1st Sunday in Lent A
1st Sunday in Lent A – Here I am Lord. I come to do your will
Where are you? This is the question that God asks when he comes into the Garden of Eden looking for Adam and Eve. Where are you, he asks because they have hidden themselves away from him in shame: in shame because they have eaten the forbidden fruit; they have disobeyed him; they have sinned and are ashamed.
And so our story, our history begins, a story of mankind turning their back on God and deciding to do their own thing. They know best. They are in charge of themselves and everything around them.
But once sin has been allowed in; once it has been invited in, it spreads; it grows; it invades everything; it becomes invasive. It is here; it is there; it is everywhere; it is waiting for the opportunity when we let our guard down.
And so it was with Jesus in the desert. The devil waited until he was at his lowest after forty days and nights of fasting and sin, the devil, took this opportunity to tempt him; to take him down; to make him his.
But Jesus not only rejected all the temptations he used the Words of God, Holy Scripture to counter and refuse all of the temptations. He uses that Word of God to take him through these trials to his final trial on the cross where he will offer himself to save us all from every sin that has ever been committed. Everything that Jesus did from his birth to his final agonies on the cross was about this one thing: to save us from our sins. So that when we hear God asking us: Where are you? We can shout loudly and joyfully – Here I am Lord. I come to do your will.
This week we have started our preparations for Easter. Today is our first Sunday in Lent and Lent is a time of fasting and abstinence to help us with our preparations, but preparations for what? Easter – Yes. But what does that mean to each of us – really? Deep down, what are we preparing for? The chance to eat chocolate again or to down a few glasses of wine or some other such thing that we have given up for Lent?
I would suggest that we are invited during Lent to let God find us where we are. And that is what we need to prepare – us, ourselves. When we look to God to come and find us, we want to be at our best; we want to be as ready as we can be for him to come to; to look at; to speak with; and that is going to take some preparation because we have all, each and every one of us, spent some time away from him, hiding in our own gardens, ashamed of what we have done, or said, or thought.
But Lent should not be about doom and gloom. It shouldn’t be about beating your breast and walking round with long faces as we heard on Ash Wednesday.
We are preparing for the greatest day in our church calendar: Easter Sunday, the day of the Resurrection of our Lord and Saviour; the day when our saviour came back to save us.
I know that Lent is usually a time when we give something up: when we stop eating or drinking certain things or doing things that we would ordinarily enjoy. But can I put this to you?
Instead of giving these things up – or maybe as well as – think about doing something extra: think about adding something to your daily or weekly routine that is over and above what you do now.
It may be an extra prayer session here in church, maybe the Stations of the Cross for a half hour each Sunday afternoon at 3.00. Or a short visit to the Blessed Sacrament here each Saturday morning between 10.30 and 12.00 or a chance to receive the sacrament of Reconciliation during those same times. Or it may be that you do stop eating as much on a certain day each week and save up the money and give it to CAFOD or someone else.
But whatever you do, do it with discipline and deliberately; plan for it and do it as a family together; do it with a spring in your step; lightness in your heart and God in your soul. Do it with joy. Do it rejoicing in our Saviour’s coming resurrection. Do it loud and proud and clear.
And at any time during this period of Lent, when we hear our God calling us, Michael, where are you? You and I can shout loud, clear, and with joy in our hearts – Here I am Lord, I come to do your will.
Lord I ask that you help me to be the best that I can be during this period of Lent and help me in my preparation to celebrate your coming and our Father’s calling out to me.
Bidding Prayers
1. That we prepare ourselves fully and properly during this season of Lent to become better equipped to receive our Saviour at Easter. Lord in your mercy
2. That we look to see where we can take on extra responsibilities to help others and our church to be in better places and ready for Easter. Lord in your mercy
3. That we pray regularly and steadfastly for peace across all nations torn apart by war and conflict, especially Ukraine. Lord in your mercy
4. That support and respite are provided for all those caught up in the earthquakes in Turkey, Syria and across the Middle East. Lord in your mercy
5. That all in our parish who are ill in body, mind or spirit are comforted and supported through our prayers and loving actions. Please remember Maria fryer in your prayers at this time. Lord in your mercy
6. That all those who have died recently find peace and eternal rest with the Lord. I ask you to remember Marie Josee Brown a strong and ever-faithful member of this parish whose funeral was this past week. Lord in your mercy
7. That Mary, our Mother and the Mother of our Saviour, join her prayers with ours as we now pray together, Hail Mary, full of grace