Pope: Lent, the temptation to remove God from ours lives and the world
Vatican City (AsiaNews) - " The temptation has always been present in human
history to remove God, to order our lives and the world on our own, relying solely
on our own abilities." The season of Lent is a time when with
"patience" and "humility" we follow "the Lord every
day, learning to build our life not outside of him or as if He did not exist,
but in Him and with Him, because He is the source of true life". Benedict
XVI summed up the meaning of the liturgical season of Lent, now in its first
Sunday, in front of thousands of pilgrims gathered in St Peter's Square for the
Angelus.
Referring to the Sunday Gospel (Mark 1:12-13), which narrates Jesus' period in
the desert, the pope explained that the desert "has different
meanings": " It may indicate the state of abandonment and loneliness,
the "place" of man's weakness where there are no supports and
certainties, where temptation becomes stronger. But it may also indicate a
place of refuge and shelter, as it was for the people of Israel who escaped from slavery in Egypt,
where we can experience the presence of God in a special way. Jesus " remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan"
(Mk 1.13). St. Leo the Great says that "the Lord willingly suffered the
attack of the tempter to defend us with his help and to teach us by his
example" (Tractatus XXXIX, 3 De ieiunio quadragesimae: CCL 138 / A, Turnholti
1973, 214-215)".
Continuing to comment on the Gospel, the Pope added: "This is the time of
fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand" (Mk 1.15), He announces that
something new happens in Him: God speaks to man in an unexpected way, with a unique
and concrete closeness, full of love, God becomes incarnate and enters the
world of man to take sin upon himself, to overcome evil and bring man back into
the world of God. But this proclamation is accompanied by a corresponding
request for such a great gift. In fact, Jesus adds: "Repent and believe in
the Gospel" (Mk 1.15), it is an invitation to have faith in God and to
convert our lives each day to his will, directing all our actions and thoughts towards
good. The season of Lent is a time to renew and strengthen our relationship
with God through daily prayer, acts of penance, works of fraternal charity"
Before concluding his reflections, he asked everyone to pray for the week of
spiritual exercises that he and the Roman Curia begin tonight. The preacher
chosen for this year is Card. Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya, Archbishop of Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo).
The theme of the meditations will be "The communion of the Christian with
God -" And our fellowship is with the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ
"(1 Jn 1.3)."
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