Scripture Reflection for the Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, apostle (First Sunday of Lent):
Genesis 2:7-9; 3:1-7
Psalm 51:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 17
Romans 5:12-19 or 5:12, 17-19
Matthew 4:1-11
Lent calls for a return to the basics.
On Ash Wednesday, for instance, we are exhorted to give alms, to pray, to fast (Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18). These simple commands come directly from the Lord, from the Sermon on the Mount.
The purpose of such basic practices is simply holiness, to share in the Father’s holiness.
“So be perfect,” Jesus said, “just as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew
5:48). That’s it, it’s simple. That’s the why of Lent.
But Lent is also about memory. In a special way during Lent we recall, to put it in cinematic terms, our origin story.
Again, on Ash Wednesday, we do this by means of ritual. “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return,” you may have heard as either a priest or some brother or sister in Christ sprinkled ashes on your head. A ritual that recalls at once our beginning and our end, it places us within the story and struggle of Adam and Eve.
Likewise, at Mass the First Sunday of Lent, you will hear the priest praying about “overturning all the snares of the ancient serpent.” And again, the same truth is being underlined, and that is, our spiritual struggle – our struggle for redemption and holiness – is an ancient struggle, a human struggle. In fact, it’s the human struggle. Which, of course, is why we need Jesus, for there’s no way we could overturn any serpents on our own.
Hence this Sunday’s readings. The story of our creation from “the clay of the ground” followed immediately by the story of the serpent and the fall: there is, of course, much to meditate upon in this story, for instance on the psychology of sin (Genesis 2:7). But there’s more.
For me, I also think of this story in terms of history and in terms of all the stories which ultimately include my story. “Still to come were toil and trouble, pain and grief, death and all the wear and tear of the world” was Saint Augustine’s take away when reading this story. Yeah, that’s me. I see myself in this story; I see us. That’s our world. But, of course, I think that’s the point.
At least, I think, that was Saint Paul’s point. “Through one man sin entered the world, and through sin, death, and thus death came to all men, inasmuch as all sinned,” he wrote (Romans 5:12). Yes, that ancient story about Adam and Eve does indeed relate to us. The human predicament is indeed not just ancient, it’s contemporary and grave. Sin and death are both ancient and new.
But thank goodness Saint Paul kept on writing. “In conclusion,” he wrote, “just as through one transgression condemnation came upon all, so, through one righteous act, acquittal and life came to all” (Romans 5:18). He’s talking about Jesus of course.
And here we come to see how our life in Christ and Lent and our ancient original story all come together. That is, we begin to see how our union in Christ becomes the means whereby our story of sin is turned into our story of redemption.
Which is why we should read this passage from Matthew’s Gospel fundamentally as an invitation to enter the desert with Jesus. Clearly, we cannot contend with the serpent by ourselves; Adam and Eve proved we couldn’t.
No, Jesus is driven into the desert by the Spirit for us and, mystically, with us; he shows us how to rely on God alone, to worship him alone. Don’t live on bread alone but also on God’s word. Do not put God to the test Worship and serve only God.
Again, we should meditate on this passage in light of the tragedy of Eden, the tragedy of our long collective history of sin, the tragedy of our many individual sins. Jesus is showing us the way out of Satan’s scheme. He’s showing us how to finally win that fight which began so very long ago.
Which is why Lent is for everyone. Because not only is the struggle primeval, it’s also universal. We will always in some sense be in the desert. All of us.
The way Saint Leo the Great, that great preacher of Lent, put it, he said that those seeking baptism (say, those in OCIA) need Lent “in order to receive what they do not have as yet” whereas those who have already been baptized (even cradle Catholics) need it “in order to preserve what they have received.”
Again, what Lent is about is the basics, our origin and our redemption story. And that’s a story that includes us all, which is why Lent is meant for you too.
Father Joshua J. Whitfield is pastor of Saint Rita Catholic Community in Dallas and author of “The Crisis of Bad Preaching” (Ave Maria Press, $17.95) and other books.
