Todays Gospel (and readings) 9.3.2025

*Sunday 9th March 2025*

*First Sunday of Lent*

In today’s Gospel, we are told of how Jesus was led into the desert by the Spirit, for 40 days; where he was tempted by the Devil

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We pray:-

Be with us, Lord, when we are in trouble.

God, come to our assistance.

Lord, make haste to help us,

Glory to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Send the fire of your Holy Spirit deep within us.

Souls in purgatory, pray for us.

Angels and Saints, pray for us.

May the Lord bless us and keep us;

May the Lord make his face shine upon us and be gracious to us;

May the Lord turn his face toward us and give us peace. Amen

Lord, that I may see, Lord, that I may hear.

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Lectionary: 24
*Reading I*
Deuteronomy 26:4-10

_In this verse, a significant moment occurs when Moses outlines a form of confession that the Israelites should express when offering their first fruits upon entering the Promised Land. The act of presenting first fruits symbolises gratitude for God’s provision and a recognition of His sovereignty over the land._

Moses spoke to the people, saying:

“The priest shall receive the basket from you
and shall set it in front of the altar of the LORD, your God.

Then you shall declare before the Lord, your God, ‘My father was a wandering Aramean
who went down to Egypt with a small household
and lived there as an alien. But there he became a nation
great, strong, and numerous.

When the Egyptians maltreated and oppressed us,
imposing hard labour upon us, we cried to the LORD, the God of our fathers and he heard our cry and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression.

He brought us out of Egypt with his strong hand and outstretched arm, with terrifying power, with signs and wonders and bringing us into this country, he gave us this land flowing with milk and honey.

Therefore, I have now brought you the firstfruits of the products of the soil which you, O LORD, have given me.’

And having set them before the LORD, your God, you shall bow down in his presence.”

*Responsorial Psalm*
Psalm 91:1-2, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15

*R. Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.*

You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High,
who abide in the shadow of the Almighty, say to the LORD, “My refuge and fortress, my God in whom I trust.”

*R. Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.*

No evil shall befall you,
nor shall affliction come near your tent, for to his angels he has given command about you,
that they guard you in all your ways.

R. *Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.*

Upon their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone. You shall tread upon the asp and the viper; you shall trample down the lion and the dragon.

*R. Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.*

Because he clings to me, I will deliver him; I will set him on high because he acknowledges my name.
He shall call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in distress; I will deliver him and glorify him.

*R. Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.*

*Reading II*
Romans 10:8-13

_St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans is about “the good news of God”. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord, will be saved.” Everyone who believes that Jesus Christ is the Lord and confesses it, they will be saved. Whoever you are, whatever you have done, whatever your life has been like up to that moment. You will be saved… just like that!_

Brothers and sisters:
What does Scripture say?

The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart —that is, the word of faith that we preach—,
for, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,
you will be saved.

For one believes with the heart and so is justified,
and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.

For the Scripture says,
No one who believes in him will be put to shame.

*For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all, enriching all who call upon him.*

For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

*Verse Before the Gospel*
Matthew 4:4b

One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.

*The Gospel*
Luke 4:1-13

Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days, to be tempted by the devil.

He ate nothing during those days and when they were over he was hungry.

The devil said to him,
“If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”

Jesus answered him,
“It is written, One does not live on bread alone.”

Then he took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant.

The devil said to him,
“I shall give to you all this power and glory; for it has been handed over to me and I may give it to whomever I wish. All this will be yours, if you worship me.”

Jesus said to him in reply, “It is written
You shall worship the Lord, your God and him alone shall you serve.”

Then he led him to Jerusalem, made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written: He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you, and: With their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.”

Jesus said to him in reply, “It also says, You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.”

When the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him for a time.

*REFLECTION*

If someone is attacked or feels threatened, it is common to be defensive.

For example, if soldiers suddenly find themselves under attack from an enemy, they will most likely take up a defensive position.

Similarly, when we feel personally attacked by another or are tempted by the devil, we will often try to defend ourselves.

However, within the worlds of games, sports and military activity, there is a common adage that says, “the best defense is a good offense.”

In other words, the best way to keep the opponent from winning is to go on the offensive rather than to sit back and take up a defensive position.

In many ways, this is what Jesus did when He entered the desert.

He was aware that the evil one wanted to destroy Him.

Therefore, when Jesus entered the desert for 40 days to pray and fast, He did so in a sort of offensive attack upon the devil.

Jesus’ temptations in the desert were not primarily difficulties He had to endure and resist.

Rather, they were first and foremost ineffective attacks from the evil one, because Jesus had already embraced the opposite virtues.

What temptations and sins are among your greatest struggles?

In what ways do you find yourself experiencing defeat?

In what ways have you taken up a defensive position to try to overcome your struggles?

Too often we approach temptations in the wrong way.

We see them as attacks from the evil one that we must resist and defend ourselves against.

And though that is true, it is not the full truth.

The full truth is that the best way to overcome the struggles we face is to confront them directly in a vigorous and offensive way by choosing the opposite virtue.

Consider the three temptations Jesus overcame in the desert:

gluttony,
vainglory, and
greed.

Jesus’ entrance into the desert for those 40 days was the way by which He destroyed these temptations before they were even presented to Him.

By voluntarily choosing to fast from food for those 40 days, Jesus rendered the temptation toward gluttony ineffective.

By choosing the humility of entering into the solitude of the desert to be alone with His Father, Jesus robbed the temptation toward vainglory of its power.

By choosing a life of poverty and simplicity, He overcame any temptation toward earthly wealth, even before it was offered to Him.

As we begin this forty-day Lenten journey, reflect, today, upon the sins and temptations in your life that need to be overcome.

If you find yourself in an ongoing defensive position toward certain struggles, especially if you find yourself losing the battle at times, it’s time to change your strategy.

Embrace the opposite virtue of the sins you are most tempted with this Lent.

Embrace those virtues in an offensive manner.

Choose kindness if you struggle with anger.

Choose fasting if you struggle with gluttony.

Choose generosity if you struggle with greed.

Whatever your struggle, turn to the virtue you need the most and make it your focus this Lent so that you, too, will be well-prepared to reject the evil one and his lies when temptation comes your way.

(From Catholic Daily Reflections)

*PRAYER BASED ON TODAY’S GOSPEL*

My tempted Lord, You resisted all temptation in Your life by choosing every good virtue and living them to perfection. Please help me to see the virtues I need the most right now and give me the strength I need to run toward them this Lent with all my heart. Jesus, I trust in You.

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O Lord, support us all the day long, until the shadows lengthen, and the evening comes, and the busy world is hushed, and the fever of life is over, and our work is done. Then in your mercy, grant us a safe lodging and a holy rest, and peace at the last. Amen.

*CONCLUDING PRAYER*

Let us pray,

Grant us, O Lord, we pray,
that the course of the world
may be directed by your peaceful rule
and that your Church may rejoice,
untroubled in her devotion.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
— Amen.

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Father, I thank you for you have heard my prayer (John 11:41).