Homily for 1st Sun of Lent, Year B
Fr. Albert
St. Peter’s, New Iberia
Baptism means battle. When someone is baptized, they join the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of God is at war. St. Peter hints at this when he explains that Baptism is “an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him.” Notice that last part – the angels, authorities, and powers – that’s a reference to Jesus’ victory over demons through his death and resurrection. The Kingdom of God overthrows the kingdom of darkness, and when you join our kingdom through baptism, you have to join the fight.
And Jesus models this for us even though he has no sin. He is baptized and then immediately goes into the desert to battle with Satan. And his fight against evil continues throughout his time on earth until he rises from the dead in victory. It is the same with us. From the moment of baptism until we rise from the dead, we must take our place in the battle of the kingdom, to defend the territory of our own soul and protect those people entrusted us.
That is why we have Lent. It is a time of specialized training, a chance to hone our spiritual weapons and improve our ability to fight. Of course this is no earthly battle where we rely on our own strength and skills. Ultimately, the strength, weapons, and tactics that we use come from God and rely on his power. Notice three important details from this scene: Jesus in the desert, Jesus among the wild beasts, and Jesus helped by the angels.
It’s not as if we pick a fight with the devil on our own. Jesus was led to the desert by the Holy Spirit. We too are entering the desert not of our own accord, but because the Spirit leads us there through the Church who has given us this season of Lent. She, the Church, has given us a minimum level of sacrifice, but she has also invited us to practice prayer, fasting, and almsgiving according to our own needs and ability.
First and foremost, we must be willing to actually enter the desert the Lord calls us to, to escape noise and distraction long enough to see and hear clearly what matters most. It is impossible to be a good Christian if you never embrace sacred silence. So, even though Lent has already started, spend some time in silence looking at what battles you have to fight in your own soul.
And we can recognize these battles in the wild beasts of our own life – those faults and sins that undermine your dignity and calling as a Christian. Before the sin of Adam and Eve, our desires and passions were under control, just like the animals, but now the wildness of sin has invaded every human heart. So, in what way is your heart home to the wild beasts of anger? Impatience? Gluttony? Lust? Laziness? Pride?
Lent is a good time to tame this beasts by adopting practices that oppose them. Is it anger? Then, try 20 minutes a day in prayer, reflecting on the past day to examine how you reacted and why. Impatience? Try strictly following the speed limit. Gluttony or Lust? Increase your fasting more than just giving up meat; maybe try eating only one meal every Friday. Laziness? A Lenten exercise routine. Pride? Pray the litany of humility every day and go out of your way to apologize for even tiny offenses to others.
There are many ways to fight many different sins, but Lent is not just another set of New Year’s resolutions. As we train for the battle of Christian living, we must continue to rely on the Holy Spirit. And do not forget that even Jesus had angels minister to him in the desert. This refers to literal angels, but it is also be a symbol for other spiritual supports in the Church: Confession, the Eucharist, the communion of saints, joining a prayer group or bible study, perhaps scheduling an appointment if you need spiritual counsel or an annulment.
And there are less official things too: how often does the internet get you into trouble? What about the “angels of cyberspace” so to speak? Websites like Catholic.com, NewAdvent.org, DynamicCatholic.com, IntegrityRestored.com and Formed.org.
Take advantage of this season. Lent is a time of special grace when it is actually a little easier to sacrifice, pray, and give alms. Make Lent a physical, psychological, and spiritual reminder that this life is only a journey to something more. As we step into the first full week of this season of training, use well the few minutes of silence I am about to give you: Are you ready to enter the desert of silence and prayer? Do you recognize the wild beasts of sin in your life? Do you rely on the help of God’s holy angels? Embrace this chance because, even though we do not determine the outcome of this cosmic battle, our willingness to fight does determine one very important fact: which side we’ll be on when the fog this world finally clears away.
