First Sunday of Lent [B]


FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT [B]


We hear about Jesus spending time in the desert. How much time? Forty days, according to the Gospel of Mark (1:13). This number shows up regularly within the pages of sacred scripture. Consider the case of Noah: the ark becomes necessary because it continues to rain, day after day. How many days exactly? We’re told that it rained for forty days and forty nights (Gen. 7:12). Moses will spend a period of time on Mt. Sinai, communing with the Lord. How much time? It will be forty days, according to the Book of Exodus. How many years will pass before the Israelites finally enter into the Promised Land? They require forty years of formation. The Ninevites are given how many days to repent? Forty days, according to the Book of Jonah. The prophet Elijah’s journey to Mt. Horeb will span how many days? Forty days, according to the First Book of Kings. 


Perhaps you’re wondering why the number forty carries so much significance? It apparently has to do with the Ten Commandments. The Lord wants them to be observed, and he also wants them to be promoted. The Commandments represent a way of life; it’s a way of life that needs to be extended, in every direction, to the four corners of the earth. In other words: north, south, east, and west. Add the Commandments together and you reach the sum of ten. When those ten are taken in four different directions, you arrive at that critical number: the number FORTY. 


So when you encounter the number forty, think of the term “mandate.”  Through the Commandments a way of life is being prescribed. You’re called to observe this way of life, and you’re also called to promote it as well. For his part, the Lord smiles when you commit yourself to observing this way of life. He smiles even more broadly when he sees this way of life being promoted to each corner of the globe—north, south, east, and west. 


If you read The Little Lotus Flower by Gregoire Hudder, you’ll smile through the course of the story. But you’ll smile even more broadly when you turn to the final page. What happens at the end of the tale? This is where the stem blossoms into an exquisite flower. Petals are now extending in each direction. We don’t appreciate flowers until they become recognizable as true, authentic flowers. We appreciate them most fully when they begin to bloom. We can say something similar about the God of the Bible. He appreciates you as you are. And yet, he appreciates you in a more complete way when you transition from stem to actual flower. As your petals point in an outward direction, they signify, not just a pattern of existence, but also a pattern of meaningful witness. 

 

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