"This is the time of
fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the
gospel." - Mk 12:14-15
What drama Mark
conveys in just a few short sentences in today’s Gospel reading! In a scene
that immediately follows God’s recognition of Jesus as His Beloved Son at His
baptism, Jesus is driven by the Spirit into the desert to face 40 days of
hunger, beset by wild beasts, tempted by Satan, and finally, comforted by
angels. Jesus is subjected to these trials not in spite of His Sonship but
because of it. God the Father strengthens His Son for what is yet to come, when
Jesus will be asked to give His life for His people.
Promising His
people to “set his bow in the clouds” as a warrior sets down his bow and arrow
in times of peace, God will never again to send floodwaters to destroy all
bodily creatures – instead, He now sends Jesus to open the way for His people
to be saved through the waters of baptism. In baptism, all are saved by the
suffering of Christ, “the righteous for sake of the unrighteous,” that we too
may become sons and daughters of God (1 Pt. 3:18).
After His death
and resurrection, Jesus brings the Good News of salvation even to those
imprisoned spirits “who had once been disobedient… in the days of Noah” (1 Pt.
3:19). This passage suggests that from the earliest days of the Church,
Christians believed in a place of purgation for those souls that died in an
imperfect state. The salvation that Christ brings is not limited by time and place,
but is eternally present to those who repent and believe.
The call to repentance
is given clearly through the Church, especially in the 40 days of the Lenten
season, when we commemorate the 40 days Jesus spent suffering and fasting in
the desert before beginning His earthly ministry. All Christians are asked to
join together to pray, fast, and resist temptation, as we await the Easter
celebration of the Resurrection of Christ. Now is the time of fulfillment. The
Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel!
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