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Homily of the First Sunday of Lent, Year B: 2024
Homily of the First Sunday of Lent, Year B: 2024
Jesus proclaimed: “This is the time of fulfillment. The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” This message should be heard everywhere and at any time. Lenten season is about two things: repentance and renewing our faith. On the First Sunday of Lent, the Church will celebrate the rite of election for catechumens who are preparing for baptism, confirmation and the Eucharist. I would like to remind all of you that the message of repentance is not only for catechumens, but also for all of us. We all had been baptized in Jesus Christ. If we want to be in God’s Kingdom, we need to repent and to believe.
Question: how do we respond to God’s word? I would like to present to you two examples from the Old Testaments about believing in the gospel. The first example is from the first reading. Noah lived in the time that the whole world sinned against God, and God wanted to wash the world. But He still had mercy on the creatures he created. So he commanded Noah, who was righteous before God, to build a big ark to avoid flood. Noah believed in God’s words and built it. Many people at that time ridiculed Noah’s works. That is how we believe in the gospel. The second example is from the book of Jonah. God sent Jonah to a big and sinful city Nineveh to proclaim a warning: “In forty days the city will be destroyed.” King believed in God’s message and commanded the whole city to fast and do penance for their sins. God did not carry out his punishment. That is how we believe in the gospel.
We may ask: why is listening and believing in the gospel so difficult to people nowadays? There are a couple of reasons. First, it is because of sins. When people live in sin they live in darkness, and they do not want God’s light to scatter their darkness because they feel shame and pain. Second, it is because of pride and a hardened heart. When people want to hang onto their selfish ego, they do not want to give up their ways of life and change to the gospel way. Third, people attach so deeply to the world. When they attach or get possessed to this material world, they will not easily accept the gospel, because Jesus always tells us to detach from the material world in order to be free. Therefore, if we want to accept God's word in our life, we need to humbly repent from our sins and detach from the material world.
Dr. Scott Peck, in his book “The Road Less Traveled,” said, “Our society is dedicated to personal comfort. We should be wholly unconcerned with our comfort; instead we should be concerned with the truth. If knowing and living the truth is our goal, then despite some discomfort and possible hardship, the real joy of life ultimately will be ours. “
Dear friends in Christ, the Lenten season always reminds us that we need to get rid of whatever is hurting our relationship with God and with people. We have to step out of our comfort zone to reach out to God, and reach out to our brothers and sisters in need. Jesus spent forty days alone in the wilderness before he began his public ministry. I hope all of us can be alone with God sometimes during this lent. I believe: only in a quiet place can we face ourselves. Only in a quiet place can we hear God’s voice. Saint Peter said some truth about our baptism today. He said: “This prefigured baptism, which saves you now. It is not a removal of dirt from the body, but an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” Remember: when we let go of our selfish ego, our sinful habits and our sinful relationship, we are letting God take control of our life again. This is the time to repent and believe in the gospel.
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Stayton OR 97383
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