The First Sunday of Great Lent

The readings of this day tell us about Christ – to whom be all glory – and the Incarnate Logos. He is the treasure of our souls and lives, our glory, our light and the purpose of our desire. He is our greatest gift and the rock of our lives. Hence, the readings of this Sunday focus on the Son’s light and His glory:

• Pauline Epistle –  “let us put on the armor of light” (Rom. 13:12) and “put on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 13:14) 
• Catholic Epistle – “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights” (Jam. 1:13)
• Praxis – “since I could not see for the glory of that light” (Acts 22:11)
• Liturgy Gospel – “your whole body will be full of light” (Matt. 6:22)

The Psalms 

The readings start with the Vespers Psalm in which the human soul talks about her needs (a just cause, her vindication and her cry):  “Hear a just cause, O Lord, Attend to my cry; Give ear to my prayer which is not from deceitful lips. Let my vindication come from Your presence; Let Your eyes look on the things that are upright.” (Ps. 17: 1 – 2) Subsequently, in the Matins Psalm, the human soul discovers that all her needs, the assurance of her life and the focus of her love are all in the Lord her God: “I will love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust.” (Ps. 18: 1 – 2) In the Vespers Psalm, the human souls experiences the Lord as the door of hope, whereas in the Matins Psalm, the human soul experiences the Lord as the subject of hope i.e. the hope itself. This is why in the Liturgy Psalm the human soul announces her complete trust in all His divine ways and paths: “Show me Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth.” (Ps. 25: 4, 5) Note that the word “trust” is repeated in the Matins Psalm as well as the Liturgy Psalm. 

Matins & Vespers Gospels

The Gospel of Vespers makes clear what the obstacles are, of the enriching oneself with the heavenly treasure, namely being occupied with matters of life and its business: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matt. 6:34) The Vespers Gospel also emphasises what the spiritual eye sees or what repentance is, namely not to be occupied with the sins of others in such a way to be unaware or to not understand one’s own weakness: “And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?” (Matt. 6: 3) The Gospel of Vespers also warns the soul of derogation of what is holy and the spiritual pearls: “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine.” (Matt. 6: 6) Furthermore, the Gospel also calls us to seek with faith and with diligence, and to knock at the door of His heavenly mercies so that we may receive our share in Christ: “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” (Matt. 6: 8, 11)

As for the Matins Gospel, it warns us against falsely taking pride in gifts without truly knowing God: “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you’.” (Matt. 7: 22, 23) Here the Son, the rock, offers us the guarantee and the assurance of our construction (i.e. toil) when we live in His will and work according to His word: “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.” (Matt 7: 24 – 25). This Rock is no one else except Jesus Christ our Lord (1 Cor. 10:4), to whom be all glory.

The Epistles

The Pauline Epistle declares the traits and characteristics of those who live the heavenly treasure. It demonstrates three main virtues in them:

1. Faithfulness in life and in taking responsibility and dealing with others. “Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. … Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear.” (Rom. 13: 3, 7)
2. Love. “For he who loves another has fulfilled the law.” (Rom. 13: 8)
3. Holiness. “The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.” (Rom. 13: 12)

The reading then makes clears what the source is of every virtue and every holy behavior in our life: “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Rom. 13: 14)

The Catholic Epistle reaffirms three points, namely the word of truth which brings us forth to “be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures” (James 1:18), His word which saves our souls and that the Father is the source of every goodness in man: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures. … Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” (James 1: 17, 18, 21)

As for the Praxis, St. Paul declares the Son’s light, glory and brightness when he met Him on his way to Damascus. “Now it happened, as I journeyed and came near Damascus at about noon, suddenly a great light from heaven shone around me. … And those who were with me indeed saw the light and were afraid, but they did not hear the voice of Him who spoke to me. … And since I could not see for the glory of that light.” (Acts 22: 6, 9, 11) The Praxis reading also shows that the Lord has chosen St. Paul to reveal His will to him and for him to see the divine righteousness: “Then he said, ‘The God of our fathers has chosen you that you should know His will, and see the Just One, and hear the voice of His mouth. For you will be His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard.’” (Acts 22: 14 – 15)

The Liturgy Gospel

The Gospel of the Liturgy concludes with the Son who is the heavenly treasure itself, that is hidden in the field of our hearts. The reading exemplifies the glistening, spiritual, humble eye of the spirit which enlightens one’s whole being; the eye which yearns to see the heavenly and the divine treasures while living on earth in faith that God provides all her needs. “But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, … For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.” (Matt 6: 20, 21 – 22) The reading also calls us to be free from earthly bonds, from money and from bodily needs, rebuking us by focussing our attention on His care for the creation and the glory that He pours on us and also encourages us to seek His kingdom and righteousness: “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. … Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matt. 6: 28 – 29, 31 –33).