Homily - 1^st Sunday in Lent, Year C

Fr. Timothy W. Castor

Every year on this day—the First Sunday in Lent—we follow Jesus into the desert and we are reminded what these forty days are all about. We’re reminded of the reality of sin and temptation—that these are part of the human condition and have been since our first parents, Adam and Eve. We’re reminded that our Blessed Lord—God made Man—partook of our human condition to the point of suffering temptation (just as Adam and Eve were tempted, just as we are tempted) yet Jesus endured this without sin. And because Christ was able to triumph over temptation without falling into sin, we’re reminded that that same power—that same grace—is available to each one of us: We can resist temptation! We can be victorious over sin! And if we do sin, we can find forgiveness—a forgiveness offered freely to all. As Saint Paul says in today’s second reading: "there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all, enriching all who call upon him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

Friday night, I had the privilege of viewing The Passion of the Christ, and I highly recommend it. Unless you are completely cut off from the news, no doubt you are aware of the controversy this movie has raised over the question, "who is responsible for the death of Jesus?" Despite its detractors, the film is very clear in presenting the truth that no one person or one group is responsible for Jesus’ death. Rather, we are all responsible—the entire human race—it is our sins which brought the Second Person of the Trinity down from heaven to earth in order to suffer and to die and to rise again. Ultimately, Jesus laid down his own life and took up again. But, while the question "who is responsible?" is a valid one, perhaps it is not the right place to start as we consider the passion of Jesus. It is a negative question, and, regardless of the answer given, it offers very little hope. Who did it to Jesus is not nearly so important as who Jesus did it for. This is the question Saint Paul answers in our reading today from his letter to the Romans. And the answer to this question is the same as the answer to the first: Jesus died for all of us. Regardless of your national or ethnic heritage, the grace of forgiveness through the cross of Christ is offered freely to all who believe. "There is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all."

Saint Paul tells us we receive this grace through confession. But when Paul uses the word "confess" in this particular passage, he is using it in a sense that may be unfamiliar to us. We usually speak of confession of sins—acknowledging our need for forgiveness and salvation, especially in the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation. But here, Paul uses the word differently. He says, "if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved." Here, ‘to confess’ means to proclaim our faith in Jesus Christ as Lord. And this makes sense, because, while confession of sin is essential and a major emphasis of our Lenten observance, we cannot confess our sins to Jesus until we confess that he is able to forgive our sins—that, indeed, he is the Lord.

So, we must confess our faith, and then we must confess our sins. And "If we confess our sins," St. John tells us, "he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." He is faithful and just and will forgive because he knows our human weakness—he was tempted as we are, yet he did not sin. Our Lord’s forty-day fast and temptation in the wilderness gives us courage to follow him these forty days of Lent. We confess him to be Lord. May our faith in his resurrection be strengthened as we look forward to Easter and to our own resurrection at the end of time.

© 2004, The Rev. Timothy W. Castor