Daily Gospel Reflection

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February 18, 2024

First Sunday of Lent
Mk 1:12-15
Listen to the Audio Version

The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert,
and he remained in the desert for forty days,
tempted by Satan.
He was among wild beasts,
and the angels ministered to him.

After John had been arrested,
Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God:
“This is the time of fulfillment.
The kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

Reflection

David Hammond '76
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There is a perplexing phrase at the start of today’s passage: “The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert,” where he was with the wild beasts, and Satan tempted him. Our temptation might be to imagine here a violent force coercing Jesus into the wilds where he is threatened by extreme heat and cold, lack of resources, and hostile animals. Although I am sure it wasn’t an easy time, the text doesn’t linger on it, and we know that Jesus was obedient to the will of the Father and the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

Instead, as we have seen in numerous Old Testament accounts, the desert is the background setting for a pivotal encounter with God. We think of Abraham, Sara and Haggar, Moses, Elijah, and, of course, John the Baptist in the New Testament. In these stories, the heroes of our faith come close to their Creator in the desert. Jesus is in this archetypal place of intimacy with God and God’s creation. It is quiet and set apart.
Today’s passage then mentions the arrest of John the Baptist, foreshadowing the fate of Jesus. The entire Gospel accentuates the inevitable suffering of the Messiah, but the crucifixion is not the final word.

In this early desert scene, the angels, a representation of God’s action in the world, minister to Jesus. Although Mark’s Gospel tells of Christ’s ultimate rejection and suffering, its prologue anchors that sorrowful narrative in the Christian confidence that God’s kingdom is at hand in all creation, from angels to humans to wild beasts.

Prayer

FaithND Team

Jesus, You suffered in the desert for 40 days, but in relying on the promises of the Father, you overcame temptation. Help us to be like you, Lord, as we begin our Lenten fasts. May we turn from that which easily distracts us from a loving relationship with the Father, and allow your Holy Spirit to minister to our hearts and minds. Amen.

Saint of the Day

St. Simon

St. Simon was a bishop and martyr who followed Jesus, and may have even been related to him. Simon is not to be confused with Simon-Peter, the disciple who was entrusted by Jesus as leader of the new Church.

The Gospel of Matthew tells of Jesus going to his hometown of Nazareth and how people there were astonished at him because they knew him as the carpenter’s son. “Is not his mother Mary and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? Are his sisters not all with us?” (Mt 13:55). These “siblings” of Jesus may have been cousins (there is no word for “cousin” in Aramaic, hence the designation as brother), or perhaps children of Joseph from a previous marriage.

Simon, in any case, was related to Jesus, and was older by about eight years. He was among the 72 followers of Jesus present at Jesus’ Ascension, and he was one of the followers present when the Spirit descended at Pentecost.

Simon’s brother, St. James the Lesser, was bishop of Jersualem before he was killed for his faith. The disciples unanimously appointed Simon as his successor.

When civil war broke out in Palestine in year 66, Romans destroyed the city. Simon led the Christians to live in a smaller city nearby, called Pella, until the Romans left. The community returned to Jerusalem to live among the ruins of the city, and the faith flourished there, thanks to Simon, and they converted many to follow Christ.

In the Roman persecution, Simon was arrested for being both Christian and of Jewish heritage, and was tortured and crucified. Tradition has it that he was very old—nearly 120—when he was martyred, but that he bore his sufferings with courage that won the admiration of the Roman governor overseeing the persecution.

St. Simon’s relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica.

St. Simon, you followed your cousin, Jesus, in life and death, pray for us!


Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Simon is in the public domain. Last accessed January 23, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.