1st Sunday of Lent year A

Dearly Beloved,

Immediately after the Baptism at the Jordan River, the Son of God courageously enters into the desert (allusion to Moses and Mt. Sinai).  Christ is there for 40 days and nights. 

Satan tempts the Lord with three kinds of alluring temptations.  The three temptations has to do with Food, Vanity, and Power. 

The first temptation, having to do with physical/sensual appetites, is reversed when the Lord says: “One does not live on bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.”  Why do we fast and abstain from meat during Lent and practice self-denial by giving up something of value during the 40 days?  It is not that the things of the world are evil (Gnostic Dualism).  But because the spiritual disciplines of self-denial makes us hunger and thirst for Almighty God.  “I am the living bread that comes down from heaven.  Whoever eats this bread will live forever.  This bread is my flesh for the life of the world (John 6:51).”  The spiritual disciplines draw us towards the Eucharistic food that sustains the soul, and that which the soul truly hungers for. 

 The second temptation having to do with vanity or vain-glory.  The Son of God is brought up to the parapet of the Temple.  With courage, the Lord refuses to give in to the temptation of jumping from the temple and landing in the arms of the angels: “He will command his angels concerning you and with their hands, they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.”  When does this become a temptation for me?  It is the occasions when I see everything going wrong in my life, and I want to end it quickly.  It is perceived to be easier to jump into the arms of the angels, rather than humbly walking back down the long flight of stairs.  It’s difficult, but that’s what the Lord did.  When tempted to take the easy way out, do not be afraid, but walk down the stairs with Christ. 

The Third Temptation has to do with accumulation of power.  To which the Lord responds: “The Lord, your God, shall you worship and Him alone shall you serve.”  You know the saying: “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”  This last temptation certainly brings us back to the Old Testament when the Chosen people departed from Egypt.  Egypt was known to be poly-theistic, and certainly hadm much influence upon the Chosen people  who were mono-theistic while they resided in this foreign land.  Jeff Cavins once said in the Great Adventures Bible Study, that God was not just taking His people out of Egypt, but taking Egypt out of them.  What are some of those idols that need to be taken out of your life, so that the Lord, your God, shall you worship, and Him alone shall you serve.