Reflection for the First Sunday of Lent
The collect for the first Sunday of Lent prays: “Grant, almighty God, through the yearly observances of holy Lent, that we may grow in understanding of the riches hidden in Christ and by worthy conduct pursue their effects. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.”
Today, on this first Sunday of Lent, let us spend some time reflecting on the riches hidden in Christ. St. Thomas Aquinas teaches that Jesus Christ, in his human nature, received the fulness of all graces. As head of the Church, he shares those graces with us when we are united to him as his members. The riches hidden in Christ are an inexhaustible well which he constantly pours forth for us.
The second reading begins: “Beloved: Christ suffered for sins once, the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous, that he might lead you to God.” As we enter into this season of Lenten repentance and conversion from sin, let us focus on the graces which Christ shares with us to heal the wounds of our unrighteousness, in order to lead us back to God. While God created us good with a natural inclination to virtue, the original sin of Adam and Eve left us with a wounded nature: weakness of will, ignorance of truth, malice, and concupiscence. Our own personal sins only strengthen these wounds. Yet God, who as we see in the first reading desires to spare and have mercy on us, sent his only Son. Jesus Christ, in his life, death, and resurrection, offers us the healing remedy for our sinfulness.
Weakness of will. Seeing how great a price Jesus paid in his suffering on the Cross for our redemption underscores the true evil of sin, and motivates us to keep from sinning. This external motivating force cooperates with the interior action of God’s grace to heal the wound of weakness of will. Grace strengthens the will, enabling it to desire and to do what is good, being by God’s assistance moved to act well.
Ignorance of truth. The Incarnation, in which God becomes visible and speaks in human language, teaching us what is true and good through the Gospels, makes faith easier and helps to heal the wound of ignorance. This disposes the soul to receive the enlightening gift of faith through grace, which allows the soul to see by a higher light of reasoning supernatural truths otherwise beyond its comprehension.
Malice. Seeing how much God loves us through the suffering he undergoes for our sake moves us to love God in return, thus helping to heal the wound of malice. This disposes the soul to open itself to the gift of charity, the gift of grace by which we love God with a supernatural love in a participation in his own love. While the fulness of beatitude is not experienced in this life, charity is the disposition of soul which beatitude rests on, giving us even now a certain quickness and joy in our love for God, and is in a real sense the beginning of beatitude in us.
Concupiscence. Finally, throughout his entire life but most especially in the Passion, Jesus Christ provides us with an example of all the virtues, helping to heal the wound of concupiscence. Seeing the example Christ has provided gives us a pattern to model our own actions on, corresponding with grace as we attempt to subjugate our passions to the order of reason through the virtues. Justifying grace subjects our reason to God and our lower powers to our higher ones, thus beginning the healing the wound of concupiscence. According to Aquinas, although God in his wisdom permits concupiscence to remain even after baptism, the reception of the sacrament mitigates its tendencies. Further growth in charity allows concupiscence to be further healed and conquered, because as St. Thomas quotes Augustine, “the increase of charity is the lessening of concupiscence.”
Let us heed the voice of Jesus as he calls to us in today’s Gospel, “The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” Let us allow the riches hidden in Christ to penetrate our lives and to turn us back to God.