Gen 2:7-9;
3:1-7; Rom 12:5-19; Mt 4:1-11
Today we
begin the first Sunday in the season of Lent. Lent is a season of penance that
has been set apart by the Catholic Church in memory of the forty days fast of
Our Lord Jesus in the desert. Beginning on Ash Wednesday, Lent includes forty
fasting days. The Lenten Season is a time to fast for the purpose of gaining
spiritual strength in order
to resist all forms of temptations. So the church proposes that we should do penance to regain spiritual strength.
Once upon a time a very earnest young
man visited a famous rabbi. He told the rabbi that he wanted to become a rabbi
and asked for his advice. It was winter time. The rabbi stood at the window
looking out into the yard while the rabbinical candidate gave him a glowing
account of his piety and learning. The young man said, ‘You see, Rabbi, I
always dress in spotless white like the sages of old. I never drink any
alcoholic beverages; only water ever passes my lips. I perform numerous
penances. For instance, I always carry sharp-edged nails inside my shoes to
mortify me. Even in the coldest weather. I lie naked in the snow to punish my
flesh. And to complete my penance, I take a dozen lashes every day on my bare
back.’ As the young man spoke, a stable boy led a white horse into
the yard and took him to the water trough. The horse drank his fill of
water, and having done so, rolled in the snow, as horses sometimes do. ‘Just
look!’ cried the rabbi. “That animal, too, is dressed in white. It also drinks
nothing but water, has nails in its shoes and rolls naked in the snow. Also,
rest assured, it gets its daily ration of lashes on the rump from its master.
Now, I ask you, is it a saint, or is it a horse?” The point the rabbi was
making was that penance is not an end in itself. (Flor McCarthy in ‘New
Sunday & Holy Day Liturgies’)Our penance should be a
means to obtaining grace to resist all temptations in life.
Today's First Reading from the Book of Genesis [Gen. 2:7-9,
16-18, 25; 3:1-7] recalls the creation of our first parents and the entry of
original sin into the world. Adam and Eve enjoyed an innocent nature. But when
Eve was tempted to disobey the command of God, it could not be resisted.
She just gave in, and Adam followed. It is human nature to choose the
easiest path. The path that offers no resistance. The path that has no hurdles.
The path that does not place any demand of sacrifice on us.
Anyone who has ever paddled
downriver in a canoe knows that a river does not travel in a straight line. Rather, it twists and meanders wildly, whipping
blindly around bends, constantly pushing the craft back and forth from sand bar
to overhung branch to brambly shore. The river follows the path of least resistance and following the path of least resistance is what
makes the river crooked.
The same is applicable to us too.
Once
upon a time there were three shepherds who each was responsible for a flock of
sheep. One winter’s night
all three were awakened by the howling of a wolf. The first was about to get
out of bed when he heard the rain beating against his bedroom window. He had
second thoughts, turned over in bed, and went back to sleep. The second got out
of bed, dressed, and went to the front door. However, on opening it he was hit
by a squall of sleety rain. He went back inside and returned to his warm bed.
The third got up, dressed, and went outside. There he had to contend with rain,
wind, darkness and cold. But he stuck to his task until he had seen that his
sheep were secure. When he got back indoors he was wet through and got a nasty
cold as a result of his efforts. Now which of the three shepherds knew most
about the rain, the wind and the dark? The third of course. Those who give in
easily to temptation know little about the struggle involved. Those who
struggle with temptation and overcome it know it best. If you want to know what
victory over temptation costs, don’t ask a sinner ask a saint. (Flor
McCarthy in ‘New Sunday & Holy Day Liturgies)
Today’s Gospel gives an account of the temptations
Jesus endured. After fasting for forty days and forty nights, Jesus was put
severe temptations.
In the first temptation, the
tempter said to Jesus, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to
become loaves of bread." [Mt. 4:3] To this, Jesus answered, "It is
written, 'One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from
the mouth of God'" [Mt. 4:4].
It is a temptation the modern world faces much more than
that of any age. The greed for material possession. The insatiable greed for
luxury. When the world around us suffers, we run after the latest
fashions. The world is constantly hit by natural disasters. (Tsunami in
Japan). Countless number of people loses their shelter, clothing and means
of livelihood. They are reduced to nothing. In such a world to run after satisfying
our greed for luxury is a great sin, and easily giving into
temptation. The season of lent reminds us to open our eyes and see
the world around us; to act promptly and not to wait.
In the second temptation, "the devil took Jesus to the
holy city and placed Him on the pinnacle of the Temple." {Mt. 4:5] Then
Satan said to Jesus, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for
it is written, 'He will command his angels concerning you,' and 'On their hands
they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a
stone.'" [Ps. 91:11-2; Mt. 4:6] To this, Jesus replied, "Again it is
written, 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test'" [Mt. 4:7].
The temple of Jerusalem was very high and there were always plenty
of people gathered in the courtyards of the temple. If the people see a
person coming down from the top of the temple without getting hurt, He
would become popular hero. Winning popularity always remains an
unconquerable temptation. We are ready to do anything to become popular – live
with serpents, walk through fire, laid buried under the earth for hours and so
on. If we have an examination ourselves, we can recount countless
occasions, when we acted differently to gain popularity, even at the cost
of others. Jesus’ answer is a warning to us too.
In the final temptation, the
devil took Jesus to a very high mountain and showed Him all the Kingdoms of the
world and their splendour. [Mt. 4:8] There, Satan said, "All these I will
give You, if You will fall down and worship me." [Mt. 4:9] Quoting
Deuteronomy 6:3, Jesus answered with severity, "Away with you, Satan! For
it is written, 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him'" [Mt. 4:10].
Thirst for power is deeply embedded in each one of us. All
the wars in our history were just to satisfy the thirst of some
one. We practice it in the little spheres of our influence; at home, in
the work place, in the parish and so on.
The message of lent for us is to fight against three
basic evil natures in us: temptation to amass material possession,
temptation to gain popularity through unfair means, temptation to get
power at the cost of others. If we are able to resist them in little measures
we will be able to contribute to the alleviation of suffering and injustice
that prevail today.