A Reflection for the 1st Sunday of Lent (Year C).
Deuteronomy 26:4-10 – Romans 10:8-13 – Luke 4:1-13.
Dear brothers and sisters, at the beginning of Lent the Church invites us to embark upon a spiritual journey with Our Lord. Immediately after His baptism in the Jordan and the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Him, Jesus-led by the Holy Spirit – went into the wilderness for a 40-day period of prayer and fasting. In Lent, we are called to a 40-day pilgrimage through repentance of sin leading to conversion of heart. Jesus was sinless, even though He was tempted as we are (Heb 4:15). For us human beings made in the image and likeness of God (Gen1:27), we sin when we give in to temptation. This Sunday we are called to reflect upon the ways that temptation attempts to mislead and twist the human mind, and to learn from Jesus how to overcome the temptations that afflict us.
It’s difficult to predict exactly when temptations are going to hit us. We do know, however, that they tend to hit us hardest when we are not at our fittest in every way. In Jesus’ experience, the temptations were presented to Him by the devil (Satan) towards the end a 40-day period of prayer and fasting. Temptations came to Jesus when He was physically weakened by lack of food and nourishment. The devil took the opportunity to try to tempt Him from His mission with what He needed to satisfy His personal hunger and regain His personal strength, i.e. food. You might find yourself in a similar situation if you are weakened for lack of something you need. Temptations can be overwhelming when they are presented to people as solutions to satisfy basic wants. Lack of food is a terrible thing for someone to have to endure, and it is a terrible thing to have to watch other people enduring hunger and starvation and to have no means of helping them. The response of hungry people to someone who is able to give them the physical nourishment they crave can, however, develop into mental attachment and even devotion to the person who feeds them. Jesus was only too well aware of that and he teaches us that the salvation he brings to us is beyond the satisfaction of our bodily needs.
In the 1st & 3rd temptations of Jesus, the devil taunts Him into giving in to temptation by saying: “IF you are the Son of God…” which of course Jesus is! That’s the whole point. The devil has no doubt that Jesus IS the Son of God, but he tries to make Jesus do his bidding in order to prove His identity. We have zero need to prove anything to anybody on earth, but we do need to provide proof of our love of God to God. God sees and knows everything in our hearts; so, if we are acknowledging Him as Lord, following His commandments, doing our utmost to avoid falling into sin through temptation, and doing the work He has put us here on earth to accomplish, then we shouldn’t be giving in to the temptation of worrying about what other people think of us. It is our job to follow Christ and to work hard towards being found worthy before God, who sees through us and knows exactly what we’re like. Whenever we fall into temptation to prove something to someone, our life becomes spiritually fruitless and we end up just going through the motions.
In the 2nd Temptation, the devil illegitimately assumes the position of God who is the Prime Mover and sustainer of the universe. It’s all too easy to fall for naturalism and for the things of this world only. It’s all too easy to be dazzled by the glitz and glitter that power and celebrity bring. These things are only transient. You’ve only to look around charity shops to see where the “must-have” treasures of past years end up, and of course no-one escapes returning to dust at the end of this life (Gen 3:19). Jesus warns us to worship the Lord your God and serve Him alone (v.8) because all authority in heaven and earth is His (Mt 28:18).
Today’s Gospel opens with [Jesus,] Filled with the Holy Spirit. It was the Holy Spirit who led Jesus into the wilderness when he was tempted. The same Holy Spirit is given to the Church at Pentecost. The word of God is telling us how much we need the Holy Spirit each and every day to overcome sin and temptation. We need the Holy Spirit in our lives, trials, weakness, sorrow, sadness and anguish. We need the Holy Spirit in our lack and hunger, in our fear and despondency. May the Holy Spirit be with us in time of temptation and help us to emerge victoriously. Amen. God bless you.