First Sunday of Lent (Year C)
Deut 26:4-10; Rom 10:8-13; Luke 4:1-13
Agnes, the only child was very beautiful. At a marriageable
age, she was easily the object of any young man’s desire. But like her parents,
Agnes was a fervent Christian, having consecrated her life to Jesus.
The son of the prefect of Rome was struck by her beauty and
wanted to marry her. Agnes refused. Because people could not understand her
refusal, she professed her Christian faith. Brought to trial, Agnes was urged
to take the easy way out: renounce her faith, marry the prefect’s son and
escape death.
Agnes, however, remained firm. She chose not betray her
faith in Christ and renounce her vow. For this she was sentenced by the prefect
to walk the streets of Rome naked and later to be burned alive.
In today’s gospel, Satan tries to tempt Jesus in choosing
the easy way out. But Jesus firmly chooses to place Himself in the hands of the
Father.
In the First Reading Moses speaks to the Israelites at the
end of their forty years wandering in the desert and he prepares them for their
new life in the Promised Land. He gives them an extended lesson on survival in
the Promised Land. He was aware that he himself would not cross the river
Jordan and without him, they may even succumb to temptations that may be
harmful to their spiritual welfare. He reminds them that in the Promised Land
they have to rely on God as much as they did when they were in the desert. As a
leader Moses gives them a preview of the wonderful experiences they would have
in the Promised Land. The forty years of wandering would now come to an end.
They would not eat Manna; rather they will have an abundance of food, the
produce of the land flowing with milk and honey. At the harvest time, he called
on them to bring the first fruits and offer them to God. Secondly, it would be an opportunity for them
to express their gratitude to God. He
reminds them how they ended in Egypt to be oppressed by the people. But God was
with them and built them into a strong nation and has led them to a land of
blessing. If they only remain grateful to God, they would be secure in the
Promised Land.
Our Gospel today is on the Temptation of Jesus in the
wilderness. Three temptations are recounted: to change stone into bread, to
fall down and worship the devil, and to jump down from the pinnacle of the
Temple. In each of these three temptations what the devil is saying to Jesus
is, "Come on, use what you have to get what you want." And in each
case Jesus overcomes the temptation by replying, "No, we can only use
godly means to satisfy our God-given needs or to pursue our goals in life."
In the first temptation, Jesus had fasted for forty days in
the wilderness and at the end of it he was very hungry. The devil puts an idea
into his head: "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become
bread" (Luke 4:3). Notice that the first thing the devil does is sow a
doubt in his mind: "if you are the Son of God." "Are you really
sure God is with you?" The same thing happened in the garden of Eden. The
first thing the Tempter said to Eve was, "Did God really say you should
not eat of any fruit of the garden" (Genesis 3:1). Temptation always
begins with a doubting thought. Did God really say this or is it one of those
Sunday school fairy tales? Jesus overcame the temptations by refusing to
entertain such doubts and by standing on the word of God.
Note, secondly, that people are tempted only with what they
need or want. After his fasting Jesus needed to eat. So the devil tempted him
with food. It is not a sin for Jesus to eat after fasting. The sin may lie in
how the food is obtained. Should he follow the normal way of obtaining bread or
should he take the shortcut suggested by the devil to obtain instant bread?
Jesus refuses to take the devil's shortcut. The means we employ to satisfy our
needs must be in accordance with the word of God. Feeding on God's word is
ultimately more important than feeding on bread. "It is written, 'One does
not live by bread alone'" (v. 4).
In the second temptation the devil shows Jesus all the
kingdoms of the world and promises to give him authority over them if only
Jesus would worship him. Remember that Jesus was about to begin his public life
and was looking for a way to get the whole world to know him and accept his
message. Again the devil tempts him to use what he has (his heart, his soul) to
get what he wants (the loyalty of the whole world). Again Jesus says no. The
end does not justify the means. "It is written, 'Worship the Lord your
God, and serve only him'" (v. 8).
In the third temptation the devil asks Jesus to throw
himself down from the pinnacle of the temple as a way to prove that he was the
Son of God. Remember that the people were asking Jesus for a sign to prove that
he was the Messiah. Jesus wanted to convince them that he was the one. But how
do you do it! The devil suggested this sensational sky jump without a
parachute. Again, use what you have to get what you want. Use your supernatural
power to get the people to recognize you and believe in you as the Son of God,
the Messiah. And again Jesus says no. The God of Jesus Christ is not a God of
the sensational but a God who works through the ordinary, everyday things of
life. "Do not put the Lord your God to the test" (v. 12).
Jesus shows us that we should never trade off our faith in
God or our moral principles to obtain anything in this world, because
faithfulness to God is more precious than anything in this world. Agnes has
given us the example of such a life.
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