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HOMILIES ARCHIVE
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)
762
4
0First 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
One day a man was standing in a field of green grass. Beautiful light from the sun poured down across the grass. In the middle of the field there was a fence dividing it in half. On the one side, Satan was standing and on the other side, God. Satan said, "If you come to my side of the fence, I'll give you everything you want in life. But if you choose Him, you will get none of the things I offer you." The man looked at God and thought to himself, "I would like to choose Him but... everything I want lies on the other side of the fence." So, the man walked over to the fence, pulled himself up, and made himself comfortable. He sat there, mocking both Satan and God. "I don't choose either of you!" - he said. He sat there for a while, refusing to look at either side of the fence, his eyes looking straight ahead. After some time, the man fell off the fence. The field was gone, and so was the sun. As he was falling, everything got darker and darker. He landed on rocky ground, surrounded by cold, scary darkness. A hot hand gripped his shoulder. It was Satan, smiling. The man's face went white. "What?", the man exclaimed, "Why am I in hell? I didn't choose you! I chose the fence!" Satan leaned closer and whispered into his ear, "My friend, the fence belongs to me. And now... so do you!"
At the start of the Lent, the Church invites us to reflect on the temptations of Jesus before He started His ministry, Luke (4:1-13). According to Luke, the devil first tempted Jesus by appealing to two of the strongest human desires - the desire to stay alive, and the appetite for earthly power and glory, and then the most common human tendency to doubt God's promise and presence.
The devil enticed Jesus to use His divine powers to satisfy his craving for food, the most basic, physical, biological need.
The devil promised Jesus possession of the wealth, power and glory of all the kingdoms of the world if He would worship him.
The devil urged Jesus to test God the Father's protection for Him by wantonly throwing Himself down from the parapet of the Temple. But Jesus rejected and defeated all three temptations by avoiding any discussion and debate with the devil, and instead, by responding with an appropriate Word from the scriptures, Deuteronomy (8:3; 6:13; 6:16), and by putting His trust in God the Father.
Luke concludes the story with the devil ending the temptations and leaving Jesus "for a time", (v.13), thereby suggesting that the devil's departure was temporary and that he would return later with more temptations. Jesus' despair over his chosen disciples' lack of faith and understanding, Luke (9:41), His disappointment with the crowd flocking about Him just for food and healing, Mark (4:27) and John (6:66), but refusing to repent of their sins, Matthew (14:21), Judas' betrayal, Luke (22:3-6), Peter's denial, Luke (22:31-34) and other similar moments only reveal that Jesus was exposed to more trials and temptations. But He decisively overcame all the distractions and temptations and firmly resolved to follow the path set by the Father, without any kind of compromise with sin. So, throughout His whole life, as the writer to the Hebrews emphasizes, Jesus was tempted in every way just as we are, Hebrews (4:15) and yet never yielded to temptation. He "committed no sin", 1 Peter (2:22), He "knew no sin", 2 Corinthians (5:21), and "in Him is no sin", 1 John (3:5). For this reason, God qualified Him as the faithful and perfect High Priest in His presence, to make peace with Him for all mankind's sins and to become the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey Him, Hebrews (2:17, 5:1-10).
What is the message for us?
Temptations did not come only to Jesus. All the biblical figures such as Abraham, Job, David, Joseph, Joshua, Daniel, Peter, Paul and all Christian men and women were also tempted, Job (1:6-12), 1 Chronicles (21:1), Zechariah (3:1-5), Luke (22:31), Acts (5:1-3), 2 Corinthians (12:7), James (1:2, 12), 1 Peter (1:6) and 2 Peter (2:9). Like them, we too face temptations in our life. We have the same temptations as they did. They come to us in three main ways: the desire for physical comfort and pleasure, material possessions and wealth, power and fame. St John summarizes them as: "the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life.", 1 John (2:16). In other words, temptations come from both outside and within.
In fact, from the moment we enter this world, we are pulled about by two contrary forces - the flesh and the spirit, that is, the human nature and the Holy Spirit. Both are wrestling for our attention, Galatians (5:17-21). The flesh wants to control, dominate and drag us downward to sin and destruction, whereas the Spirit stirs our hearts to draw us upward to the path of righteousness and life, Psalm (23:3). The question is who will win? Well, it depends on us. The choice is up to us, good or bad. When we are tempted or when a thought to do something evil or sinful comes up and we know it would be wrong to do it, we must decide then and there, without delay or waiting just as Jesus did. The devil tried to dialogue with Jesus, but knowing his cunning and craftiness, Jesus avoided it. Instead, as a real and true human being, Jesus genuinely faced the temptations responding immediately with the Word of God, thereby giving us a model for overcoming temptation.
When we are tempted, we must not think about, or consider anything related to, the temptation. We must not stare at it wistfully. If we are dwelling on a temptation, we are not shunning it. Like St Augustine who prayed, "Lord, make me chaste, but not yet", our delay to flee from temptation may be a sign that we prefer our present situation. It is like sitting on the fence and having a conversation or discussion with the devil which will eventually end in sin, 2 Timothy (2:22). Today we are reminded that we must follow the example of Jesus by avoiding conversation or discussion with the devil and to get away quickly without hesitation and with no compromise, always saying "No" to it by using the scriptures that speak directly about the temptation we are facing just as Jesus did. God's Word is always the best weapon against the devil. So, we must know the Bible well. If we know the biblical truth that is needed to counter the false promises of the devil, overcoming the temptations is not only possible for us believers in Christ, but it is inevitable. Because St John tells us, "The One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.", 1 John (4:4). Moreover, our Lord Jesus Christ knows the temptations we face, He is able to help us overcome our own temptations.
As the saying goes, "Tomorrow is the devil's day, but today is God's. Today is the day of salvation.", 2 Corinthians (6:2). So, let us resist the devil by submitting ourselves to God, James (4:7). At the same time, let us, "keep watching and praying that we may not enter into temptation, the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak", Matthew (26:41).
(P) Amen.God Bless You!
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