February 22, 2015: First Sunday of Lent

The origins of Lent go back to the early days of the Church when catechumens preparing for baptism would enter a more focused retreat period for 40 days before Easter when they were baptized.  That definitely sets the context for the readings today, which focus on how God established a Covenant with Noah, which was intended to be universal, for all people, and provided the means of salvation for all.

We experience the effects of that salvific Covenant in baptism, when we call upon God to be merciful to us, and cleanse us inwardly to live righteously before Him.

And we are strengthened by the graces He bestows on us in baptism to live for Him in the struggles between good and evil in our lives, just as Jesus relied on the strength of the Spirit which led Him in the desert for 40 days.  It is this Holy Spirit that helps us live righteously as God works to bring about His Kingdom through us, which even now is at hand.