HOMILY FOR THE 1ST SUNDAY OF LENT YEAR A
WHAT DO WE LEARN FROM THE TEMPTATIONS OF JESUS?
OUTLINE
2.2. By rejecting the devil’s temptations, Our Lord atones for the falls of humanity.
1. Summary of Ideas of the Sunday readings
Today’s 1st Sunday of Lent Year A Gospel (Mt 4:1-11) narrates to us Jesus’ preparation for his Public ministry, spending forty days and forty nights in prayer and fasting after being led by the Spirit into the wilderness. During his stay in the desert, Jesus was tempted by the devil who used Scriptural passages. Jesus, however, did not allow himself to be carried away by those three temptations which directly affect his mission as Messiah.
- This event of Our Lord’s life showing his obedience to the will of God is in direct contrast with, and a redemption of the sin of disobedience of Adam and Eve in paradise after being tempted by the serpent as narrated in the 1st reading (Gn 2:7-9; 3:1–7) during which sin and death enter the world.
- As St. Paul summarizes in the 2nd reading, “just as through one transgression condemnation came upon all, so, through one righteous act, acquittal and life came to all. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so, through the obedience of the one, the many will be made righteous (Rm 5:12-19).”
2. What do we learn from the Temptations of Jesus?
“The temptations of Jesus in the desert recapitulate the temptation of Adam in Paradise and the temptations of Israel in the desert. Satan tempts Jesus in regard to his obedience to the mission given him by the Father. Christ, the new Adam, resists and his victory proclaims that of his passion which is the supreme obedience of his filial love. The Church unites herself to this mystery in a special way in the liturgical season of Lent.”
-Compendium of the Catechism, n. 106.
2.1. By allowing himself to be tempted, Jesus wanted to teach us how to fight and conquer our temptations.
- Jesus, our Saviour, allowed himself to be tempted because he so chose; and he did so out of love for us and to instruct us. However, since he was perfect, he could only be tempted externally.
- St John Chrysostom explains why God allows temptations: in the first place, so that you may realize that now you are stronger. Secondly, so that you may become moderate and humble, not puffed up by the greatness of the gifts you have received, for temptations easily suppress your pride. Thirdly, the devil may doubt whether you have really abandoned him, and through the test of temptation he may clearly ascertain that you have left him for ever.
Fourthly, temptations make you stronger than the best-tempered iron. Fifthly, they give you the best proof of how precious are the treasures with which you have been entrusted, for had the devil not seen you now set in a place of great honour, he would not have attacked you.
- St John Chrysostom explains why God allows temptations: in the first place, so that you may realize that now you are stronger. Secondly, so that you may become moderate and humble, not puffed up by the greatness of the gifts you have received, for temptations easily suppress your pride. Thirdly, the devil may doubt whether you have really abandoned him, and through the test of temptation he may clearly ascertain that you have left him for ever.
- By allowing himself to be tempted, Jesus wanted to teach us how to fight and conquer our temptations. We will do this by having trust in God
Our Lord really wanted to undergo the test in his human nature without using his divine omnipotence. In his struggle he only used the means which we can also use, so that the example of his victory may be profitable to us. The Gospel for today’s Mass gives us a powerful reason for staying firm and serene, keeping our calm when we are tempted. As St Gregory the Great points out, the Lord, who came to conquer our death by his own death, likewise overcame our temptations by his own temptations.
2.2. By rejecting the devil’s temptations, Our Lord atones for the falls of humanity.
- Three times the enemy came to tempt the Lord. If you are the Son of God… And each time Jesus Christ rejected these temptations. Begone Satan, for it is written: You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.
- St. Josemaria wrote: We should learn from Jesus’ attitude in these trials. During his life on earth he did not even want the glory that belonged to him. Though he had the right to be treated as God, he took the form of a servant, a slave. And so the Christian knows that all glory is due to God and that he must not make use of the sublimity and greatness of the Gospel to further his own interests or human ambitions.
We should learn from Jesus. His attitude in rejecting all human glory is in perfect balance with the greatness of his unique mission as the beloved Son of God who takes flesh to save men. He has a mission which the Father affectionately guides with tender care: Filius meus es tu, ego hodie genui te. Postula a me et dabo tibi gentes hereditatem tuam. You are my son; I have begotten you this day. Only ask, and you shall have the nations for your patrimony.
And the Christian who, following Christ, has this attitude of complete adoration of the Father, also experiences our Lord’s loving care: He trusts in me, mine it is to rescue him; he acknowledges my name, from me he shall have protection.
Jesus says “no” to the devil, the prince of darkness. And immediately all is light. Then the devil left him alone; and thereupon angels came and ministered to him. Jesus has stood up to the test.
Relying on his example and on the strength of his power, we too will bear all the tests and temptations which God our Lord permits. A Christian’s life is a fight, a war, a beautiful war of peace …a relentless fight against pride, against our tendency to do evil and our exaltation of self (ibidem). And in this war, our Lord stays with us: He will cover you with his pinions and under his wings you will find refuge. Let us therefore invoke him in the words of the Church: You are my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.
- St. Josemaria wrote: We should learn from Jesus’ attitude in these trials. During his life on earth he did not even want the glory that belonged to him. Though he had the right to be treated as God, he took the form of a servant, a slave. And so the Christian knows that all glory is due to God and that he must not make use of the sublimity and greatness of the Gospel to further his own interests or human ambitions.
- Jesus’ temptations in the desert have a deep significance in salvation history. All the most important people throughout sacred history were tempted — Adam and Eve, Abraham, Moses, and the chosen people themselves. Similarly with Jesus. By rejecting the temptations of the devil, our Lord atones for the falls of those who went before him and those who come after him. He is an example for us in all the temptations we were subsequently to have, and also for the battles between the Church and the power of the devil. Later Jesus teaches us in the Our Father to ask God to help us with his grace not to fall at the time of temptation.
2.3. Victory over temptation is possible only with God’s grace obtained through prayer and sacrifice.
- Before beginning his work as Messiah, that is, before promulgating the New Law or New Testament, Jesus prepares himself by prayer and fasting in the desert. The Church follows Jesus’ footsteps by prescribing the yearly Lenten fast. We should practise Lent each year with this spirit of piety.
“It can be said that Christ introduced the tradition of forty days fast into the Church’s liturgical year, because he himself ‘fasted forty days and forty nights’ before beginning to teach. By this Lenten fast the Church is in a certain sense called every year to follow her Master and Lord if she wishes to preach his Gospel effectively” (John Paul II, General Audience, 28 February 1979).
In the same way, Jesus’ withdrawal into the desert invites us to prepare ourselves by prayer and penance before any important decision or action.
Dear brethren in Christ, as St. Augustine said:
“Our pilgrimage on earth cannot be exempt from trial. We progress by means of trial. No one knows himself except through trial, or receives a crown except after victory, or strives except against an enemy or temptations.”
Let us not forget, however, that Jesus had us in mind when he was tempted, and when he came out victorious. “If in Christ we have been tempted, in him we overcome the devil.”
Let us put the means to be united with Christ and live in His presence as we wage our daily battles against ourselves and the devil, convinced that if we struggle with Christ, we will also triumph with Him.
“Through our annual Lenten observance, Lord, deepen our understanding of the mystery of Christ and make it a reality in the conduct of our lives. (Opening prayer, 1st Sunday of Lent).”
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