1st Sunday of Lent (B)

Gn 9:8-15; 1 Pt 3:18-22; Mk 1:12-15

A small boy had the habit of coming home late from school. One day his parents warned him to be home on time, but he still came back late as usual. So they decided to teach him a lesson.

At dinner that night, the boy was served only a slice of bread and a glass of water while his father had a full plate of food before him. The poor boy looked with hungry eyes at his father’s full plate and with pleading eyes at his father. The father waited for the full impact to sink in, then quietly took the boy’s plate and placed it in front of himself. He took his own plate of meat and potatoes, put it in front of the boy, and smiled at his son.

When that boy grew to be a man, he said, “All my life I’ve known what God is like by what my father did that night.” What his father did was take on himself the punishment and suffering that rightly belonged to his son.

(The story is told by Fr. Munachi E. Ezeogu)

The reading from the first letter of Peter explains what Jesus did for sinners like us. He took upon himself the punishment that really belonged to us. “He the just one, died for the unjust in order to lead us to God” (3:18). Substitutive suffering is an act which only is possible for someone who really loves.

After the great flood that cleansed the earth, God made a covenant with Noah and his sons. “Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth” (Gn 9:11). Humankind continued sinning but God remained faithful to his promise. God loved humankind so much that he could not send another flood to purify the earth. Instead of a great flood, God sent his Son to suffer on our behalf. This time, a small amount of water and blood which flowed from the side of Jesus was enough to wipe away the sin of the world.

During this Lenten season, the Church invites us to appreciate more deeply what God in Jesus did for us. The Good News of Jesus is about the faithfulness of Yahweh whose unfailing love should inspire us to reform our lives (Mk 1:15).

A religion teacher asked a group of grade two pupils what sin is. A little boy raised his hand and said, “Sin is when we turn our back to God.” The teacher was impressed with the answer. Too wise for an eight-year old kid.

The teacher was more surprised when the boy continued to explain. “When we turn our back to God, we will see Him no more. But God remains there, standing at our back. And when we decide to turn around, we will see God standing there still.”