Shanborlang Mawrie csc
Readings: Gen 9: 8-15; 1Pet 3: 18-22; Mk 1: 12-15
As we are entering into the season of Lent, the readings invite us to reflect on the word wilderness. The word wilderness serves as a metaphor for a period of testing, trial, and isolation. At the same time, it symbolised a place of purification and preparation for a greater good. We see in the life of Jesus, that to begin his ministry Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Spirit so that he could understand his mission through reflection, prayer, and the struggle against Satan. Each of us struggles with temptation daily, and it is standard to often feel alone in that battle.
At that moment it should remind us of the time that Jesus spent in the wilderness facing the same difficulties, this is a comforting reminder that we are not alone in our struggles. Jesus’ example, in fact, we find that the wilderness is not a place to be feared, but one of great hope, it is a place of purification and preparation for a greater cause.
The wilderness of Lent is an opportunity for us to enter more deeply into communion with God. Like Noah who remained faithful to the covenant even though the people were unfaithful to God. We need to trust God because he himself has made his promise through the voice of the Prophet Isaiah: “Behold I am doing a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will make a way in the wilderness” (Is 43:19). A new path opens up in the desert, which takes us from death to life.