1st Sunday of Lent (C)
(Deuteronomy 26:4-10; Romans 10:8-13; Luke 4:1-13)
Since the Lord Jesus came to lead us in the fight against
sin and death, against the devil panoplied in power and pride, it was fitting
that He allowed Himself to be tempted for our sake, so that His triumph over
the devil might win for us grace to work -- with and in Him, by His Spirit -- for
our own salvation and the glory of the one God and Father of all, Who
originally created us and eternally loves us.
Now, if we look carefully at Our Blessed Lord’s temptations
in the desert in today’s Gospel reading, we can recognize the broad outlines of
temptation faced by humankind everywhere; for the devil tempts men, women, yes,
and even children, first of all, through their earthly appetites, just as he tried
to do with Jesus when he said:
If You
are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.
They are many who succumb to this first sort of temptation
as they pander to their appetites for food, alcohol, sex, and pleasures and
satisfactions of all sorts.
Nevertheless, there are others who will overcome, or at
least resist for a time, this “common” sort of weakness, until the next big hurdle
-- the pretensions of power and authority -- brings them crashing to the ground:
The devil, taking Him up on a
high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him: All this authority
I will give You, and their glory, if You will worship before me.
Some very few, however, might not succumb to even such
temptations, being neither overwhelmed by sensual pleasures, nor eager to exercise
power or authority over others; indeed, not even seeking to be seen as most talented,
acknowledged as most capable, admired as most popular. And yet -- because all human beings are, in
one way or another, sinful -- these remaining few will, ultimately, succumb to
the last temptation experienced by Jesus in the desert:
(The devil) brought Him to
Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You
are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here.”
There we have the temptation most closely corresponding
with the devil’s own character: spiritual pride, that is, self-serving, self-proclaiming,
egotism.
And so, we have these three: pleasure, in its myriad
forms; and pride, both worldly and spiritual; those are the sins of humankind
throughout their lives, before the shadow of death appears, threatening all with
fear and foreboding. That would, indeed,
be the devil’s last temptation for Jesus Himself, a temptation which Jesus – as
God-sent Saviour -- would conquer with love unheard of in mankind’s annals; till
that moment, however, Jesus wills to help those who hear and will obey Him,
live their earthly lives both profitably and joyfully as His true disciples,
walking with Him along paths that lead to heavenly fulfilment.
But what about those who find their main pleasure in sheer
idleness, despondency, and fear which inhibit so many by persuading them to
hide themselves so that nothing can either be expected from them or asked of them?
In one sense this last failing is the worst of all. For, what can be done with one who refuses to
move? Someone going in the wrong
direction can be redirected; anyone who is faltering on the way can be
encouraged and strengthened; and those who are seeking, but confess themselves
to be puzzled and uncertain, can be enlightened; but what can be done for
someone who has no desire to be, or to do, anything other than to remain
undisturbed, to sit cosy, and hold tight?
The sins of pleasure are a perverted acknowledgement of the
divine truth that creation is truly beautiful and we are not self-sufficient,
for, without repeated injections of contrived and distorted pleasurable satisfactions,
such sinners find themselves deeply unhappy and unfulfilled. Likewise, the sins of pride are a testimony
to our God-given human potential for advancement and improvement of all sorts: and
indeed, at times, sinners of that sort show great human ingenuity and skill, expend
enormous energy and endeavour, in order to satisfy that most foolish and
insatiable of all passions: self-aggrandizement. On the other hand, however, the idleness, despondency,
and fear which can paralyse a human being and prevent him or her doing anything
with their life, bears no witness -- either negative or positive -- to our
human dignity or our divine calling; indeed, it tends to rob us of our
authentic human character, since it is of the essence of human kind that, being
made in the image and likeness of God, they are destined for fulfilment and
called to seek and to find it eternally with Him. And so, whilst the sins of pleasure staining
our modern society are a clear sign that many are painfully aware of their own emptiness
and need for fulfilment; and whilst the proud, likewise, give positive, albeit
twisted and deeply vitiated, testimony to the calling and gifts with which
mankind has been endowed; the inertia of the despondent and the fearful, on the
other hand -- entertaining no hopes for fulfilment and passively contenting themselves with the
little they have – are witnesses to nothing other than the weak and the piteous
state of our fallen nature.
Our readings today have shown us something of humanity’s
sins and failings, and perhaps that has already helped to set us on the way to
health by spurring us to hate our lustfulness and pride and to despise our
despondency and fear. Can they help us
further in our needs? Do they hold yet
further guidance and grace for us?
Let us think back to our first reading and learning from it
begin to appreciate and give expression to that most beautiful and praiseworthy
virtue, gratitude, which springs up so naturally in the human heart,
unless that heart has been rendered insensitive by the cares and concerns of
deep-rooted selfishness. Gratitude is a beautiful virtue: its “innocence” gladdens
both the recipient and the giver; for true gratitude is not, and cannot be,
concocted; neither is it the virtue of one specially talented, for it wells up freely
and spontaneously from the depths of our humanity.
The Lord brought us out of
Egypt with strong hand and outstretched arm, with terrifying power, with signs
and wonders; and bringing us into this country, He gave us this land flowing
with milk and honey. Therefore, I have now
brought you the first-fruits of the land which You, Lord, have given me.
One of the surest ways to find joy in the Lord is to be
grateful for all the blessings of life, be they big or small. Above all, try to offer Holy Mass, and your
communion with Jesus at Mass, with gratitude to God in your heart.
Next, we can learn from St. Paul’s teaching in the second
reading, for so often people make relations with God difficult for
themselves. They imagine God is
demanding this and that from them when really, He is not demanding anything but
only seeking to lead them, gradually, from wherever they may find themselves, further
along the way to the fullness of happiness and eternal life.
Now, you have come here believing – mind and heart – in Jesus; hopefully you have learned
to appreciate and give expression to your gratitude
for the salvation He opens up before you; now, learn from St. Paul and begin to
confess with your mouth:
For one believes with the
heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.
People of God, here is something you can and should begin
to do here at Mass! Don’t just stand or
sit with your mouth closed and your heart dull.
If you do not confess God here
you will never confess Him outside, before others who do not believe. If you put your heart into the Creed, the
hymns, the responses at Mass -- if you confess with your mouth in that way --
you will be gradually led to speak up when the Spirit in you deems it is
necessary, before those who do not believe, or even mock. Don’t imagine for yourself seemingly
impossible acts of public witness; try to praise God wholeheartedly, here and
now, and He will lead you, gradually, to confess with your mouth before others
when the Spirit asks it of you. He will
never demand what you cannot give: He will, if you are willing, lead and
encourage you first, and then, only ask you when you are able. Indeed, you will probably not even be aware
that you are being asked, it will seem so natural for you to respond to the
Spirit’s call when you have become accustomed to confessing with your mouth
here at Mass.
Finally, we should have boundless confidence in God. St. Paul reminded us:
Scripture says, "No one
who believes in Him will be put to shame."
The Israelites, miserable and weak slaves though they were,
were led out of Egypt, despite the power of Pharaoh’s army, because they
trusted in the Lord. They went through
the waterless and stony desert, because they trusted in the Lord who had spoken
to them through Moses. Moses was a man
who, though born a Hebrew, had been brought up as an Egyptian. The Lord had called and inspired him to lead
Israel into freedom; and, because Moses had been sent by God and knew the
Egyptians, under his leadership the Hebrew slaves learned confidence to trust
their God and face up to their oppressors.
Now surely, we can trust Jesus! He is, indeed, the Son of God and yet, He is
also most truly one of us; that is why He is able to lead us all the way to
heaven along ways that, in His company, are no longer impossible for
us. Jesus is leading us heavenward, and
that is why He is always wanting and willing to lead us on and up to higher,
greater things. That is why the idleness
that wants only to sit cosy and hold tight is so unacceptable to Him. For, despite all our fears, despite our
natural weakness, God did indeed make us for Himself and in Jesus He has
overcome for us all the trials and temptations that can obstruct our way. Take confidence, therefore, and trust in the
Lord; begin to sing the everyday psalm of gratitude and thanksgiving in your
life, and you will find it a song that soon develops into an antiphon of
witness and praise, springing spontaneously to your lips as you find yourself
being led along ways that delight and fulfil you beyond all your dreams. Then you will indeed thank God for your Catholic
Faith which has helped you to believe in Jesus, our Lord and Saviour; to trust
in the Spirit, our Advocate and Comforter; and to look forward in hope to the eternal
vision and presence of Him Who is both our God and our Father.
