Lent A Time of Reflection and Evaluation

Today marks the first Sunday of Lent, a time of reflection, evaluation, and preparation for our Lord's Resurrection on Easter Sunday. We learn in today's gospel that Jesus was tempted by the Devil in the dessert, first to make stones into bread, second to cast himself down from a high point to allow the angels to save Him, and lastly to gain all the Kingdoms of the world if He would bow down and worship the Devil. Jesus did not give in to any of these temptations, but continuously relied on God and trusted in the Lord when He was tempted. Like Christ we too during this Lenten season as well as every day of our lives will be tempted to do certain things. We are left with decisions to make, when we choose what is good we better our relationship with God through perseverance, while when we go down the dark road we separate ourselves from the Lord because of sin. Lent is a time in the Church calender which allows us to reflect on our actions and behaviors, in order to evaluate ourselves and make necessary changes. Lent is a time of repentance, where we die to our old selves, sinful ways, and are born in Christ to new life through the passion, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus. Christ invites all of us to this spiritual birth, however we must act upon this incredible invitation positively with full confidence that we no longer have to live in bondage to sin. It is important to realize that we can only overcome the troublesome matters of our lives with the Lord by our side. We must continuously work at the things we are not good at and avoid the situations that lead to our sinfulness. Then and only then will we be able to overcome the evil things that are holding us back from gaining closer to our Lord God and His Son Jesus Christ. Through the grace of the Holy Spirit we can do all and overcome all. Therefore, continue to make the effort and stay strong, reflect and evaluate who you are. For Christ is always near, it is just a matter of allowing God into our lives and then we will see clearly that the possibilities in life are endless.