A Gospel Reflection
The word ‘Lent’ means Spring so let’s make the best of that thought and go with it. Lent was originally referred to in Latin as Quadragesima (meaning forty days) – the time Jesus spent fasting in the desert. By the 4th century there was a combined desire both to exclude Sundays (not being fast days) and have forty days in the season – hence the forty-six days from Ash Wednesday to Easter Day.
Our Gospel today (Mark chapter 1 verses 1 – 15) links to Jesus’ baptism, temptation and proclamation to ‘repent and believe the good news’. Mark’s gospel is crisp and concise. We recall our own baptism through which we are saved. When we repent and seek God’s forgiveness, our baptismal state is restored, and the image in us, once tarnished, shines again. God made an early covenant with Noah after The Flood and this promise is sealed afresh in Jesus – Hallelujah!
As the year moves forward we go with a sense of optimism as we meditate on these scriptures, using this time of Lent for prayer for our own circumstances and the wider world.
Look out for the four week ‘course’ on Wednesdays if you would like a bit more study (details on the Notice Sheet). How we need to encourage this sense of hope.
John Marsden