Welcome to the 1st Sunday of Lent! How is your Lent so far? Mine is challenging to say the least, but I keep going for the Easter Season!
I’m doing Psalms this time so here is the Responsorial Psalm for the 1st Sunday of Lent along with the Gospel! When we read both we see the connection!
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 91:1-2, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15.
R. (cf. 15b) Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.
You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High,
who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,
say to the LORD, “My refuge and fortress,
my God in whom I trust.”
R. Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.
No evil shall befall you,
nor shall affliction come near your tent,
For to his angels he has given command about you,
that they guard you in all your ways.
R. Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.
Upon their hands they shall bear you up,
lest you dash your foot against a stone.
You shall tread upon the asp and the viper;
you shall trample down the lion and the dragon.
R. Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.
Because he clings to me, I will deliver him;
I will set him on high because he acknowledges my name.
He shall call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in distress;
I will deliver him and glorify him.
R. Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.
Gospel
Lk 4:1-13
Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days, to be tempted by the devil.
He ate nothing during those days, and when they were over he was hungry.
The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”
Jesus answered him, “It is written, One does not live on bread alone.”
Then he took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant.
The devil said to him, “I shall give to you all this power and glory;
for it has been handed over to me, and I may give it to whomever I wish.
All this will be yours, if you worship me.”
Jesus said to him in reply,”It is written:
You shall worship the Lord, your God, and him alone shall you serve.”
Then he led him to Jerusalem, made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him,
“If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written:
He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,
and:
With their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.”
Jesus said to him in reply, “It also says,
You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.”
When the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him for a time.
The Gospel of the Lord! Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ!
Temptations! They are always trouble! Just as Jesus was tempted and triumphed over the devil, we too are tempted. We too can resist temptation with the help of the Sacraments, Mother Mary and the Saints! Sometimes we don’t like to admit that we are tempted, because then we have to admit that we sin. In times of temptation it is always a good thing to know and recall scripture and to call upon our Lord and His Mother to help us as they too triumphed over temptation. I’ve heard some people say “Jesus was the God Man and Mary didn’t have Original Sin, so of course they withstood temptation. Let’s not forget that Adam and Eve and all the Angels in heaven also were created without Original Sin. Due to Adam and Eve we have Original Sin and the need for Sacraments! The Angels while not human, were all good to begin with, and according to scripture 1/3 of them fell from God’s grace. (Rev. 12:4) The Saints were all born with Original Sin and they are proof that we can make it too! When you are hungry, satisfy your hunger with the Word of God and Prayer!
