Live Good

 

“ Repent, and believe in the gospel ”

First Reading: Genesis 9:8-15

God said to Noah and to his sons with him:  “See, I am now establishing my covenant with you  and your descendants after you  and with every living creature that was with you: all the birds, and the various tame and wild animals  that were with you and came out of the ark. I will establish my covenant with you,  that never again shall all bodily creatures be destroyed by the waters of a flood;  there shall not be another flood to devastate the earth.”

God added: “This is the sign that I am giving for all ages to come, of the covenant between me and you and every living creature with you:  I set my bow in the clouds to serve as a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth,  and the bow appears in the clouds, I will recall the covenant I have made between me and you and all living beings,  so that the waters shall never again become a flood  to destroy all mortal beings.”

Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9.

Second Reading: 1 Peter 3:18-22

Beloved:

Christ suffered for sins once,  the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous, that he might lead you to God. Put to death in the flesh,  he was brought to life in the Spirit. In it he also went to preach to the spirits in prison, who had once been disobedient while God patiently waited in the days of Noah during the building of the ark, in which a few persons, eight in all, were saved through water. This prefigured baptism, which saves you now.

It is not a removal of dirt from the body but an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him.

Gospel: Mark 1:12-15

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
By Grace B. Madriñan

I fear this would happen.  Barely a week after the bliss we experienced from Pope Francis’ visit last January 17 to 19, we were bombarded by the bad news left and right as if trying to snatch us back to the negative pit we used to be in. The evil one has been working double time to erase every hope; every faith restored and reclaim the souls he has lost during the Pope’s visit. 

And who would not be crushed by the death of 44 SAFs (Special Action Force members of the Philippine National Police)? I could not even look at the face of the fallen heroes, all the more look at the families left behind. If it pains me this much, how much more for the people who knew them -- for the sons and daughters who looked up to them, for the wives who have loved them, for the mothers who have nursed them in their arms?

For a moment, it seemed fitting to be angry, to curse and to point fingers. If I were in their shoes, I could have burned bridges with my wrath. I could have summoned all the forces of nature to strike lightning to where the enemies are.  But that would not change anything. Much worse, I would be giving the evil one a fair chance to win.

Jesus is no different from us.  Jesus wept (John 11:35), He also felt anger when He “entered the temple area and drove out all those engaged in selling and buying (Matthew 21:12)” and even tempted by the demon in the desert (Matthew 4:1). He could have given in and chosen the easy, painless route. But Jesus demonstrated how to live good in this world without avoiding the bad, and rise above the temptations.

Prayer

Father, in this world where injustice seems to dominate the media, there is a greater temptation to be angry and on the finger-pointing mode.  Please teach us to judge fairly and not to be hasty with our actions. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.