WE ARE WEAK. JESUS IS STRONG. WE NEED HIM!
(A biblical refection on the 1st Sunday of Lent, Year C 17 February 2013)
Gospel Reading: Luke 4:1-13
First Reading: Deut 26:4-10; Psalms: Ps 91:1-2,10-15; Second Reading: Rom 10:8-13
The Scripture Text
And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was led by the Spirit for forty days in the wilderness, tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing in those days; and when they were ended, he was hungry. The devil said to Him, If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread. And Jesus answered him, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone. And the devil took Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to Him, To You I will give all this authority and their glory; for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If You, then, will worship me, it shall all be Yours. And Jesus answered him, It is written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve. And he took Him to Jerusalem, and set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here; for it is written, He will give His angels charge of you, to guard You, and On their hands they will bear You up, lest You strike Your foot against a stone. And Jesus answered him, It is said, You shall not tempt the Lord your God. And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time. (Lk 4:1-13 RSV)
Adam, tempted in the garden, fell by eating the fruit; but Jesus, when enticed by the lure of food, triumphed. In Him we have removal of original sin and a fresh beginning. He is the New Adam (see Rom 5:12-21). The fact that Jesus was tempted proves He is human (see Heb 4:15). That He did not succumb is a sign of His divinity.
In todays Gospel, it seems that the devil wanted to know Jesus identity and tried to trick Him into working a miracle that would prove He was God, for only God could turn rocks into bread. If the local baker happened to turn bread into rocks, it is a sign of human weakness; but turning rocks to bread requires a greater power.
This whole temptation scene shows the strength of Jesus, who could control His great hunger. If we were famished, we would probably do almost anything to get food and would feel justified in doing so. When it concerns food, some of us fall very easily. The devil knows how to handle a hungry man, but he never learned how to handle a hungry God.
Jesus was tempted by the devil to other foolish deeds, such as bowing down to worship him which He didnt do, of course, but which we might do if the payoff is big enough. Then there was the invitation to leap off a tall building the corner of the Temple overlooking the deep Kidron Valley. It would have been a show-off stunt to impress the people. Here again, Jesus didnt jump for glory; just as He didnt jump off the cross, in spite of His agonizing pain. Instead, we do the jumping, to gain approval or applause and to avoid little inconveniences or difficulties. We manifest a severe spiritual weakness when we jump to false conclusions about others and misjudge their motives. Thats sinful.
Jesus must have endured numerous temptations during His life, especially in those unsheltered public years. We believe He emerged completely victorious a 4. average, summa cum laude.
As for the rest of us who fail our many temptations, we realize that the power of Christ has not yet really taken hold of our lives. As we read the story of the temptations, let us acknowledge some basic truths. We are weak. Jesus is strong. We need Him.
Short Prayer: Lord Jesus, You know the temptations I face every day. Put Your truth deep in my heart so that I can stand against Satans lies. I want to take up the authority You gave me against Satan through Your cross! Amen.
THE DEVIL USES PEOPLE
(A biblical refection on the 1st Sunday of Lent, Year C 17 February 2013)
First Reading: Deut 26:4-10; Psalms: Ps 91:1-2,10-15; Second Reading: Rom 10:8-13; Gospel Reading: Lk 4:1-13
A priest was having a hard time looking for a parking space. After sneaking into a no-double parking space, he left note on his wiper which read: Ive gone around the corner three times but couldnt find a space Forgive me my trespasses. When he returned, a violation ticket was tucked on his wiper with the note, I will be removed from my post if I dont book you Lead me not into temptation.
Temptation is an ever-present reality in life. Even the Lord Jesus was tempted as shown in Scriptures (cf. Lk 4:1-13). Jesus withdrew to the wilderness for a long retreat. There He encountered Satan who offered Him the ultimate in power, money and material comforts. The offer was, of course, conditional. Jesus was to acknowledge Satan as supreme being. All these I will give you if you will fall down and worship me, the devil said. Jesus answered with an emphatic No.
The struggle in the wilderness between Jesus and the devil goes on within each of us, every day of our life. The urge to be true to God is real, but so is the urge to be untrue. St. Paul describes the inner struggle or spiritual combat in his letter to the Romans: I cant understand myself; for I dont do what I would like to do, but instead I do what I hate (Rom 7:15).
Note that temptation is not a sin. It is an incitement to evil. It is a testing. God allows Satan to test someone to see how good he/she is. Its like a girl testing the fidelity of her suitor. God allows Satan to test us so that we can prove whether we are on Satans or Gods side.
In temptation the devil does not always appear as a horrible looking half-man, half-animal with horns and tail. He could appear in the form of a well-dressed man with pleasing personality but offers indecent proposals like approving an anomalous contract or bribing people. The devil could be a smart, charming lady, say, in the office who seduces you to be unfaithful to your wife. In other words, individuals and institutions can be used, and are being used today by sweet-talking Satan.
Temptation is related to free will. God gives us free will to test our love for Him. I have to make decisions for or against God when I am tempted. If I have no free choice to love or not to love, if I am simply compelled by human nature to love, my love for someone would have no value whatsoever. Destroy free will and you destroy the very concept of love for God that is free.
St. Paul writes in 1Cor 10:13 God will not allow you to be tempted beyond your power to remain firm. Every time youre put to test He will give you the strength to endure it, and provide you the way out. The ideal thing to do is to ask the Lord to help you.
One thing we have to remember, when the Lord shooed Satan away and left Him, the struggle didnt end there. The Gospel writer tells us that when the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left Him, to await another opportunity (Lk 4:13).
Temptation is a continuing struggle in our lives to keep God at the center. And as someone quipped: When you flee temptation, be sure you dont leave a forwarding address. Sometimes we are attracted to infidelity, to excessive drinking, or to cheating in money matters. In all these cases we are tempted to substitute the lesser for the greater, the superficial for the real, the trivial for the essential.
Weve begin the season of Lent. Its a season of testing and discipline, of choosing good and evil, of focusing on the greater and better choices. Are we making the right choices?
Note: Taken (with very little changes) from Fr. Bel San Luis SVD, WORD ALIVE, Manila, Philippines: LOGOS Publications, Inc., 1994, pages 34-35.