Psalm Reflection: The First Sunday of Lent - Cycle C

“Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.” - Psalms 91

When I was in sixth grade, I had the police called on me at school.

My friends and I were having a fun day in class. We were filming commercials for an end of the semester project in our English homeroom. Our heightened energy irritated our 6th grade teacher, who punished us by forcing us to eat lunch on the ramp of our portable instead of being able to socialize and play during lunch.

After a few minutes of sitting on the ramp, the wind started to pick up and we were getting cold. We all had jackets in our classroom, but the door was locked. Two of our classmates, the teacher’s daughter and her friend, were inside the classroom but they would not let us in.

So, I grabbed a card from my wallet and swiped through the door jam to get the lock open. We walked into the classroom, grabbed our jackets, and walked back out to sit on the ramp. I remember feeling like a secret agent, I was so satisfied with the fact I was able to get in the classroom using something I had only ever seen on TV.

Unbeknownst to us, the girls in the classroom proceeded to call the school office and accused us of breaking and entering, and the office called the local sheriff. One by one, our names were called over the loudspeaker to report to the principal’s office. For some reason, I was one of the last people to be called. By the time I got to the office, my friends had concocted a story that placed all the blame on me, and made it sound like I had planned to break into the class to steal money and the video equipment that was setup for our projects, instead of telling the truth.

I remember feeling so trapped, betrayed, and alone. The sheriff was telling us that breaking and entering was a felony offense, and threatened to write up citations against us. In the span of thirty minutes, my day went from goofing off with my friends, to complete despair.

Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Lenten season. The season of Lent can evoke some of the same imagery and feelings. We are embarking on a journey into the desert, a place of solitude and scarcity. The desert can be sparse, unforgiving, and lonely. 

When we receive the sign of the cross in ashes on our heads today, we are reminded that all of this will one day be gone so that we will use this time to prepare our hearts for the Lord more intentionally.

The ashes we receive are made from the burned palm leaves from Palm Sunday last year. These same sacramentals that represent the joy of Jesus entering Jerusalem are transformed into a symbol of suffering and death. 

Life can change in an instant.

Things can suddenly get turned upside down.

Lent is a reminder that God is with us in the desert.

When everything else is stripped away or reduced to ashes, Jesus is still there.

Lent invites us to become aware of our own attachments and expectations, especially those that get in the way of the Lord’s will in our lives. It is a time of testing, to see if the things we fill our lives with are really contributing to what the Lord wants for us. We remove distractions, turn away from sin, and sacrifice luxuries so we can see our lives more clearly and prioritize what matters most.

What is the Lord calling you to let go of?

What is the Lord asking you to commit to?

How do you want to be different on Easter morning?

What do you want your faith to look like in 40 days?

Lent reveals the parts of our lives that we try to justify as good, but they are really not. I thought my friends were loyal and trustworthy, but it turned out they were not. It was brutal at the time, but I am glad I found out who they truly were so I could move on and make better friends.

Change is always difficult, but God has even better things in store for us if we let Him lead us through the desert this Lent. 

“Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.” - Mark 1:3

I am praying for you, please pray for me, and I will see you in the Eucharist.

Matt

This reflection is based on the Responsorial Psalm for this Sunday, March 9th, 2025, the First Sunday of Lent - Cycle C: Psalms 91:1-2, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15.