I don’t know about you, but for me years are definitely going by much more quickly these days. Not long ago it was Christmas and now we are already in Lent and preparing for Holy Week and Easter. Lent (Garawys) is a period of forty days, which prepares us to celebrate the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The symbolism of the number forty is rich in the Bible. It signifies a time of trial or testing, and recalls significant biblical events. Firstly, in the story of Noah’s Ark in Genesis 7:12, God floods the earth with water for forty days. Secondly, in the story of the Exodus, the people of Israel spend forty years in the desert before they reach the Promised Land. Thirdly, Moses remains with God on Mount Sinai for forty days before giving the people of Israel the Ten Commandments. And fourthly, in 1Kings 19:8, Elijah fasts for forty days on the way to Mount Horeb, before talking to God and finding Elisha. All of these examples point to Jesus Christ and foreshadow His saving work. 

Today’s first reading from Genesis takes us back to the aftermath of the flood, and the covenant which God establishes by setting His bow, a rainbow (enfys), in the clouds, so that all humanity can rest assured that they will not be destroyed by God. We can be confident that ultimately Our Creator is interested in reconciliation and healing: God is a God of love.

Our second reading from the First Letter of Peter, draws a link between Noah and the ark as a sign of salvation, and baptism, by which humanity is saved. It is a timely connection to make since Lent is traditionally a time for preparation for Baptism at Easter. The wider account of salvation history, and the life of Jesus in particular, become our life as Christians in our baptism: we share in them, they become part of us, and form both who and what we are. We enter into the drama of salvation as we die to sin, and are raised to new life in our baptism. Through our new life in Christ, we follow His example, and prepare for our annual celebration of Holy Week and Easter by going into the desert with Him for the forty days of Lent.

Keeping with the theme of Baptism, this morning’s Gospel begins with Our Lord’s Baptism in the River Jordan by His cousin, John. Jesus does not need to be baptised, He has not committed any sins for which He needs to repent. He does not require to be washed clean. We, on the other hand, do need to be cleansed of our sins. Christ shows humanity the way back to God, so that we might follow His example, and come to share in the same intimacy which characterises the life of God. During Jesus’ Baptism we hear the Father’s voice and see the Holy Spirit: three Persons, One God. It is a glimpse of Divine Glory, which awaits us in Heaven, the end and purpose of salvation history.

Then the Spirit drives Our Lord out into the desert: to be alone, to pray, to be with God. This is also a time of trial when Satan tempts Jesus. The devil attempts to deflect Christ from His mission to bring love and healing, and to proclaim the Kingdom of God. Unlike Matthew’s Gospel, which lists the temptations, Mark simply states that Jesus was tempted. Because He is without sin, Jesus is able to withstand temptation. Our Lord’s victory in the desert points to His great victory on the Cross. Christ then preaches to ‘the spirits in prison’ ‘ac a bregethodd i’r ysbrydion yng ngharchar’ (1Peter 3: 19). He does this to save humanity from sin and death, and restore the hope of Heaven. This is what we are preparing to celebrate at Easter. 

In the garden of Eden the animals were tame, but in the desert Jesus is with wild animals. Here the second Adam is beginning the work of the restoration of Creation. Mankind who fell because of a tree, will be restored by the tree of the Cross. While He is in the wilderness Our Lord is ministered to by angels. He is the Beloved Son, in whom the Father is well-pleased. After the trial of the temptations Christ is tired, and hungry. Experiencing temptation is a trying business, both physically and spiritually. This reminds us of the need for care, especially self-care, in our Lenten observances. Rest and nourishment are an important part of our spiritual and physical wellbeing, now more than ever.

After the forty days are over, Jesus returns to Galilee and starts to proclaim the Gospel, the Good News of the Kingdom of God:

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” 

“Yr amser a gyflawnwyd, a theyrnas Dduw a nesaodd: edifarhewch, a chredwch yr efengyl.” (Mk 1:15)

This message is the same as the one announced by John the Baptist: Repent, turn away from your sins, turn back to God, and Believe the Gospel, proclaimed by Jesus Christ. As Christians, nearly two thousand years later, we believe and proclaim that same message. Jesus calls us to turn away from sin, to turn back to God, to trust Him, and to know that He longs for our healing and reconciliation. The Kingdom is a place where we are restored, and experience life in all its fulness.

During the weeks of Lent, we pray, fast, and are charitable in order to discipline our minds and bodies, so that we may grow in holiness and become more like Jesus. The Temptation of Jesus teaches us that we have to become weak, powerless and vulnerable, utterly reliant upon our Heavenly Father, so that God is able to be at work in us. Such weakness may be perceived as foolish in worldly terms, but that is the point. As Christians, we are not meant to be conformed to the world. In seeking to grow in faith, humility, and obedience, we allow God to transform us — taking us and shaping us into His likeness. Therefore, as we undertake to follow Christ in our Lenten pilgrimage, we do so in the knowledge of our weakness, and our total reliance upon God. If we turn away from what separates us from Our Heavenly Father, and believe in a God who loves us, then healing can take place. Following Jesus’ example we spend six weeks being close to Our Lord, so that He may renew and strengthen us.

So, my brothers and Sisters in Christ, let us use this time of Lent to draw close to God in prayer. Let us be nourished by the word of God in Holy Scripture, and by God’s very self, His Body and Blood in the Eucharist, so that He may transform us. By these means, may we share in the new life of the Kingdom and be prepared for the glory of Heaven where we, and all creation, may sing the praises of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. To whom be ascribed all glory, dominion, and power, now and forever. Amen.