In today’s opening prayer or Collect, we pray, “O God, who does purify Thy church by the yearly observance of forty days; grant to Thy household that what we strive to obtain from Thee by self-denial, we may secure by good works.” (Deus, qui Ecclesiam tuam annua quadragesimali observatione purificas; praesta familiae tuae, ut quod a te obtinere abstinendo nititur, hoc bonis operibus exsequator.) It means that our self-denial is not about making ourselves suffer and be deprived of something, but rather about being less focused on ourselves. We need to think about others as we glorify and worship God.
Last Wednesday, we received the imposition of ashes on our forehead, a sign that we are consenting to go through the process of repentance, self-denial and conversion as we believe and proclaim the gospel through words and action, our way of life as Catholics.
This first Sunday of Lent is not to think about sacrifices but about how the love for God and others is effectively working with us. This is a call to not be easily tempted by Satan, but allowing the grace of God to transform us.
The two readings today speak about our journey as we begin this season of Lent. We open our hearts to make some decisions that are not short-sighted, but a long term planning to make life healthier and successful in so many ways because we have chosen to be with God, as God continues to reach out to us for Him.
Hearing the gospel today, Jesus proves his own identity as He was “led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.” Jesus’ action in this story confronting Satan proves His closeness with the Father and fidelity to His mission. There are spiritual points that we shall reflect together for better understanding.
First, Jesus fasted for forty days; therefore, He was hungry and vulnerable. Satan said to Him,” If you are the Son of God, command these stones become loaves of bread.” Jesus replied, “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.” This is a very powerful statement to reflect on during this season. It is by fasting that we become weak, and yet, our spiritual power is great. The Church encourages us to give way to our ancient tradition of fasting, a powerful spiritual discipline which brings about change and the clarity of mind, body and spirit. That is the reason why medical experts give advice to fast from time to time. Fasting allows us to reveal the clearer picture of both our health and true spiritual conditions.
Second, Jesus was standing at the parapet of the temple. Satan told Him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down.” And “He will command his angels concerning you and with their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.” Jesus made this reply, “You shall not put the Lord, your God to the test.”
Oftentimes, when we are at the lowest point, desperate and frustrated that we can’t find God’s response to our prayers, we turn to other gods. Because of not finding personal gratification, our faith wavers! We want to manipulate God according to our human terms. This is a wrong and detrimental kind of spirituality. Our life is not about what we want, but how we fulfill His holy will, be pleasing, and glorify His name. Sure enough, we should not ever tempt God because we personify Satan by how we act.
Third, Jesus was taken to the highest point of the mountain, then Satan said to Him, “All these I shall give you if you will prostrate yourself and worship me.” Jesus cried out, “Get away Satan, the Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.” Nowadays, many people are selling their souls to Satan because of greed, selfishness, and power. They appear happy and satisfied, but interiorly there is that boiling anger and discontentment of everything. That is why when there in no peace within, we can’t sleep and live comfortably. We are always haunted by fear and anxiety, troubled by how we worship this false-god. That kingdom promised by Satan is empty, and without acknowledging the real creator, our loving God, then I could imagine how difficult life can be.
Today, we are invited to make sound decisions for ourselves. Lent is the time to assess and rediscover our genuine identity. St. Augustine reminds us to seek the truth about God that He created everything, including the first man and woman which is the sign of humanity’s dependence on God in relation to being created in His image and likeness. St. Augustine has this idea that God’s power of creating Adam/Eve had been generated by our relationship with God. Despite the falling into temptation because of pride, we are redeemed by Jesus. God’s intention is to bring us back to Him; therefore, I conform to St. Augustine’s thought that there is the possibility of renewal, restoration and discovering the best way for change and new life. According to his book “De Trinitate book 12.10,” there is the possibility of how we could restore the broken relationship and find our way back to God through our external and inner actions for the restoration of the true identity and creative image. This is the reason why we have this season of Lent.
Let us bring the broken and “disjointed” relationship made by our first parents by reconstructing our openness to the Spirit of God. Let us accept Jesus, the New Adam, to be listened to and be patiently carrying our own cross, and not choosing to have an easy and quick way of living our Christian life. Please do good works of Charity.
God bless you.
Fr. Arlon, osa
