The Covenant Relationship with God guides us in the right Path

Gen. 9:8-15, 1 Pet. 3:18-22, Mk 1:12-15. On this First Sunday of Lent Year B, the Church invites us to allow Jesus to guide us home to God’s heart. Today's first reading recounts the establishment of God's Covenant with Noah and his descendants. Many times in the history of the chosen people, God made Covenants in order to direct them in the right path. These Covenants mark important events in the life of the chosen people to remain faithful to His choice. While God remains faithful to the Covenant, humans find it difficult to keep to the Covenant relationship. Yet, we have the privilege to be called to look back at these Covenants and let God change our faithlessness to faithfulness. To always remain faithful to our Covenant, Peter enjoins us to be appreciative of the mercy of God and His constant faithfulness even while we are unfaithful.

In today's second reading, Peter speaks of the Covenant with Noah as the one that prefigures our relationship with Christ through the waters of Baptism. The letter points out that is Christ who has died for our sins and that we cannot think that the death of Christ was simply a removal of dirt from the body. Thus, we are invited to choose Jesus Christ once again in this time of Lent and know that He is our salvation. Choosing Jesus will help us confront our temptation with the courage to be victorious. Today's Gospel presents the temptation of Christ in the desert, as a model for the different temptations we encounter daily. Jesus shows us the importance of prayer and fasting against the temptations of the devil. Alone in the desert, Jesus exposed Himself to every attempt of the devil to make Him succumb to the devil’s will and disobey His Father’s will. This is the reason we are encouraged at this season of Lent to pray and fast. These will make us get close to God by rejecting the advances of the devil. The devil will always be there to lure us to him and to make us separate from God. By constant communication with God in prayer, we get to know Him, love Him and serve Him better. Prayer keeps us connected with Him. We are invited to turn away from anything that misleads us and walk always the way of the Lord in fasting, for fasting leaves us to ourselves and to God’s power.

May the Lord bless us this Lenten season as we are renewed in His covenant relationship with God! Amen!! Happy Sunday, Stay safe, safe life, Jesus loves you!!!