. Unlike other synoptic gospels, Mark does not specify what are the temptations. His temptations were neither just three in number and nor did they last just for 40 days. These are our misconceptions. His Temptations continued throughout his time in the desert – till his last breath on Cross. “If you are the Son of God, come down from the Cross” – does that ring familiar? If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread …” The incarnation of this Satan is Peter... Jesus said to them: you are Satan because you have followed the reasoning of men and you oppose God. All these satans Jesus encountered in his life, he always defeated them. They are the same Satans that we too must face and we must identify them well so as not to be led astray.
