Delone Catholic High School issued the following announcement on Mar. 4.
This Sunday is the First Sunday of Lent. The readings are from Deuteronomy 26:4-10; Psalm 91:1-2, 10-15; Romans 10:8-13; and Luke 4:1-13.
I often associate Lent with a period of desolation, but the Lord is giving me a period of spiritual consolation right now, for which I am so grateful. Part of this has to do with what I shared with the faculty a few days ago: I’ve noticed more interest from the students in Spiritual Life events and spending time in the chapel lately than since before the pandemic. It is a beautiful thing! In this sense, I feel very much like Moses in the reading from Deuteronomy, who encourages the people to give God the first fruits of their offerings in return for delivering them from slavery. At the beginning of Lent, perhaps we are increasing our time spent in prayer or have chosen a specific fast and we are dedicated to it. We make prayer the priority; we are not distracted from our fast. God gets our absolute best. Things are going great and we are drawing closer to the Lord and delighting in his presence. And then the temptation comes.
This is where the Gospel reading from Luke is so crucial. Before he enters his public ministry, Jesus spends forty days and nights in the desert, one of the Scriptural bases for Lent. Much like we will inevitably be this Lent, Jesus is tempted by Satan throughout this period. The fact that Jesus faced these temptations, withstood them, and can relate to our struggles should give us a bit of comfort. In fact, many people believe that the three traditional Lenten practices (fasting, prayer, and almsgiving) are ways we, too, can overcome the temptations that Jesus faced: indulgence, power, and pride. As we journey toward Easter, if you are tempted to abandon your Lenten promises (or perhaps even lighten the load a bit), look to Christ’s example. Know that he is walking alongside us in the desert as our “refuge, our fortress” (Psalm 91:2).
Original source can be found here.
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