St. Mary's Catholic Church of Tomahawk, WI

Dear Brothers and Sisters:

We have begun Lent since Ash Wednesday. As we know, Lent is the time to turn away from sin and turn back to God. The readings explore the origins of sin and death and contrast the power of sin with the mightier power of obedience to God. The first book of the Bible, Genesis, attributes the fullness of power and creation to God alone. Equally striking is Israel’s teaching that the source of evil is not some primordial force, but rather that evil flows from the moral decisions of human beings. When the first parents made decisions for themselves apart from God’s command, that caused them to sin. How do we choose in life?

The second reading provides many rhetorical arguments, comparing and contrasting between Adam and Christ, denoting that all are under the reign of sin and death and need salvation through Jesus Christ. Adam’s disobedience to God’s command was responsible for the entrance of sin and death into the human condition. Whereas the obedience of Jesus brings acquittal, an abundance of grace, the gift of justification and life. What is our stand to overcome and turn away from sin, to obey or disobey the divine?

In the Gospel we hear that Jesus was led into the wilderness, after His baptism, to be tested. In all the three tests and the dialogues between the tempter and Jesus, our Lord reveals His true identity as the Son of God and passes the tests of obedience. His obedience demonstrated His faithful trust in God’s providence. Hence sin is nothing but anything that undermines such obedience to God and His commands. During this Lent do we wish to work at least to some extent on how we could deal with sin by obeying God?

Fr. Aloysius Royan Anthony