LECTIONARY READINGS
First reading: Deuteronomy 26:4-10
Responsorial psalm: Ps 90(91):1-2, 10-15
Second reading: Romans 10:8-13
Gospel: Luke 4:1-13
Link to readings
As Lent begins, I might want to organise my favourite place of prayer with a few reminders of the season: a crucifix, a candle; perhaps a little sand or soil to remind me of the wilderness. I may add some twigs to help me remember that I need to brush away everything in my life that prevents me from coming close to the Lord.
All the readings this week encourage me to keep my gaze fixed on God, wherever I am. The Lord will always hear my cry of distress. He will lead me to a land of peace, just as he did for the Jewish people when they were enslaved in Egypt. (First Reading) No harm shall befall me if I trust and follow the Lord. He will rescue and protect me. (Psalm) If I believe in my heart that Jesus is Lord, and tell others that he was raised from the dead by God, then I will be saved. (Second Reading)
As the devil tempted Jesus, I too may be tempted. Perhaps I sometimes rely on myself rather than on God, or even find myself lusting for power. But like Jesus, I will be able to overcome these temptations if I am open to the Spirit and place my whole trust in God. (Gospel)
As Pilgrims of Hope in this Jubilee Year, we pray especially for all those who find it difficult to resist temptation, including those who exploit others for their own profit. We remember particularly this week all those who are victims of modern slavery.
PSALM 90 (91)
R/ Be with me, O Lord, in my distress
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High,
and abides in the shade of the Almighty,
says to the Lord, ‘My refuge,
my stronghold, my God in whom I trust!’
Upon you no evil shall fall,
no plague approach your tent.
For you has he commanded his angels
to keep you in all your ways.
They shall bear you upon their hands,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.
On the lion and the viper you will tread,
and trample the young lion and the serpent.
Since he clings to me in love, I will free him,
protect him, for he knows my name.
When he calls on me, I will answer him;
I will be with him in distress;
I will deliver him, and give him glory.
REFLECTION
I come to pray, aware of how I am feeling. I notice my breathing and any tension within my body, taking some time to relax and become still. I become aware of the Lord’s loving presence as I slowly read this text.
I may want to reflect and talk to the Lord about what I, or others I am close to, need to seek refuge from: distressing experiences, feelings of anxiety or anger, troubling relationships or perhaps global problems.
Holding one or two of these issues before the Lord, I consider what it means to me to dwell in his shelter and shade. In what or whom do I find refuge? How do I provide refuge to others? It may help to talk to the Lord about the way I deal with problems. How readily do I turn to him for support and strength?
I stay with the image of a God who knows my name and who clings to me in love. I pray that I and others will recognise and lean on his unfailing love and support. I end my prayer with a slow and gentle Our Father . . .
GOSPEL
Luke 4: 1–13
At that time: Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were over, he was hungry. The devil said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone.”’
And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, ‘To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.”’
And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, “He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you” and “On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone”.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘It is said, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.”’ And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him.
REFLECTION
The Gospel for the first Sunday in Lent is always concerned with Jesus’s own temptations. This is a very rich text: if I have time, I may want to return to ponder it again later in the week. I read the words slowly, perhaps stopping after each temptation. It may help to use my imagination and be with Jesus in the wilderness.
Am I able to feel his hunger, his loneliness, his uncertainty about the way forward? How do I feel as I realise that Jesus has been tempted in every way that I am tempted? Perhaps I reflect on my own temptations: both those in my past and those I struggle with at the moment. I speak to the Lord about them, and ask him to help me overcome them.
I pray to be drawn to the values of Jesus, to rely always on him rather than on myself. When the time comes, I slowly conclude my prayer and return to the tasks of the day in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Courtesy of St Beuno’s Outreach, Diocese of Wrexham