＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊

Genesis 9:8-15

God spoke to Noah and his son,

 “See I am making a covenant with you and with your descendants after you; also with every living animal with you: birds, cattle, that is, with every living creature of the earth that came out of the ark. I establish my covenant with you. Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.”

 God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I make between me and you, and every animal living with you for all future generations. I set my bow in the clouds and it will be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 

When I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember the covenant between me and you and every kind of living creature, so that never again will flood­waters destroy all flesh.

 

Ps 25:4-5,6-7, 8-9

Your ways, O Lord, are love and truth to those who keep your covenant.

 

＊＊＊ 2nd Reading ＊＊＊

1 Peter 3:18-22

 Remember how Christ died, once and for all, for our sins. He, the just one, died for the unjust in order to lead us to God. In the body he was put to death, in the Spirit he was raised to life, and it was then that he went to preach to the imprisoned spirits. 

They were the gener­­ation who did not believe when God, in his great patience, delayed punishing the world while Noah was building the ark in which a small group of eight persons escaped through water.

That was a type of the bap­tism that now saves you; this baptism is not a matter of physical cleansing but of asking God to rec­on­cile us through the resurrection of Christ Jesus. He has ascended to heaven and is at the right hand of God, having subjected the angels, Dominations and Powers.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊

Mark 1:12-15

 Then the Spirit drove him in­to the desert. Jesus stayed in the desert forty days and was tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, but angels ministered to him.

 After John was arrested, Jesus went into Galilee and began preaching the Good News of God.  He said, “The time has come; the kingdom of God is at hand. Change your ways and believe the Good News.”

 

Gospel Reflection：

Read :

after His baptism, Jesus was transported to the desert to strengthen Himself for the coming ministry. When the voice of John was stifled because of his arrest, Jesus continued the preaching of the Good News.

Reflect :

Jesus did not immediately plunge into the ministry when He was baptized by John and proclaimed as the One sent by God. He chooses to go into the desert to fortify Himself for the task ahead.

For the greater the responsibility is, the more we should do preparations to accomplish it. Jesus had to reckon with what He brings to the ministry. It is coming to terms with one’s wild animals and angels within.

Getting to know them allows one to minimize the effect of personal weakness and maximize the benefits of the strength and capacities. It takes time to know, acknowledge and label each one of them. For some, the forty days is a task of a life time.

But we must not be afraid to enter into the quiet school of our desert. It is only in there that we get to measure ourselves and chart a program of self-growth and development. The desert is a friend.

Respond :

In a world full of noise and haste, it is good to find a quiet time to come to terms with our wild animals and angels. It is not a waste of time. It is a good time spent for understanding ourselves. And having done so, we become lighter for others to bear.

For they don’t have to deal with our issues. We are dealing with them ourselves in a mature and responsible way.