HOMILIES

Dear Audience,
For better understanding of the spiritual message behind this homily I kindly remind you to first read and contemplate the biblical texts before reading or listening to my preaching - a human reflection on the Word of God!

First Sunday of Lent (Year C)

Mar 6, 2022

503

106

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First Reading

A reading from the book of the Deuteronomy (26:4-10)

Moses spoke to the people, saying: "The priest shall receive the basket from you and shall set it in front of the altar of the Lord, your God. Then you shall declare before the Lord, your God, "My father was a wondering Aramean who went down to Egypt with a small household and lived there as an alien. But there he became a nation great, strong, and numerous. When the Egyptians maltreated and oppressed us, imposing hard labor upon us, we cried to the Lord, the God of our fathers, and he heard our cry and saw our affliction, our toil and our oppression. He brought us out of Egypt with his strong hand and outstretched arm, with terrifying power, with signs and wonders; and bringing us into this country, he gave us this land flowing with milk and honey. Therefore, I have now brought you the first fruits of the products of the soil which you, O Lord, have given me." And having set them before the Lord, your God, you shall bow down in his presence."

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalms of David (91:102, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15)

(R) Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.

You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty, say to the Lord, "My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." (R)

No evil shall befall you, nor shall affliction come near your tent, for to his angels he has given command about you, that they guard you in all your ways. (R)

Upon their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone. You shall tread upon the asp and the viper; you shall trample down the lion and the dragon. (R)

Because he clings to me, I will deliver him; I will set him on high because he acknowledges my name, he shall call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in distress; I will deliver him and glorify him. (R)

Second Reading

A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans (10:8-13)

Brothers and sisters: What does Scripture say? The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart - that is, the word of faith which we preach - for, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. For the Scripture says, No one who believes in him will be put to shame. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all, enriching all who call upon him. For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Gospel

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (4:1-13)

Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days, to be tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they were over he was hungry. The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread." Jesus answered him, "It is written, one does not live on bread alone." Then he took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant. The devil said to him, "I shall give you all this power and glory; for it was handed over to me, and I may give it to whomever I wish. All this will be yours, if you worship me." Jesus said to him in reply, "It is written: You shall worship the Lord, your God, and him alone shall you serve." Then the devil led him to Jerusalem, made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written: He will command his angels concerning you to guard you, and: With their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone." Jesus said to him in reply, "It also says, You shall not put the Lord your God to the test." When the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him for a time.

(P) The Gospel of the Lord.
(R) Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Homily

There was a poor man in a village whose only possession was an old donkey. He used the donkey for his own travel and carrying goods for others. It was the only means of his livelihood and it was the most popular animal in the village.

But one day the donkey went missing. He looked everywhere, but it was nowhere to be found. The news spread through the village very quickly and many people were upset about his loss. Some went to his house to comfort him and, help him find the donkey if possible. But when they came to his house they found him happy and peaceful. He seemed not to be affected by the loss. They found it very strange and asked him: "Hey aren't you sad about the loss of your donkey?" The man laughed and said "Oh, no. Why should I be upset and sad? In fact I am happier than before because fortunately I was not riding on the donkey otherwise I could have been lost as well."

When we give into the desires of the flesh and the things of this world, then we lose our real self, our real identity - the real child of God within us, and we are lost in the darkness of sin. And when we are in the darkness of sin we cannot discern or see those things which are spiritual or the things of God. All of us have weaknesses and can fall into sin, even if we don't want to. Therefore, the only way to overcome temptations or avoid the path of the world that leads us into temptation is to look at Jesus Christ.

In today's gospel, Luke (4:1-13), narrates a series of three "temptations" of Jesus by Satan, just prior to His public ministry, and concludes "when the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him for a time". It means that these are not the only temptations in Jesus' life. Jesus was tempted throughout His life to turn away from God's plan for His mission. However, the fact that these three temptations have been recorded in three gospels suggests that they are very significant for five reasons not only to the writers but also to our Lord Jesus and us.

The temptation narrative answers two universal questions. a) If Jesus taught His disciples to pray, "Lead us not into temptation", Matthew (6:13), why then did the Spirit lead our Lord into temptation, as Luke or Matthew (4:1) indicate? b) If God cannot be tempted as James (1:13) tells us in his letter then how could Jesus whom we believe is fully God be tempted?

The Hebrew word nasaw means tempt or test. So in the Bible it is used in two very different senses. On the one hand, temptation is an attempt by Satan to cause a person to do something which is contrary to God's commands which is called sin. On the other hand, temptation is a test by God to a person to prove his faithfulness and obedience to God. For example, in the case of Job in the Old Testament, Satan sought to bring Job to the point of forsaking his faith, to the point of sinning, but God tested Job to prove his loyalty to Him. So also, from the point of Satan, Jesus as the "Son of God" was tempted to disobey His Father's plan of establishing the kingdom of God. From the viewpoint of God, this was a "test" for Jesus Christ, to prove that He was qualified to fulfill His mission as the Son of God.
Jesus' entire mission was dependent upon His victory over every temptation of Satan. If Jesus had given into temptations, He could not have been the antithesis of Adam. He could not have gained the victory that Adam failed to gain.
Satan's temptation of our Lord is different from our own temptation. Jesus' temptations were directly from Satan.
Through the temptation of our Lord by Satan, we learn a great deal about the devil. We come to know the mindset and the methods of our enemy.
Jesus used the Word of God as a weapon against Satan. He used the scriptures to expose the error of Satan's solicitations and chart the course of obedience to the will of the Father.

What were the three temptations of Jesus?

The first temptation of Jesus was to gratify His own needs. Satan said to Jesus, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread." None of us is capable of changing a stone into a loaf of bread or into anything else. But because Jesus had that supernatural ability Satan wanted Him to use His supernatural powers for His own physical needs. But in response Jesus quoted from the Book of Deuteronomy (8:3), "One does not live on bread alone." Jesus did not deny His hunger. He must have been on the verge of starvation after forty days of fasting. And He, as the Son of God, had the power to turn stones into bread. But He refused to use His power for His own personal gains or entertain any doubt about God's care and provision.

None of us will be tempted to go through what Jesus did. But we are all tempted to use our resources, power, status and wealth selfishly. We are tempted to buy and consume far more than we need. As we live in a materialistic society, many of us easily yield to such temptations. Jesus' response is a reminder for us that material things will not satisfy us. Our life's meaning and satisfaction is not based on what we eat, what we wear, where we live or what we own but in our trust in God's care and provision.
The second temptation of Jesus was to compromise. The devil led Jesus up to a high place and showed Him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to Jesus, "I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. So if you worship me, it will all be yours", Luke (4:5-7). This temptation was far more tempting. It was a powerful call for compromise to reach His goal. But Jesus countered the temptation by quoting from the Book of Exodus (20:13), "You shall worship the Lord your God and Him alone shall you serve." Apparently Satan would have been satisfied if Jesus had bowed down to him. But Jesus refused to compromise his faithfulness to God the Father even at the cost of His own comfort and life.

We too are constantly tempted to compromise our Christian values, give up our faith and convictions to gain power and wealth and use them to manipulate and exploit others for our own advantage and interests. Jesus' example is an encouragement for us not to make compromises on the truth, biblical moral principles and beliefs for the sake of achieving peace. We cannot be Christians if we compromise our faith by promoting one evil over another.
The temptation of Jesus was to challenge God. Satan took Jesus to the top of the temple and said to Him that if He would throw Himself down God would send His angels to protect Him, and this time Satan quoted the scriptures too, but his intent was to use it to deceive Jesus. Yes. Jesus was tempted to set-up God. But Jesus faced the temptation by recalling a verse from the Book of Deuteronomy (6:16) which says, "You shall not put the Lord your God to the test." Jesus refused to put God to the test to determine if He would save him when he jumped. In other words, Jesus refused to challenge the power of God.

Many a time we challenge God to prove that He is real to us. We challenge God to provide proof or evidence that He exists. We raise the question - How can a good God exist and allow the evil around us? Jesus' response is a reminder to us all that we should not challenge God for signs or put Him to the test and see if He can be trusted but rather truly and confidently seek God.

Let us remember the following:

Just like Jesus, we too are constantly tempted by Satan and tested by God at the same instant. But unlike Jesus' temptations, our temptations are more indirect and they are coming most often from the world and the flesh. The devil uses the same three ways to destroy us. And God has made available to us the same means - the Scripture - which our Lord Jesus used against Satan. Let us, therefore, use the Word of God as our weapon to ward off the devil and find the true peace at the feet of the Prince of Peace, our Lord Jesus Christ.

(P) Amen.

God Bless You!

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