Mark 1:12-15
Dear Friends. As we begin our Lenten journey, today’s Gospel sets the story line of Jesus’ life in the most simple and stark terms. It is a contest of good and evil. We need to let the light of the Gospel story open up the depth of our own experience. We, too, find an endless struggle with the “wild beasts” and are in constant need of the angels to minister to us.
There is a very strong word in the beginning of today’s Gospel. The word is “drove”. “The Spirit drove him into the desert.” (Mk 1:12) The word Mark uses to describe what happens to Jesus in the desert indicates that he is tested rather than tempted. This is the same word used to describe the challenge to Abraham with his son, the experience of Moses and the exiles in the desert, and the entire adventure of Job.
It is clear the Spirit is preparing Jesus to face the evil which awaits him in his ministry and, ultimately, in its most naked and shocking form in the passion and death.
Along with the test of evil in the phrase “among the wild beasts” (Mk 1:13), we have the consoling message, “and the angels ministered to him.” (Mk 1:13) This tells us that God is never far away even when we so often find ourselves “among the wild beasts” as is the case in the lives of all of us.
One of the great deceptions of the devil is to lead us to think that we have overcome evil, thinking we have won the battle. This diabolic deception holds the seeds of many distortions and deceits in our journey.
Let me share a story about the environment as an example. In the 1880’s in Chicago there was a serious problem with sewage. From the city’s beginning, they simply let the sewage flow into Lake Michigan, the source of the city’s drinking water. As the city experienced a population explosion, the quantity of sewage expanded rapidly. At the same time, there was an enormous demand for more drinking water. Thousands were dying of typhoid fever because of the sewage in the Lake. Only after years of struggle did the city leaders finally face the need to pay for a new sewage system. In the meanwhile, tens of thousands had died.
The same choices between the quality of life and economic sacrifice is repeated constantaly in our day. We constantly face an option between health and money, life and death. The denial is most often maintained until we have the bodies to give us proof. This is evil that stays hidden until the end. Yet, it is evil whether we accept it or not. We saw an example of this in our recent encounter with Covid. The simple but life-giving actions of receiving vaccines, wearing a mask and keeping social distancing during the pandemic saved lives.
This is what Jesus’ Gospel is about. We are given a choice between good and evil. We have a role to play in the coming of the Kingdom, which is God’s plan for the world and reality. “This is the time of fulfillment. The Kingdom of God is at hand.” (Mk 1:15)
Jesus invites us to enter the struggle between good and evil. Jesus calls us to change and to accept his call to embrace the Good News. Jesus wants us to know the angels will be on hand to help us as we journey in his footsteps.
In today’s gospel, a passage at the very beginning of Mark, we have two basic facts about the Christian message. The time is at hand and the kingdom has arrived. This means we have the responsibility to change our life. We need to repent. Likewise, we need to believe the Good News of God’s love revealed in Jesus. We are challenged to change our way of living. We need to put God at the center. It is a clear issue of God’s reign and our response in new openness of heart leading to our Lenten task of service and sacrifice.
On this First Sunday of Lent, the brief Gospel passage lays out a challenge for us to walk with Jesus in the unending battle of good and evil. We need to use the time of Lent in sacrifice, service and prayer to open the eyes of our heart to see the depth and power of evil in our personal life and in our world. Like Jesus, the wild beasts are never far from us. The greatest danger is to fail to recognize them. Lent is a time to open up our eyes and our heart to Jesus’ command, “Repent and believe the Gospel.” (Mk 1:15)
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