Our gospel today (Luke 4:13,)says that the devil left Jesus after he had exhausted all these ways of tempting him. This must have a special meaning for us today.
Well, we must keep in mind the important context of salvation history. The "desert journey" made from Egypt is where the Hebrews had to learn obedience to God's will, and faithfulness to the Covenant. It was a difficult journey, taking forty years of "learning by failure" because of stubborn hearts. The beginning or "exodus" was a powerful experience, permanently embedding the Passover into the minds and hearts of the people. But the rest of the journey towards the promised land was a series of stumbles and getting up, and the of breaking and restoring the covenant relationship with God.
There were temptations to take the easy way out - - to return to a life in Egypt as they had known it, rather than make sacrifices and face the unknown demands of the desert. There was the temptation to doubt that God would provide for their basic needs of food and water. There were struggles over leadership roles, only reluctantly accepting Moses and his decisions. Then, there was always the temptation to worship other gods, created out of their own desires. That certainly sounds familiar, in our day and age.
Jesus faced these same temptations in his lifetime, and he overcame them. He accepted his cross and trusted in his Father. We also face these same temptations every day, and we have to choose: whether to overcome them or to let them overcome us. This is the first Sunday of Lent, a special time to refocus on our own temptations, our own stumbles and failings, and what to do about them.
Temptations of power, popularity, possessions, and pleasure attack us every single day. Lent is the time when we remember our salvation history, and how Jesus crushed the tempter. We learn to make self-sacrifices, to do penance for our failings in the time-honoured (and scriptural) ways of prayer, fasting and almsgiving, and in renewing our commitment to chastity. As a family project for Lent, pick out one charitable works of Mercy, and see how your family could make a difference to someone in the church, your street or your family. Finally, make a good Confession to renew your Covenant with God, including a firm resolution for change
Well, we must keep in mind the important context of salvation history. The "desert journey" made from Egypt is where the Hebrews had to learn obedience to God's will, and faithfulness to the Covenant. It was a difficult journey, taking forty years of "learning by failure" because of stubborn hearts. The beginning or "exodus" was a powerful experience, permanently embedding the Passover into the minds and hearts of the people. But the rest of the journey towards the promised land was a series of stumbles and getting up, and the of breaking and restoring the covenant relationship with God.
There were temptations to take the easy way out - - to return to a life in Egypt as they had known it, rather than make sacrifices and face the unknown demands of the desert. There was the temptation to doubt that God would provide for their basic needs of food and water. There were struggles over leadership roles, only reluctantly accepting Moses and his decisions. Then, there was always the temptation to worship other gods, created out of their own desires. That certainly sounds familiar, in our day and age.
Jesus faced these same temptations in his lifetime, and he overcame them. He accepted his cross and trusted in his Father. We also face these same temptations every day, and we have to choose: whether to overcome them or to let them overcome us. This is the first Sunday of Lent, a special time to refocus on our own temptations, our own stumbles and failings, and what to do about them.
Temptations of power, popularity, possessions, and pleasure attack us every single day. Lent is the time when we remember our salvation history, and how Jesus crushed the tempter. We learn to make self-sacrifices, to do penance for our failings in the time-honoured (and scriptural) ways of prayer, fasting and almsgiving, and in renewing our commitment to chastity. As a family project for Lent, pick out one charitable works of Mercy, and see how your family could make a difference to someone in the church, your street or your family. Finally, make a good Confession to renew your Covenant with God, including a firm resolution for change
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