1st Sunday of Lent - Meaning of 40 Days

 

On this First Sunday of Lent, we heard the Gospel state, “the Spirit drove Jesus into the desert and He remained there for forty days, tempted by Satan”. And after the 40 days, “Jesus then came to the region of Galilee proclaiming the Gospel,” stating, “This is a time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

What is the meaning of 40 days of Lent and what is necessary for true repentance?

In the English language, the special season before Easter is called “Lent.” The word comes from the “lengthening” of daylight hours as we progress from the darkness of winter to the new light of spring. But other languages, such as Spanish, have a name for this season that is derived from the word for forty. It is the season of the forty days.

  Most people know we do penance for forty days because Jesus fasted forty days in the wilderness. But did you ever wonder why Jesus was out there for forty days rather than seven or ten or fifty days? Think back to the Old Testament. 

Noah and all who entered the Ark watched rain fall for 40 days and forty nights. And at the end of the 40 days, there was hope that they would once again be able to walk on land. In Noah’s case, it’s the rebirth of a sinful world cleansed by raging floodwaters.

Moses was on Sinai for 40 days and then came down the mountain with the 10 commandments, the Law. It preceded the birth of the Law, which would guide the people on the way of righteousness.

The Israelites wandered around the desert for 40 years, seeking freedom from the slavery of the Egyptians with the hope of entering the Promised Land. A place God would provide for all their needs. But before they arrived, they crossed the Red Sea, which miraculously parted, so that they could be free from the slavery of the Egyptians. When Pharaoh and his army were hurled into the sea after the Israelites safely crossed, it was like a birth of a new Israel liberated from sin. It was the birth of the people of the covenant.

All these “forties” are necessary and were a prelude to a birth of something new. And Jesus? What did His forty days mean? It was the birth of a new Israel, the birth of His Church which would help mankind to be liberated from sin, reconciled to God, and governed by the law of the Spirit rather than a law chiseled in stone. It was a birth of a people of the New and Everlasting Covenant. As the rainbow symbolized the old covenant, God made between Himself and the people, the Eucharist is not only a mere symbol, but in fact, the New and Everlasting Covenant, between God and His people.

We can see by the historical facts from the Old Testament, the reason why Jesus remained in the desert for 40 days. There was deep meaning to it. Mysteriously, Jesus allows Himself to be tempted in the desert. Perhaps, showing us that He was like us in all things, but sin. Yet, He also wanted us to know God was doing something new. He wanted to also show us that if we turn to Him, who conquered ever sin and the devil in the desert, He will help us to overcome our temptations. His overcoming the temptations in the desert, was a prelude to His crossing over from this life to the next by His victorious conquering of sin and death on the Cross and His glorious resurrection and ascension into heaven.

When Jesus gave us, through the apostles, the waters of baptism, He gave us a new birth into the life of God Himself. He gave mankind a way, so that all could now enter the Promised Land of Heaven and be freed from the slavery of sin. But after Baptism, our journey to the Promised Land of Heaven has not arrived, because we- ourselves go about wandering through life suffering from temptations.

When Jesus came out of the desert, He gave us words to help us to know what we should do. He said, “This is a time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

Our first thoughts with regard to repentance, is that we think of asking for forgiveness for our sins. But repentance is much deeper than that. By reflecting on repentance, it reminds us there is much more to repentance than getting our sins forgiven.

Repentance means, we will change our life. It means conversion. It means sort of a birth in the Spirit. And this is why we should turn to Our Blessed Mother, the advocate of sinners, and beseech Her to help us have a true and lasting repentance, so that at the end of our life, we cross the waters from this world to the next and enter the Promised Land of Heaven.