First Reading: Genesis 2: 7-9,
3:1-7 Second
Reading: Romans
5:12-19 Gospel
Reading: Matthew 4:1-11
“LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION, BUT DELIVER US FROM EVIL.”
A Homily Adapted in part from a work
written by Father Albert Lakra
Last Wednesday, 'Ash Wednesday,' we began our
Lenten pilgrimage and today is the First Sunday of Lent. As you are aware,
Lent is a Holy Season, a time of grace, a period comprising of forty days
during which the whole Church renews itself through prayer, fasting and works
of piety. And for this week, the
common theme in the Scripture Readings is of ‘Temptation.’
In the 1st Reading
from the Book of Genesis, we hear about our first parents, Adam and Eve, and of
them being tempted by Satan in the Garden of Eden, and in the Gospel Reading
from St. Matthew, we hear about Satan tempting Jesus in the wilderness. These
two temptation stories are essentially about making choices – either in favor
of God or against Him.
Temptations come to
all of us in our lives as well – in various disguise of course. They are part
and parcel of each of our lives. So what is a temptation? A temptation is a
trick, a deception, a lie. It conceals the truth and presents falsehood to us
as the truth. A temptation may even offer us something good, but entices us to
use it in a false and selfish way. These temptations come from the devil, who is
called the “father of lies.”
In the story of Adam
and Eve we hear again about the perfect world God created for humans, and how
through a temptation Adam established a pattern that led to sin and death. The
Eden story was actually a drama woven of pretense and cover-up. Adam and Eve
were the first to bite on a big lie: a lie that included the denial that we as
creatures of God are dependent on God. The serpent, that cunning beast,
that lord of lies, taunted their obedience and reliance on God. Ah, the
attraction of having no limits. To be God. To be self-sufficient, self-made. The
pretense was attractive, desirable. The trick looked so wise.
The devil, being the
master of deceit, knows human psychology only too well. His first task was
to get the attention of Eve. Thus his question, "Did God really tell you not to eat from
any of the trees in the garden?" Eve right away saw the half-truth
in the question so she corrected him saying that they could eat of the fruit
of all the trees except that of “The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Bad.”
And God's command was clear, "You shall not eat it or even touch it, lest
you die." We see here how Eve, by arguing with the devil, got hooked. Then the devil took immediate
advantage of his gain. He told Eve that they would not die; instead he stated, "Your eyes will be opened and you will
be like gods who know what is good and what is bad." Her
curiosity was aroused. Eve saw that the fruit was good for food, pleasing to
the eye, and desirable for gaining wisdom. Eve then took a fruit and ate it. She
gave one to her husband Adam who likewise ate it. All of a sudden both of them
realized that they were naked. Ashamed of their nakedness in front of each
other, they covered parts of themselves, and now being afraid of God, they went
into hiding. They had fallen and sin had entered the world!
Sin brings about a
dislocation in relationships. Instead of openness – hiding or covering–up
became a way of relating to God and to each other. This is not unique to Adam
and Eve, but is true to us as well. And sadly, we justify our weaknesses and
sins with all kinds of rationalizations. And if we are honest, This story represents
our life as well.
But there is hope, Let
us now turn our attention to Jesus and the story of his temptations. After his
baptism by John the Baptist at Jordan River, Jesus was led by the Spirit
into the desert where he prayed and fasted for forty days and nights, and
afterward he too was tested. The testing
was done not by God directly but by the Evil One, the Tempter. The three
temptations of Jesus are the same three essential weapons that the devil has in
his arsenal to destroy us too, humanity.
The first temptation is of appetite,
that being (pleasure / gluttony / and materialism)
– to change stones into bread. It demanded that miraculous power be used to
provide for basic material needs. The tempter sensed a weakness that Jesus was
hungry, that he had not eaten for forty days. The tempter said that if he was
truly the Son of God, he could command the stones to become bread. To this
Jesus responded through the words of Scripture that a person does not live by
bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. Here Jesus is
indicating that his mission was not fulfilled by providing for basic needs, but
rather by proclaiming the Word that is life.
The third temptation is that of arrogance (pride
/ vanity / and idolatry) - To worship the devil who can
give power and wealth. In this final temptation, Jesus was placed by the
devil on a very high mountain and offered the kingdoms of the world in return
for worshiping him. Jesus absolutely rejected the offer and told the devil
to go away from him. He once again quotes the Book of Deuteronomy which says
that every creature has to worship the Lord God, and serve Him alone and no one
else. It is the cardinal truth of the Scripture taken from the Ten Commandments
to worship God alone and no other gods. Jesus was not swayed. He indeed had won over the subtle
temptations of the devil.
These three
temptations are also our temptations, and to them, somehow,
all temptations are connected. The devil invites us to turn towards self. And
in contrast, Jesus invites us to turn towards God. In fact, these three
tests are really symbols of the real tests that not only do we find in the life
of Jesus, but in our lives as well. They draw attention to our Appetite,
Ambition, & Arrogance.They speak of our desire for Pleasure, Power, &
Pride.
We must never forget
that all temptations come to us under the guise of some kind of goodness. I
seriously doubt that anyone here would willingly choose to do something purely
evil, but we are tempted when there is a positive benefit that may come from a less
than honorable action.
So what is it that Christ
is trying to teach us? I believe that we must realize that we are all on a human
journey that includes fall and redemption. Like Adam and Eve, and Jesus,
we all face temptations. Original sin reminds us that we humans tend to give in
to temptation. It is a family trait. The mother and father of the race did it,
and we also do it. So, when we are tempted, we should not trust in our own
abilities or strength, because we are sinful from our origins. How many of us
had fought against temptation and lost! All of us!
Instead, when confronted
with a temptation we should trust in Jesus and his strength, because God is
gracious and has been from the beginning. Where humanity fails, Jesus prevails.
So the point is that we should follow his lead when we face temptations. We
should look at how Jesus faced temptations. We should learn from his example. Then
when we face the same temptations, those temptations of: Appetite, Ambition,
& Arrogance, of Pleasure, Power and Pride, which we all do, we can then resist
them, and be victorious over them.
I would be remiss to
not say that in our imperfection, when we all fall, we are to run to the
healing that is found in confession. Do not let our pride or shame prevent us
from accepting God’s grace, the grace that can be found in confession, to heal
the sinful stain upon our souls, and accepting the grace that can help empower
our ability to fight temptation. Confession is our weapon against the devil. He
hates it! God’s mercy and strength is waiting….. but He allows our free will to
accept it, or reject it!
And finally, Let
us take some time during this Lenten season to prayerfully reflect upon
our lives, identifying the specific temptations that the devil uses to initiate
our fall, our sinfulness, and ponder how we can ask for, and use, God’s grace
to grow in holiness.
This is Lent, a time
for prayer, fasting, and works of Piety (charity).
In this time of quiet
reflection, in our prayers, let us not forget the prayer that Jesus himself has
taught us, “The Our Father,” which includes those powerful words– “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us
from evil.”
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