Lenten Moments – First Sunday of Lent – 2024

Walking on Holy Ground: A Lenten Journey

And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness.
He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and
he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.
(Mark 1:12-13)

 The Gospel of the first Sunday of Lent in all three years, the story of Jesus’ temptation in the desert, reminds us not to be surprised at our own struggle with the will to have power, the desire for things, the propensity for the morally malign – all of which threaten to deter our giving ourselves to the things that count in life. As Jesus triumphed over the seductions of the world and the limitations of being human, so must we (Chittister, Liturgical Year, 120).

 Lent reminds us that our journey will have ups and downs, but the road goes on. Our best response as Daniel O’Leary reminds us is:
… live each day at a time is a golden aim, and to live it with gentle confidence, no matter what mistakes, failures and disappointments we encounter in our lives. Believing we are unconditionally loved, the eyes of our hearts will learn to recognise the hidden treasures strewn all around us. (O’Leary, The Heavenly Habit, 105)

Reflection:
How can you recognise the hidden treasures around you during this Lenten Season?

God of the Journey,
may this Lenten season challenge us
to a change of heart:
to live gently,
to love generously,
to count blessings and
to walk paths of peace
and inclusion.

Amen