Reflection on the Readings for March 9, 2025 – First Sunday of Lent
The readings for the First Sunday of Lent on March 9, 2025, invite us into a journey of trust, identity, and resilience—themes that resonate deeply with the spirit of Lent. As we begin this season of penance, fasting, and prayer, the scriptures call us to reflect on where we place our faith and how we respond to the temptations that seek to pull us away from God.
In the first reading from Deuteronomy 26:4-10, Moses instructs the people to offer the firstfruits of the land to God and to recount their history of deliverance. This act is not just a ritual but a declaration of dependence and gratitude. The Israelites recall their humble beginnings—“My father was a wandering Aramean”—and God’s mighty intervention, bringing them out of Egypt into a land flowing with milk and honey. Lent echoes this narrative of liberation. It’s a time to strip away distractions and offer our own “firstfruits”—our time, our attention, our very selves—back to God, remembering that we, too, are a people redeemed by His hand. What are the Egypts we need to leave behind this Lent? What enslaves us—pride, comfort, or fear—that we might surrender to God’s freeing love?
The Responsorial Psalm (Psalm 91:1-2, 10-15) reinforces this trust with a promise of protection: “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High… no evil shall befall you.” These words prepare us for the Gospel, where Jesus will face temptation head-on, yet they also comfort us as we enter Lent’s desert. God does not abandon us in our struggles; He is our refuge. When we call on Him, as the psalmist assures, He answers. This Lent, we’re invited to dwell more intentionally in His presence through prayer, trusting that He walks with us through every trial.
Paul’s words in Romans 10:8-13 remind us that salvation is near, accessible to all who call on the Lord’s name. “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart,” he writes, urging us to confess Jesus as Lord and believe in His resurrection. Lent is not about earning God’s love—it’s already ours—but about deepening our response to it. Paul’s message challenges us to examine our hearts: Do we truly live as if Jesus is Lord? This season calls us to align our words and actions with our faith, letting go of whatever contradicts that confession.
Finally, the Gospel from Luke 4:1-13 brings us into the desert with Jesus, where He fasts for forty days and faces the devil’s temptations. Each test—turning stones to bread, seizing worldly power, testing God’s protection—strikes at the core of Jesus’ identity as the Son of God. Yet, He counters every lure with scripture, rooting Himself in God’s truth. This scene is the heartbeat of Lent: a forty-day journey into our own deserts, where we confront our weaknesses and temptations. Like Jesus, we’re tempted to seek instant gratification, control, or proof of God’s care instead of trusting His timing and will. But Jesus shows us the way—steadfast reliance on God’s word and a refusal to let anything usurp His place in our lives.
Lent begins with this powerful reminder: we are God’s beloved, called to trust Him above all else. The desert isn’t a punishment but a place of purification, where we learn who we are and whose we are. As we fast, pray, and give alms this season, let’s draw strength from these readings. Like the Israelites, let’s recount God’s faithfulness. Like Paul, let’s proclaim Jesus as Lord with our whole lives. And like Jesus, let’s stand firm in the desert, trusting that the God who delivered us before will lead us through to Easter’s joy.
Humility is key to defeating satan. Satan is all about pride. He thinks he is equal to God. He did not know Jesus was God, and that is why he set out to tempt Him. Satan is not omniscient. Movies today love to portray satan like this demigod that has all this power against man and nature. This is not so. Satan is only allowed to do things when God permits. God is the Lord. God is the one in charge. Because satan is prideful, humility is the only way he can be defeated. He does not need food, water, or housing. He does not need weapons or anything. If you attempt to fight him on human strengths, you will fail. If you try to "outsmart" satan, you will fail. He has a superior intellect only due to the fact that he is not limited to physicality. However, satan does not know humility. He cannot address it. He does not know how to combat it. It is like a martial arts expert facing a boxer in a boxing match. The martial arts experts, despite possessing amazing fighting skills, will not be able to defeat a boxer in his own field.
So be humble!
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