Homily for the First Sunday of Lent – 6 March 2022
There is nothing like temptation to convince us that we are engaged in spiritual warfare. Even though the Letter to the Hebrews says that in our struggle against sin, we have not yet resisted to the point of shedding our blood, we may be aware of times when it resisting temptation has been excruciating. Our success in overcoming temptation starts with acknowledging our own complicity, our weakness, when it comes to temptation and sin.
Temptations may be obvious, big things relating to our desires and selfishness, and what we think will give us happiness. But temptations may also be in more subtle, though equally harmful attractions or habits in our lives. How easily aren’t we distracted from our focus on God? How easily don’t we put our own needs and wants first, regardless of what is truly good for us and others, or regardless of what God wants for us?
The forty years that Israel spent in the desert, being tested, and purified, after the escape from Egypt, and before taking possession of the land God had given them, is an image of Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness, and it can be a picture of our forty days of Lent. Lent is our time in the desert; it is a time of testing and purification. We should enter this time of grace and mercy to commit ourselves to a spiritual exodus from sin to grace, mercy, and forgiveness. It is a time to be more converted to Christ. We do this through a more attentive listening to the Word of God, a more intense prayer, and fasting and acts of charity.
During Lent we called to identify our temptations, and fight against the things that hold us captive, the habits and addictions, the slavery to sin, and all that robs us of the freedom that God intends for us as his sons and daughters. We are making an exodus from slavery to the peace of mind and heart that is proper to our dignity as children of God.
The Gospel reading for this Mass tells the story of Jesus’ temptations in the wilderness. Remember, the Letter to the Hebrews says that Jesus was tempted in every way that we are, but did not sin. For this reason, he understands the temptations and challenges we face. Jesus also shows us how not to give in to temptation. The three temptations of Jesus are a summary of all the types of temptations that we face. They are commonly referred to as the temptation of material things, the temptation of power, and the temptation of pride.
In the first temptation, we hear that Jesus ate nothing during his forty days in the desert, and at the end of that time he was hungry. And the devil tempted Jesus to show that he was the Son of God by turning stones into bread. This temptation sums up all temptations that we might have which try to convince us that material possessions and sensual experiences are all we need for our happiness. We might be tempted to think: if only I could have this or that, of if only I could have this much money, or if only I could satisfy a desire for pleasure, then I would be happy, fulfilled, satisfied.
Jesus responded to the devil saying that man does not live on bread alone. The full Scripture quote ends: “but on every word that comes from the mouth of God”. Material possessions and physical desires are not bad in themselves, but they need to be ordered correctly, put in their proper place. We are spiritual beings, and our spiritual nature cannot be satisfied by what is only material and sensual. We are a people made for a love relationship with God and only in that will we find our true and lasting happiness.
During this Lenten season the practice of fasting and self-denial is meant to awaken in us a hunger for God. Fasting is not only to eat less for a few days of Lent, but rather to discipline ourselves so as to understand the need for God in our lives, and to know that only God can truly satisfy us. Our fasting and self-denial is meant to fine-tune an awareness of our hunger for God.
Next the devil offered Jesus all the power of the world if Jesus would worship him. We also are tempted to take control of situations and the lives of others for the glory or importance that it gives us. But rather we should humbly be at the service of others. Our true focus is the worship of God. We worship God by putting the things of God and the people of God first. As Jesus says, quoting the book of Deuteronomy, “You shall worship the Lord, your God, and him alone shall you serve.”
The antidote to the temptation of seeking power is the Lenten practice of almsgiving, which is not so much about giving some coins to the poor, but rather living out mercy towards others, putting others first. It is about a deep awareness of the suffering and needs of others.
The third temptation of Jesus represents perhaps the most dangerous kind of temptation for us, and that is pride. This temptation is about making everything about ourselves. The Gospel says that finally the devil tempted Jesus to show that he was the Son of God by throwing himself off the top of the Temple, because Psalm 90, the psalm we used as our responsorial psalm, assures that the angels of God would protect him from all harm.
Pride blinds us to our real need for salvation. It is a kind of presumption that we are fine just as we are. The one form of presumption is for us to presume on the mercy and salvation of God, without any kind of ongoing commitment to co-operating with God for our salvation. We might also presume this for others. How often don’t we come across the belief that all people are essentially good and will go straight to heaven, without any practice of faith. While we can never fully know the faith of another, and therefore we should never judge, we can say that this is an extremely dangerous form of presumption.
Jesus’ preaching in the Gospels warns against his kind of presumption often, like for instance when he warns that we should strive to enter by the narrow gate, difficult and challenging as it is, because he says that the road to hell is wide and easy. St Paul, in his letters to the different communities, urges them to continue to work out their salvation with fear and trembling, and speaks about the kind of discipline that he exercises in his own life to cooperate with God’s saving work. God has won salvation for us in Jesus Christ, but we need to continually co-operate with his salvation in our lives and not just take it for granted.
We actively cooperate with God’s saving work in our lives through prayer and being formed by the Word of God, and by receiving the sacraments. God never forces himself on us. He created us with free will, and using that will, we need to decide for him daily, asking for, and inviting his saving work in our lives.
With this in mind, let’s live the third practice of Lent: a more intense prayer. Prayer is a powerful reminder of our need for God, our dependence on God. And our prayer of thanksgiving and praise is an expression of our gratitude to God, which is the exact opposite of taking God for granted or presuming our salvation.
During Lent, through our prayer, fasting and almsgiving, we do spiritual warfare with the temptations of the devil and drive him from our lives with the help of God’s grace. We call to God for strength and can be assured of victory because “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
