First Sunday in Lent
Feb 25^th, 2007

Deut 26:4-10 Psalm: 91 Romans 10:8-13 Luke 4 :1-13

Theme: Jesus was tempted..

1. Before I share with your reflections on this Sunday’s readings, I would like to make two comments on the first lines of the first and second reading. People often ask why we make three crosses on our forehead, lips and heart before the reading of the Gospel. There are many reasons, but the scriptural basis for one reason is

the first line of the second reading.

“The Word of God is in your mouth and in your heart.”

But before we can proclaim the Word of God by mouth and love it in our hearts, we must first understand it in our minds.

2. The second comment is the first line in the first reading:

“the priest shall receive the basket from you.” We are tired of appeals for money from every social and charitable group. However, our Collection Basket goes back to the time of Abraham. He is the wandering Aramean in the first reading. The Collection Basket stands for us and all our joys and sorrows. We place this before the Lord, to be used in the Lord’s service. It is quite a natural and subconscious thought that when we put out collection in the basket – it is going to the parish priest, and he is going to use it as he thinks best. We also get irritated when we see the parish priest in a restaurant and he orders a fillet mignon, that it is being paid with “what I put in the collection basket”. These are natural but false assumptions. What we put in the basket is our way of saying Thank You to God and it is used for our Church services – which include a salary for the priest. Whether he wants to eat cholesterol laden steak or sensible salads, is his free choice. But we are not paying for his dinner –he pays for it himself.

3. And now for our reflection for this First Sunday in Lent. Jesus was tempted St. Luke tells us, three times in the Wilderness. If we look at our world today: on the Internet, on the TV, in our magazines, - everything seems to be SEX, Sex, SEX. Some people might think this is the main pitfall, the main sin in our lives. And yet the Devil did not tempt Jesus with this. He did not bring a scantily clothed woman and place it before Jesus. A wise theologian said, “Although Sex is a very powerful human drive, it is pretty obvious. People can easily see the danger.”

4. However, the three temptations that Jesus faced were more deadly, because they came under the Disguise of being something Good, something worthy of desire.

Food is good, wealth is attractive, and Power can help you change the society in which we live.

Now who would not be attracted to want this or do this? Besides we are told that there were two other factors that made Jesus rather vulnerable. An ordinary human being would easily fall for the trap.

First: Jesus was without food in the wilderness. When someone is hungry, our will power is rather low. We tend to make quick and rash decisions. We do not have the energy or desire to weigh things. We do not read the small print. We are quick to accept things presented to us. And then we regret the consequences.

Second: Jesus was alone in the wilderness. Our church, our society, our family, our friends, are so important in giving us support, strength in time of danger, advice on what is right or wrong. They prop us up when the going is hard. They hold up the STOP sign when they can see the danger we fail to see.

5. St. Ignatius of Loyola wrote the Spiritual Exercises. It is a set of guidelines to know the Will of God and how to do it. The Exercises tell us that

if we are having difficulties in prayer,

if we are having difficulties in facing temptations,

if we are having difficulties in being sociable and polite, the first thing to check is our physical health. If we are having headaches, if we have breathing difficulties, if we have stomach problems: diarrhoea - constipation, just cramps - these things will make it harder for us to pray, to deal with temptations, to be pleasant and polite. Often sorting these health issues would help us sort out our prayer and other related matters.

6. Jesus was faced with Turning stones into bread, jumping off the pinnacle and placing his trust in God, desiring power to continue his magnificent plans in proclaiming the Kingdom of God.

If Jesus was tempted with these, you can be sure that

we who were baptised in the name of Jesus

we who glory in the name of Christian -- will also face similar temptations.

Quite a few people tell me that they are constantly faced with temptations. I remind them that Jesus was faced with these right to the end. He had them in the Garden of Gethsemane. “Father let this chalice pass me by.” He had them on the Cross: “My God, my God why have you abandoned me?” So be not afraid. Jesus is with us always, even till the end of time.

7. When I am faced with temptation, the first thing I check is my physical health. The second thing I do is to share these problems with my spiritual father. Thirdly, I trust in the Lord who constantly said, “Fear not.” or “Be not afraid.”