Gospel for the First Sunday of Lent
February 14, 2027 · Mark 1:12-15
Forty days in the desert
Lent begins, the forty-day journey toward Easter. Jesus spends forty days in the desert. Mark 1:12-15
Liturgical color: violet
This Sunday’s Gospel, in everyday words
After his baptism, the Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert. Mark 1:12
He stayed there forty days, and Satan tempted him. He lived among the wild beasts, and the angels ministered to him. Mark 1:13
After John the Baptist had been put in prison, Jesus went to Galilee to proclaim the Gospel. Mark 1:14
He said that the time had come and the Kingdom of God was at hand. He called people to repent and believe in the Gospel. Mark 1:15
What the Bible says
Mark 1:12-15
12And immediately the Spirit drove him out into the desert. 13And he was in the desert forty days and forty nights, and was tempted by Satan; and he was with beasts, and the angels ministered to him. 14And after that John was delivered up, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15And saying: The time is accomplished, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent, and believe the gospel.
Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner revision), public domain.
The other readings at Mass
First Reading
After the flood, God makes a covenant with Noah. The bow in the clouds will be the sign of that covenant. Genesis 9:8-15
Responsorial Psalm
“Your ways, O Lord, are love and truth.” Psalm 25:4-9
Second Reading
Christ died once for sins. Peter sees in the water of Noah’s ark a sign pointing to baptism. 1 Peter 3:18-22
The full readings for this day, from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops: bible.usccb.org
What the Church teaches
Lent
Every year the Church remembers these forty days of Jesus in the desert: that is Lent.
Catechism 540
Jesus, the faithful one
Satan tempted Jesus to test his trust as the Son. Jesus is the new Adam: he stayed faithful where the first Adam fell.
Catechism 538 and 539
The ark and baptism
The Church sees Noah’s ark as a figure of baptism: a few people were saved through water.
Catechism 1219
The color violet
In Lent the priest wears violet.
General Instruction of the Roman Missal 346
To read with your children
Jesus went into the desert. Mark 1:12
He stayed there for forty days. Mark 1:13
The angels took care of him. Mark 1:13
Jesus asked people to believe in the Gospel. Mark 1:15
During Lent, what good thing can you do each day?
To talk about as a family
- Jesus spent forty days in the desert. What would help us be closer to God this Lent?
- In Lent we pray more, we fast, and we share with the poor. What will we choose as a family?
- For the child: what colors are in the rainbow that Noah saw?
This week
Choose together one resolution for all of Lent: a daily prayer, something to give up, or something to share.
To pray
Lord Jesus, you overcame temptation in the desert. Walk with us this Lent, so that we may reach Easter with new hearts. Amen.