20220306 RENEWING OUR PROFESSION OF FAITH
06 March, 2022, Sunday, 1st Week of Lent
First reading |
Deuteronomy 26:4-10 © |
The creed of the Chosen People
Moses said to the people: ‘The priest shall take the pannier from your hand and lay it before the altar of the Lord your God. Then, in the sight of the Lord your God, you must make this pronouncement:
‘“My father was a wandering Aramaean. He went down into Egypt to find refuge there, few in numbers; but there he became a nation, great, mighty, and strong. The Egyptians ill-treated us, they gave us no peace and inflicted harsh slavery on us. But we called on the Lord, the God of our fathers. The Lord heard our voice and saw our misery, our toil and our oppression; and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with mighty hand and outstretched arm, with great terror, and with signs and wonders. He brought us here and gave us this land, a land where milk and honey flow. Here then I bring the first-fruits of the produce of the soil that you, the Lord, have given me.”
‘You must then lay them before the Lord your God, and bow down in the sight of the Lord your God.’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 90(91):1-2,10-15 © |
Be with me, O Lord, in my distress.
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
and abides in the shade of the Almighty
says to the Lord: ‘My refuge,
my stronghold, my God in whom I trust!’
Be with me, O Lord, in my distress.
Upon you no evil shall fall,
no plague approach where you dwell.
For you has he commanded his angels,
to keep you in all your ways.
Be with me, O Lord, in my distress.
They shall bear you upon their hands
lest you strike your foot against a stone.
On the lion and the viper you will tread
and trample the young lion and the dragon.
Be with me, O Lord, in my distress.
His love he set on me, so I will rescue him;
protect him for he knows my name.
When he calls I shall answer: ‘I am with you,’
I will save him in distress and give him glory.
Be with me, O Lord, in my distress.
Second reading | Romans 10:8-13 © |
The creed of the Christian
Scripture says: The word (that is the faith we proclaim) is very near to you, it is on your lips and in your heart. If your lips confess that Jesus is Lord and if you believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, then you will be saved. By believing from the heart you are made righteous; by confessing with your lips you are saved. When scripture says: those who believe in him will have no cause for shame, it makes no distinction between Jew and Greek: all belong to the same Lord who is rich enough, however many ask his help, for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
Gospel Acclamation | Mt4:4 |
Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!
Man does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!
Gospel | Luke 4:1-13 © |
The temptation in the wilderness
Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit through the wilderness, being tempted there by the devil for forty days. During that time he ate nothing and at the end he was hungry. Then the devil said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to turn into a loaf.’ But Jesus replied, ‘Scripture says: Man does not live on bread alone.’
Then leading him to a height, the devil showed him in a moment of time all the kingdoms of the world and said to him, ‘I will give you all this power and the glory of these kingdoms, for it has been committed to me and I give it to anyone I choose. Worship me, then, and it shall all be yours.’ But Jesus answered him, ‘Scripture says:
You must worship the Lord your God,
and serve him alone.’
Then he led him to Jerusalem and made him stand on the parapet of the Temple. ‘If you are the Son of God,’ he said to him ‘throw yourself down from here, for scripture says:
He will put his angels in charge of you
to guard you,
and again:
They will hold you up on their hands
in case you hurt your foot against a stone.’
But Jesus answered him, ‘It has been said:
You must not put the Lord your God to the test.’
Having exhausted all these ways of tempting him, the devil left him, to return at the appointed time.
RENEWING OUR PROFESSION OF FAITH
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Dt 26:4-10; Ps 91:1-2,10-15; Rom 10:8-13; Luke 4:1-13]
Today, we begin the First Sunday of Lent. As we begin this annual Lenten journey, the liturgy prepares us for the end of this journey so that we are clear of the intended goal of the season of Lent. Otherwise, the season of Lent is reduced merely to a sombre period of time in the Church when we focus on penance, mortification, discipline and repentance. Sometimes, we give so much emphasis on the means that we forget the objective of what we do. This explains why some Catholics dread the season of Lent. It takes away the joy of living and the celebratory aspect of life. However, this is far from the intention of the Church. The goal of Lent is to arrive together as a community, baptized Catholics and catechumens, ready to renew the Profession of Faith with sincerity and conviction that we made or will make at our baptism.
Today’s first reading taken from the Book of Deuteronomy narrates how Moses gave them the Creed of the Chosen People. Moses instructed them to renew their covenant with the Lord which was what Joshua did when they entered Canaan, the Promised Land. (Jos 24:1-27) The creed of the Israelites spelt out the stages when God formed the People of God, beginning with the Patriarchs who were nomads, and then later through Jacob and Joseph, when the people settled in Egypt. They grew in numbers and strength, threatening Egypt and caused them to oppress the Israelites. Then God heard their cries and saw their misery. They recounted, “the Lord brought us out of Egypt with mighty hand and outstretched arm, with great terror, and with signs and wonders. He brought us here and gave us this land, a land where milk and honey flow.” So, it is the celebration of their redemption and their entry into the Promised Land. Through this Credo, the Israelites renewed their faith and loyalty to God by pledging to obey Him and serve Him. When called upon by Joshua to choose the god they wanted to serve, the people said to Joshua, “The Lord our God we will serve, and him we will obey.” (Jos 24:24)
This Profession of Faith in God is brought to fulfilment in today’s second reading, when St Paul also urged the people to make their confession of faith in Christ. Citing scripture, he wrote, “The word, that is the faith we proclaim, is very near to you, it is on your lips and in your heart. If your lips confess that Jesus is Lord and if you believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, then you will be saved. By believing from the heart you are made righteous; by confessing with your lips you are saved.” Jesus, for Christians, is the Saviour who delivered us from our sins. He is confessed as Lord, sharing in the divinity of God. This confession of faith in Jesus as Lord and Saviour is on account of the resurrection. It is this conviction of His death and resurrection that makes Christianity uniquely different from all other religions. It is on this basis of our faith in His resurrection that He is Lord and Saviour.
This explains why the gospel text on the temptations of our Lord, focused on the question of Jesus’ true identity. Two times, when the devil tempted our Lord, he said, “If you are the Son of God …” The devil was using the opportunity when Jesus was hungry to make Him doubt His identity by challenging Him to make use of His power to prove that He was truly the Son of God. In the first temptation, the devil said to Him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to turn into a loaf.” In the second temptation, “he led him to Jerusalem and made him stand on the parapet of the Temple. ‘If you are the Son of God’, he said to him ‘throw yourself down from here, for scripture says: He will put his angels in charge of you to guard you, and again: They will hold you up on their hands in case you hurt your foot against a stone.'” Both temptations sought to make Jesus use His power to prove Himself or to serve His personal interests, whether it was to provide for Himself in His hunger or to test the love of His heavenly Father. To do so would indicate a lack of confidence in Himself, in His power and in His Father.
Indeed, the Confession of Faith that is required of us Christians is fundamentally our confession of Jesus as Lord. This is what St Paul asks of us, “If your lips confess that Jesus is Lord and if you believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, then you will be saved. By believing from the heart you are made righteous; by confessing with your lips you are saved.” This is the heart of the Christian Credo. On this conviction of Jesus as Lord, through His passion, death and resurrection, we come to know the heart of our heavenly Father and the work of the Holy Spirit. It is in the paschal mystery that we understand the depth of the Father’s mercy and love for us in Christ Jesus. It is at the Paschal Mystery that salvation is won for us and we are reconciled with God because He has paid the price for our sins. It is at the Paschal Mystery that the Holy Spirit, the love of God is poured into our hearts.
It is within this context, that today’s scripture readings allude to the Sacrament of Baptism which we will renew at Easter when we renew our baptismal vows we made when we were baptized. When St Paul cited scripture saying, “those who believe in him will have no cause for shame, it makes no distinction between Jew and Greek: all belong to the same Lord who is rich enough, however many ask for his help, for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved”, we remember that St Peter on the day of Pentecost made a similar appeal when three thousand were baptized that day.” (Acts 2:21)
This allusion to our Baptism is also seen in the Temptation Story for on the day of our Baptism, we were called to renounce the temptations of the Evil One. We will be asked to renounce Satan, Sin and the World again on Easter. This is because confessing our faith in Christ is more than just a verbal confession. A sincere belief in the Lord from our heart will be seen in works. This was what the Lord said to the devil when he was tempted to worship him to receive the glory and power of the kingdoms of this world. Citing from scripture, He said, “You must worship the Lord your God, and serve him alone.” Faith is more than confessing in His Lordship, worshipping Him, but it is a matter of serving Him. Confession of faith is done not only with the lips but witnessing in life, otherwise faith is empty.
Consequently, during this season of Lent, we must reclaim our identity as the sons and daughters of God and Jesus as our brother. We must live like Him and follow His way of life. Most of us have gone astray, living a worldly life because we have forgotten our true identity as the sons and daughters of God. We must follow Jesus when He was tempted to deny His identity by affirming His confidence in His heavenly Father and by living out His sonship in obedience to Him, which is to accept His will by showing us the way to overcome evil, sin and the devil by being obedient to the Word of God. We must show that we know what really matters in life and what can bring us true happiness, not the powers, glory and pleasures of the world, but humble service to God and to our fellowmen. Are we ready to affirm our identity as sons and daughters of God, brothers and sisters of our Lord in the world today?
Three times in His fight against the Evil One, the Lord cited the scripture to stay focused on His mission and in His identity. Jesus knew the scriptures well and used them accordingly when faced with temptation. We too must do the same by being immersed and be familiar with the Word of God so that in times of temptation and doubt, the scriptures will come to our mind to guide us on in our response to those challenges and trials in our lives. Indeed, Jesus reminds us that “man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” The Word of God must be the sword and our armour to defend us from the temptations of the Evil One. During this season of Lent, we must make time to read and meditate on the Word of God, to listen to homilies attentively at Mass, not just on Sundays but during the entire season of Lent and to find occasions to share the Word.
As we journey together as a community during this season of Lent, let us encourage each other along the way to resist sin, discipline ourselves through penance, mortifications and strengthen ourselves through prayers, meditation on the Word of God and the reception of the Eucharist. Like the Israelites who journeyed through the desert to the Promised Land, like Jesus who was at the desert for forty days, we too must renew our faith in the Lord.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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