The Gospel of February 26, 2023 with the comment of Pope Francis
On this first Sunday of Lent, the Gospel recalls the themes of temptation, conversion and the Good News. Mark the evangelist writes: "The Spirit drove Jesus into the desert and remained in the desert forty days, tempted by Satan" (Mk 1,12: 13-XNUMX).
Jesus goes into the desert to prepare himself for his mission in the world. For us too, Lent is a time of spiritual "competition", of spiritual struggle: we are called to face the Evil One through prayer in order to be able, with God's help, to overcome him in our daily life. We know that evil is unfortunately at work in our existence and around us, where violence, rejection of the other, closures, wars, injustices are manifested. All these are works of the evil one, of evil. Immediately after the temptations in the desert, Jesus begins to preach the Gospel, that is, the Good News. And this Good News demands conversion and faith from man. In our life we always need conversion - every day! -, and the Church makes us pray for this. In fact, we are never sufficiently oriented towards God and we must continually direct our minds and hearts to Him. (Pope Francis, Angelus February 18, 2018)
First reading From the book of Genesis Gen 9,8: 15-XNUMX
God said to Noah and his sons with him: "As for me, behold I am establishing my covenant with you and with your descendants after you, with every living thing that is with you, birds, cattle and wild animals, with all the animals that came out of the ark, with all the animals of the earth. I establish my covenant with you: no more flesh will be destroyed by the waters of the flood, nor will the flood devastate the earth any more. " God said: “This is the sign of the covenant, which I place between you and me and every living being that is with you, for all future generations. I place my bow on the clouds, so that it is the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I amass the clouds on the earth and the arch appears on the clouds, I will remember my covenant which is between me and you and every being who lives in all flesh, and there will be no more waters for the flood, to destroy all flesh ».
Second Reading From the first letter of St. Peter the Apostle 1Pt 3,18: 22-XNUMX
Beloved, Christ died once and for all for sins, just for the unjust, to lead you back to God; put to death in the body, but made alive in the spirit. And in the spirit he went to bring the announcement also to the captive souls, who had once refused to believe, when God, in his magnanimity, was patient in the days of Noah, while he was building the ark, in which a few , were saved by means of water. This water, as an image of baptism, now saves you too; it does not take away the dirt of the body, but it is an invocation of salvation addressed to God by a good conscience, by virtue of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He is on God's right hand, having ascended to heaven and obtained sovereignty over angels, principalities and powers.
From the Gospel according to Mark Mk 1,12: 15-XNUMX
At that time, the Spirit drove Jesus into the desert and remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan. He was with the wild beasts and angels served him. After John was arrested, Jesus went to Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and said, “The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is near; get converted and believe in the Gospel ».