Lent is the moment of mercy and compassion. It is the time when selfishness gives way to sacrifice and works of charity. The Hebrew people would always appeal to the mercy and compassion of God. Often, to do this, they would remind God of his covenant with his chosen people; especially the covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This covenant depicts God’s steadfastness and his kind gesture to reach out to his people in love and kindness; constantly calling his people back to his loving and forgiving arms. It is remarkable that the covenant God has made with Noah and his descendants includes every living creature on earth. ‘There shall be no flood to destroy the earth again…The waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all things of flesh.’ God cares for the earth he has made. This could inspire the global recent commitment to care for our environment. The Hebrew interpretation of the great flood in Noah’s time was that of punishment from God. In our time we do know better that such natural disaster could be linked to the attitude of humans to our environment. Therefore, God invites us to make a covenant/commitment to protect our environment so that it does not destroy us.

St Paul understands this flood, not necessarily as a punishment for many but more importantly as a means by which some were saved ‘by water’. ‘That water’ he says, ‘is a type of the baptism which saves you now, and which is not the washing off of physical dirt but a pledge made to God from a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has entered heaven and is at God’s right hand, now that he has made the angels of the Dominations and Powers his subjects.’ It is important for St Paul to remind us of the cleansing waters of baptism at which we made a covenant with God in good conscience. It is not a covenant of fear but that into which we have freely entered.

In the gospel of Mark, ‘the Spirit drove Jesus out into the wilderness and he remained there for forty days, and he was tempted by Satan.’ In our forty days of the season of lent, we journey with Christ in his temptation and his fast in the desert. Jesus’ temptation was based on what was lacking in such a wild desert. We may not be in some wild desert but our temptation in villages, towns and cities today may be that we have too much than we actually need.  He was tempted by ‘satana’; that ‘hindrance and obstacle’ of life that is capable of distracting one from his mission. The tempter lures us away from our promises and the covenant we have made with God. Jesus was surrounded by overpowering wild beasts but, most importantly, the angel of the Lord looked after him. God is always there to play his own role in the covenant. He is always there even in the most difficult situations and trials of our lives; as the psalmist says, ‘Your ways, Lord, are faithfulness and love for those who keep your covenant.’ After the ‘obstacle’ has been overcome by Jesus, he moved on to continue with his mission which was so clear in his proclamation of the good news: God reigns, his kingdom is close at hand, come back all who have gone astray. Be gathered back again to the assembly of the people of covenant.

An important messages of lent remains – a homecoming; a time to amend the broken promises and reconcile with God who is full of mercy and compassion. It is a time of reconciliation with God, with our neighbour and with our environment. Let every fasting, prayer and abstinence, be a step closer to God, fostering one harmony of humanity and nature.