Reading I
Dt 26:4-10
Moses spoke to the people, saying:
“The priest shall receive the basket from you
and shall set it in front of the altar of the LORD, your God.
Then you shall declare before the Lord, your God,
‘My father was a wandering Aramean
who went down to Egypt with a small household
and lived there as an alien.
But there he became a nation
great, strong, and numerous.
When the Egyptians maltreated and oppressed us,
imposing hard labor upon us,
we cried to the LORD, the God of our fathers,
and he heard our cry
and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression.
He brought us out of Egypt
with his strong hand and outstretched arm,
with terrifying power, with signs and wonders;
and bringing us into this country,
he gave us this land flowing with milk and honey.
Therefore, I have now brought you the firstfruits
of the products of the soil
which you, O LORD, have given me.’
And having set them before the Lord, your God,
you shall bow down in his presence.”
Reading II
Rom 10:8-13
Brothers and sisters:
What does Scripture say?
The word is near you,
in your mouth and in your heart
—that is, the word of faith that we preach—,
for, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,
you will be saved.
For one believes with the heart and so is justified,
and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.
For the Scripture says,
No one who believes in him will be put to shame.
For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek;
the same Lord is Lord of all,
enriching all who call upon him.
For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Gospel
Lk 4:1-13
Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan
and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days,
to be tempted by the devil.
He ate nothing during those days,
and when they were over he was hungry.
The devil said to him,
“If you are the Son of God,
command this stone to become bread.”
Jesus answered him,
“It is written, One does not live on bread alone.”
Then he took him up and showed him
all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant.
The devil said to him,
“I shall give to you all this power and glory;
for it has been handed over to me,
and I may give it to whomever I wish.
All this will be yours, if you worship me.”
Jesus said to him in reply,
“It is written:
You shall worship the Lord, your God,
and him alone shall you serve.”
Then he led him to Jerusalem,
made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him,
“If you are the Son of God,
throw yourself down from here, for it is written:
He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,
and:
With their hands they will support you,
lest you dash your foot against a stone.”
Jesus said to him in reply,
“It also says,
You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.”
When the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him for a time.
Meditation: Romans 10:8-13
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)
Every Sunday at Mass, we publicly confess what we believe. When we recite the creed, we openly state that we believe in the Trinity, in the virgin birth, in Jesus’ death and resurrection. We proclaim our faith that the church is one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. We place our hope in eternal life. Yes, every Sunday we do indeed “confess” with our mouths that “Jesus is Lord” (Romans 10:9).
What about believing in our hearts? Scripture tells us that the heart is the center of our being. It is the place where our deepest desires dwell, but also the place where we make our most important decisions. So believing in our hearts means deciding to surrender ourselves to the Lord who died and rose for us. It means loving the Lord and deciding to follow his ways.
This means that every time we proclaim the creed at Mass, we can check the level of conviction that goes into the words we are saying. In the early church, Christians died for confessing with their lips and believing in their hearts. That’s how much their faith meant to them. Today, we face similar challenges to our faith. Our lives may not be on the line, but our hearts are. Will we stand up as believers in this world? Or will we let the world dictate the terms of our faith?
When you say the creed at Mass today, be sure that you are proclaiming it both outwardly with your lips and inwardly with your heart. Tell the Lord: “I believe in you. I trust you with all my heart. Thank you for all you have done for me.” The more you hold this creed in your heart, the more you will see your faith increase. And as your faith increases, you will find yourself more compassionate, more loving, and more eager to share Jesus with those around you.
“Come, Lord, and increase my faith this Lent. I want to know you more and to serve you better.”
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