Deuteronomy 26:4-10
Ps 90:1-2.10-12
Romans 10:8-13
Luke 4:1-13
TEMPTATION
Since last Wednesday, we have begun the Lenten season. Lent is not just a time of preparation for Easter but also a period to deepen our relationship with God through prayer, fasting and almsgiving. It is a time of renewal, penance, conversion and spiritual battle. In fact, the gospel of the first Sunday of Lent usually speaks of the temptation of Jesus. This year, we read from the Lukan account (Luke 4:1-13). The temptation story is to tell us that many temptations await us during this season, but just as Jesus resisted and triumphed over the devil, we too should not give in to the solicitations of the devil.
Interestingly, the places where the temptations of Jesus supposedly took place are very significant in Jewish history: the desert, the Temple and the mountain. It is of no wonder that today’s first reading reminds us of the Jewish profession of faith, which is a kind of anamnesis, a remembering of the history of the Israelites. It was God’s grace that brought Israel safely from Egypt to the Promised Land (Deut. 26:4-10). And Jesus answers every onslaught of the devil with a text from Deuteronomy. Saint Paul also quotes from Deut. 30:14 to signify that the grace revealed in Jesus Christ is the same grace revered in the word of Sacred Scripture. On this same grace, we all depend for our salvation.
Thus, the account of Jesus’ temptation has much to teach us. First, no one can escape temptation. Temptation is everywhere and has no respect for status; but it is in temptation that the believer shows his fidelity to the Lord, the firmness of the choice he has made for God and the quality of his faith. Second, the devil tempts us on our weakest point and can easily seduce us to fall into his traps. Food is a natural necessity; pleasure, power and fame are common human attractions. But these can easily become occasion of temptation for us. What is important is to always keep in mind our identity and mission as children of God. Third, to be able to resist the temptation, we must counter him firmly with the Word of God and prayer, because with God’s grace, we will be able to overcome the snares of the devil. May our petition always be: "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil”. Amen.
Amen
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