Readings: Gen. 2:7-9, 3:1-7; Rom. 5:12-19; Matthew 4:1-11
Combating our Temptation
On this first Sunday of Lent we reflect on God’s intention for mankind; that man should live in peace and harmony with him, the creator, humanity and nature. The book of Genesis, though more theological than historical, presents us with the story of God’s relationship with Adam and Eve. This is a story of friendship and love; of grace and abundance. In the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve had everything: their needs were met at the snap of the finger. The had a perfect friendship with God who was just a stone’s throw away. They would take a walk with God in the garden in the cool of the evening, and be engaged in a heart to heart conversation, as they enjoyed the beauty of creation. But things did not work out as God intended for too long. The devil made its ominous entrance and man discovered that he was no longer prepared to be subservient to God; he wanted to be like God. With this temptation, sin found its way into the garden and caution was thrown to the wind. Man became his own worst enemy - trying to be what he was not. Temptation on its own is not a sin. To be attracted to something or someone is neither good nor bad. But how we react to temptation gives a sinful dimension to it.
Lent is our way of dealing with sin. The Collect at Mass on Ash Wednesday set the parameter for the season: “Grant, O Lord, that we may begin with holy fasting this campaign of Christian service, so that, as we take up battle against spiritual evils, we may be armed with weapons of self-restraint.” Our journey into Lent began at the incarnation when God became man in the flesh. For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, not to condemn the world but so that through him the world might be saved. (Jn. 3:16). Or like St. Paul put it, “For just as through the disobedience of one person the many were made sinners, so through the obedience of one the many will be made righteous. The law entered in so that transgression might increase but where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more.” (Rom. 5:19-20). To the Church in Corinth he wrote: “For our sake, God made him to be sin who knew no sin so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Cor. 5:21). “Sin” therefore, “is an offense against reason, truth, and right conscience; it is failure in genuine love for God and neighbor caused by a perverse attachment to certain goods. It wounds the nature of man and injures human solidarity… Sin is an offense against God: “against you, you alone have I sinned, and done that which is evil in your sight.” Sin sets itself against God’s love for us and turns our hearts away from it. It is disobedience, a revolt against God through the will to become “like gods,” It is love of oneself even to contempt of God. In this proud self-exaltation, sin is diametrically opposed to the obedience of Jesus which achieves our salvation” (CCC 1849-1850).
Today we are presented with Jesus’ temptation in the desert. With this temptation, Jesus teaches us how to act when we are tempted. We fall into temptation due to the manipulations of the tempter. To tempt Jesus, the devil used his knowledge of the Bible. Jesus also used the Scripture to beat the devil hands down. He countered the devil point by point and commanded him to get out of His sight. The devil ran away with his tail in between his legs. The best way to fight temptation is to fortify ourselves with the word of God.
The devil manipulated Eve in the same way: “Did God really tell you not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?” He cast doubts on God’s directives and offered her counter logical explanation: “You certainly will not die! No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods who know what is good and what is bad.” (Gen. 3:4). The devil made the woman an offer she could not refuse. Her mind turned away from God: she wanted to be like God. She imagined the benefits of the fruit: “The woman saw that the tree was good for food, pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom. So, she took some of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.” (Gen. 3:6). The devil always gets us at our weakest point. He comes in when we are sick, hungry, lonely, sad, defenseless, depressed, jobless, moneyless, poor and desperate. He comes with false and empty promises to take care of us, if only we would do his bidding. Sadly, many people fall into his traps!
Jesus shows us today how to face temptation. We must be prayerful, we must fast and give in charity. We must know the bible and develop new ways to counter the antics of the devil. Christ went into the desert to fast and pray for strength and for a sense of direction. He surrendered his will to the will of God and fortified himself with the word of God. With this he was able to face the devil. One does not live by bread alone, but by every world that comes forth from the mouth of God; and again, it is written, “You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test”. And finally, “Get away, Satan! It is written: The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.” (Mt. 4:4,7,10). We fall into temptation when we do not know how to fortify ourselves. Lent gives us that golden opportunity to do battle with the devil. We must give alms, fast and pray if we are to face the temptations of our daily lives. We must learn to be humble, forgiving, compassionate and merciful and the devil will stay far away from us. May God help us to enter into this season of grace with commitment and the desire to change for the better. Amen!
Assignment:
1. How do you prepare Lent? To combat the temptation of the devil, Jesus relied on the word of God. There are 40 days from today to Easter Triduum. I propose that we read the Gospel of Luke and the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans. Luke’s Gospel has 24 chapters while the Letter to the Romans has 16 chapters. Read Luke’s Gospel from March 1 to March 24 and the Letter to the Romans from March 25 and round it up on April 9. What a wonderful way to enter into Easter Season.
2. During Lent we must give alms. When we give alms, we see ourselves as God’s stewards, entrusted with many blessings. We must therefore, share what we have with others. Our gifts are meaningful when it hurts. Then we are giving sacrificially. Please support the missions of the Missionary Society of Paul. Pick up a table calendar and give whatever you can each month to provide fresh water, feed the hungry, educate a child in the mission or train a Seminarian for the missions. What you give up for Lent should benefit others.
3. During this Lent, let us be available to people around us. Let us share a smile and may our parting words be ‘May God bless you.” Amen.
Rev. Augustine Etemma Inwang, MSP
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