Today we have arrived at the first Sunday of Lent. We enter here in order to draw close to the Lord for the 40 days that make up the Lenten season.
40 is an important number that is scattered throughout Sacred Scripture. It is this number which signifies new life, new growth, and transformation. The number 40 always brings about a type of change. For example the great flood lasted for 40 days and nights, Moses fasted for a period of 40 days before he received the Law, the Israelites wondered about the desert as the fleed from slavery for 40 years, and as was heard in our Gospel Jesus fasted for 40 days and nights in the desert.
40 signifies a lot of meaning to us. It serves as a reminder of repetence, newness, and preparation. It is through Lent that we have the opportunity to do precisely this. As the Congregation for Divine Worship describes Lent, “It is a time to hear the Word of God, to convert, to prepare for, and remember Baptism, to be reconciled with God and one’s neighbor, and of more frequent recourse to the ‘arms of Christian penance’: prayer, fasting and almsgiving.”
Not only is the number 40 of importance, but the desert also serves of great importance. It was here that one would go to bring about testing, encounter, and renewal. The Israelites passed through the desert as they were being renewed for their encounter with the Promised Land. Christ entered into the desert in order that He would prepare to enter into His public ministry. Likewise, we head into the desert that is this Lenten season to bring about renewal within us as we prepare for Easter.
During Lent we have the opportunity to head into the desert to pray, to fast, and to give alms for a period of 40 days. This season is very active because we know Easter to be so important. We realize the reality of sin and temptation and allow the Lord to enter into our life in order that we may come to purify it from our midst. No matter the temptation that is present within your life please realize that you already have everything that you will ever need to overcome it through your baptism, as you were strengthen by you Confirmation, have received the Lord’s mercy in confession, and been fed by the Lord in Holy Communion.
Christ Himself entered into the desert and there He was tempted. Nevertheless, the devil had no power over Him no matter what lie he would tell. So too does the devil have no power over us if we place out trust in the Lord and His mercy which endures forever. May this truly be a time of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving in order that we may prepare ourself for an encounter with the Risen Lord at Easter. In such manner we will be prepared to undergo a new way of life as we come to more clearly live for Christ.
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