Lent is a time for intense spiritual reflection. This is especially true for our RCIA candidates as they begin their final steps towards conversion. But this call to conversion isn’t only for the RCIA candidates. It is for all of us. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church conversion is defined as “A radical reorientation of the whole life away from sin and evil, and toward God.” For most of us this is an exercise we must undertake every day. The Catechism goes on to say “Christ’s call to conversion continues to resound in the lives of Christians. This second conversion is an uninterrupted task for the whole Church who, ‘clasping sinners to her bosom, [is] at once holy and always in need of purification, [and] follows constantly the path of penance and renewal.’ This endeavor of conversion is not just a human work. It is the movement of a ‘contrite heart,’ drawn and moved by grace to respond to the merciful love of God who loved us first” (CCC, 1428).
The theme for our Holy Father, Pope Francis’ Message for Lent 2020 is from 2 Corinthians 5:20, “We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” The Holy Father writes, “The fact that the Lord once again offers us a favourable time for our conversion should never be taken for granted. This new opportunity ought to awaken in us a sense of gratitude and stir us from our sloth. Despite the sometimes tragic presence of evil in our lives, and in the life of the Church and the world, this opportunity to change our course expresses God’s unwavering will not to interrupt his dialogue of salvation with us.”
In today’s gospel, Matthew 4:1-11, we see evidence of this choice at the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry. After forty days of fasting in the desert, Jesus is confronted by the devil who tests him with three temptations: turning rocks into bread, throwing himself off the parapet of the temple and the promise of all the kingdoms in the world if Jesus will worship him. Jesus rejects all the temptations and passes the test. Jesus did not come into the world seeking glory or power or wealth for selfish reasons. In Mark 8: 36 Jesus asked his followers and disciples, “What profit is there for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life”? Jesus came into the world to save us from the bondage of sin because of God’s overwhelming love for us. Pope Francis says, “May we not let this time of grace pass in vain, in the foolish illusion that we can control the times and means of our conversion to him.”
God our Father,
in the desert your Son Jesus struggled forty days
with the demands of his mission,
and he overcame all temptations.
In these forty days of Lent
convert us; turn our hearts
to the peace of your forgiveness,
the light of your love,
and your concern for people.
Let us find the life and the joy
which Jesus brings us,
and inspire us to share it with others.
We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.
in the desert your Son Jesus struggled forty days
with the demands of his mission,
and he overcame all temptations.
In these forty days of Lent
convert us; turn our hearts
to the peace of your forgiveness,
the light of your love,
and your concern for people.
Let us find the life and the joy
which Jesus brings us,
and inspire us to share it with others.
We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.
Amen
