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

Gospel Acclamation

(R) Alleluia, alleluia!

One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. (R)

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 were two little children named Patrick and Julia. Each of them had an apple. Patrick suggested, "Let's play Adam and Eve." Julia asked, "How do we play that? Patrick said, "Oh, it is very simple. You tempt me to eat your apple and I'll give into your temptation."

Temptation has been there from the beginning of time and is a part of our life. The temptations of Jesus as narrated in today's gospel lead us to the conclusion that temptation itself is not a sin. Temptation becomes sin only when we yield to it. We are human and we get tempted regardless of our religious belief and experience. Our Lord Jesus himself faced temptations immediately after one of the most profound religious experiences of his life. Jesus heard the voice of God His Father at the time of his baptism in the river Jordan. Pleased by his great humility to come to John to be baptized, God the Father declared that Jesus was his beloved Son. It must have been a moment of divine illumination that many of us hope and pray for. I pray for such experience in which I like to hear the voice of God telling me that he is very pleased with my thoughts, words and actions, and that I am his beloved child.

Besides, after such an experience, a person may naturally hope to enjoy harmony and peace in his life. But Jesus was led by God into the wilderness to be tempted and go through inner struggle and pain for forty days. Jesus was not in the desert by accident. He was led into the desert by the Spirit of God. The text says, "Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the river Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days to be tempted by the devil." Jesus was exactly where his God the Father wanted him to be, and while there in the midst of spiritual preparation for his ministry, he was tempted. Jesus, the Son of God, was being tempted because his incarnation required that he was put to the test like any one of us. We see him weary, vulnerable and struggling. His love for his God the Father needed testing to make him strong and victorious. The temptations of Jesus remind us that the more we surrender to God, the more we are tested in our faith in Him. Have you wondered sometimes why that, although you have been very faithful to the Lord and have tried to do exactly what He would want you to do, yet you find yourself in great trials, hardships, tests and temptations? Let us remember, even after a profound religious and spiritual experience and despite our faithfulness to God, we could still be led by Him to be tempted. God puts us where He wants us to be and tests our love for Him and others. But He would not test us beyond what Jesus himself had not been tested.

What were Jesus' temptations? His temptations were to turn stone into bread to feed his hunger; to throw himself down from the parapet of the temple to be protected by angels and to worship the devil to possess all the kingdoms and power in the world. In other words, the devil tried to entice Jesus by offering food, wealth, power and glory. He was tempted to compromise his mission for earthly pleasures and things. Let us not look at those temptations as just passing temptations, but temptations which Jesus had to fight off throughout all his earthly life. In fact many other times during his life on earth, Jesus had really been tempted to compromise his mission and love for God. For instance, the Pharisees asked him to perform a miracle to show that He was the Son of God but Jesus knowing their intention refused. When he had miraculously fed a great crowd, they wanted to make him their king but he went off to the hills by himself. When he was on the cross, they called out to him, "Save yourself if you are God's Son, come down from the cross." But Jesus showed himself totally faithful to God. Jesus chose His Father's will over the temptations to pursue an easier path.

Clearly, in varying forms these temptations of Jesus can come into our lives too. We could be tempted to compromise our gospel values and beliefs, give up our faith and convictions to gain material things, wealth, power and glory. But like Jesus we too can overcome such temptations. Today's gospel suggests that we can use the scriptures as a weapon to fight the devil. How? Each time Jesus replied to the temptation of Satan by quoting the scriptures. His responses to all the temptations revolve around his complete dedication to God and His Word. Responding to the first temptation he said, "One does not live on bread alone". It was a temptation for Jesus to doubt the goodness and providence of God. Jesus did not give into sin in order to satisfy his physical needs but rather trusted that God would provide for his needs if he sought to do things God's way. Confronting the second temptation he said, "Worship the Lord your God and serve him only." This was a temptation for Jesus to bypass the cross and gain power. But Jesus chose to obtain power by his total submission to God. Challenging the third temptation he said, "You shall not put the Lord your God to the test." The temptation was to test the power of God the Almighty. Jesus once again did not give into the demand of the devil.

Friends, temptation simply presents us with a choice. It is said that while temptation is the devil's weapon to destroy us, God wants to use it to shape us. If the Lord Jesus used the Scriptures to challenge the devil, surely it is to the Scriptures that we too must turn for understanding Church doctrines and teachings. The Word of God is the primary source of our faith and life. If we apply the Word of God to every circumstance in our life we too can emerge victorious from fierce temptations. As we battle with temptations every day, we pray that God may help us to be focused like Jesus and guide us to learn His Word better so we can have victory over temptation.

(P) Amen.

God Bless You!

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