First Sunday In Lent

1. Introduction:    We have a very vivid and descriptive Gospel. It is the story of the Three Temptations of Jesus. It would be the most attractive Scripture Passage to talk about. It so captures the imagination that most of the Superhero comic books are based on these temptations. Whether it is Superman or Captain Marvel, Wonder Woman or Spider man, the theme is the same. Someone is thrown from the top of a building and before the person can be a blot on the pavement, Superman comes and saves. This is precisely the third Temptation: Cast yourself from the Top of this Mountain and God will save you. The other pictures are the same: a dam busting, a river overflowing, a house collapsing, an earthquake: food, shelter and even life are at stake. Superheroes save. All are based on a God who can turn stone into bread, who will receive and must receive all worship and praise.
However, I would like to present the three Readings today as an Acclamation of our Faith, as our confession of faith. I do not use the word Confession, because we usually associate that with confessing our sins and even more so during Lent.



2. Our first reading is an Acclamation of Faith in the Providence of God. It is taken from Deuteronomy and it is a confession that God cares for us. God cared for the Israelites, starting from Abraham, or the wandering Aramaean as he is described. God brought him out of Mesopotamia, the middle of the two rivers: Euphrates and the Tigris. It might not have been the most troublesome spots on Earth at that time. But Iraq and Iran have had more than their share of trouble with War and Earthquakes in our own time.
After that God led the Israelites out Egypt in the famous story of the Exodus. That Exodus Story is central to the Israelites faith , as central as Hockey is to us, Canadians and Football is to the Americans.

3. The second reading is also another stress on our Acclamation of Faith. If we proclaim Jesus as the Lord, we will not be abandoned, we will not be lost, we will be saved. The only condition here is that our confession of faith must realize that this salvation is not exclusive, but inclusive. The Salvation is for all. If we are to say that anyone is beyond Christ saving power, we might find ourselves on the outside. In those days, the Israelites thought that the Salvation was their monopoly, their right, their promise. The Gentiles were considered outsiders.

In our own world, we might also have an attitude of "we vs them" - the them being the terrorists. Unfortunately we tend to lump everybody together... the Moslems with the terrorists. Our challenge today is to realize that our Moslem brothers and sisters also profess a belief in a Caring God, the God of Abraham. We cannot link a religion to  a few fanatics who give it a bad name. - just as we Catholics would not want to be branded terrorist because of the IRA extremists.

4. Finally our Gospel is a triple confession of Jesus, a triple acclamation of Faith:
Man does not live by bread alone - but must trust in a Provident God
God alone must be worshipped and glorified.
God is not like changing humans. God is not to be put to the Test..

The difference between Jesus and the rest of us is that when Jesus made this confession of faith, this acclamation of his belief, he lived it out all his life. There was integrity. I however, say, "Lord I believe, and then at the first distraction or temptation, I leave the path of the Lord and go after the glitter and tinsel of this world. The confession of faith of Jesus challenges us during this Lent to be men and women of integrity, to live up to our baptismal promises.

5. As we begging this season of Lent and we take on our traditional practices of Almsgiving, prayer and fasting, we are called to realize that those are just helps to focus on the one thing: GOD IS THE CENTRE OF OUR LIVES.
It is God who will never let us down, even if we stumble against the stone.
It is a God who cared for Abraham in the past and cares for us today.
It is a God who led the Israelites out of Egypt, out through the wilderness and preserved them from all danger.
It is the same God who is faithful to us today. God will never let us down. Our call is to be single-minded, men and women of integrity - especially during this Season of Lent. St. Augustine reminds us, "Our Hearts are made for you O Lord and they are restless until they rest in you."

The ABC&Ds of Fasting:
Here are some suggestions which you may want to consider:

A. Fast from A nger and hatred. Give your family and friends an extra dose of love each day.

B. Fast from Bitterness or resentment . Work on forgiving those who may have hurt you.

C. Fast from C omplaining. When you find yourself about to complain, close your eyes and recall some of the little moments of joy Jesus has given you.

D. Fast from D iscouragement. Hold on to Jesus' promise that He has a perfect plan for your life.