March 10, 2019: 1st Sunday of Lent C
March 10, 2019: 1st Sunday of Lent C
Do you remember owning a walkman? Do you still use them? That was not so long ago! Now a video camera, a music player, a game boy, a desktop computer, and an artificial intelligence all fit into a small candy-bar sized device we now call a smartphone. One can argue that human beings have come a long way in advancing technology in such a short time. But has human nature advanced and evolved to the same degree?
Not much has changed in our human nature since the Fall of Adam and Eve when they realized that the forbidden fruit was good for food, delightful to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom. Like Adam and Eve, we are susceptible to temptation by the evil one; we are still attracted to what appears to be good, pleasing, and satisfying to our senses. It’s not that creation itself is bad; what’s bad is our inordinate or excessive desires to satisfy the self at the expense of a relationship with God and neighbor. Satan tempts us to redirect our love for God toward love of something far inferior--food, pleasures of flesh, possessions, security, vanity, and pride.
For 40 days and 40 nights in the desert, Jesus showed us how to respond to the the devil’s temptations by relying on the Word of God. First the devil tempted the hungry and famished Jesus to turn the stone into bread —- a temptation to satisfy the flesh with pleasures. Jesus rebuked Satan by the sufficiency of the Word of God, showing us that relying on the Word of God will bring peace to our disordered desires for pleasures of the flesh. Second, the devil tempted Jesus with the lust of the eyes, promising all earthly power and possessions. Jesus rebuked Satan with the first of Ten Commandments, showing us that our fundamental purpose is to love and worship God alone. Lastly, the devil tempted Jesus with the lust of pride, to tempt Jesus to test His Father, thereby making himself the center of importance. Jesus rebuked Satan quoting Moses who warned the Israelites not to test the Lord. Jesus showed us that it is necessary for us to humble ourselves before God and submit to His Will when we are tempted.
What could happen to us when we face similar temptations? Sometimes we attempt to make inanimate things of life into a necessity that we could actually do without. You have heard a saying, “our eyes are bigger than our stomachs”; sometimes we think we need the latest phone or the newest item that comes along even when we can’t afford it. The sad reality is that we all have given into so many temptations that we no longer consider them temptations. We no longer consider giving in to over-indulging as gluttony. We now say that we’re being truthful even when we’re giving into the sin of detraction and calumny. We are so saturated with sensual images and innuendos in media that we no longer consider impure thoughts and actions as sin of lust. Have we at times dressed up our sinful behaviors as something good that God would want for us? It’s time for us to form our conscience through the Word of God and the teachings of the Church in order for us to be the person God created us to be. Make no mistake; God is only desiring that which is good for us. He created us out of love, and we are made to love--to love the Good, the True, and the Beautiful.
We will do well to heed sobering, yet enlightening, advice from the spiritual classic, The Imitation of Christ:
We will never be free of trials and temptations as long as our earthly life lasts. Therefore, we should always be on our guard against temptations, always praying that our enemy, the devil, who never sleeps but constantly looks for someone to devour (1 Pet 5:8), will not catch us off guard. … [In times of temptation] wait for the Lord, act bravely, and have courage. Do not lose trust. Do not turn back but devote your body and soul constantly to God's glory. I will reward you most plentifully. I will be with you in every tribulation.
Not much has changed in our human nature since the Fall of Adam and Eve when they realized that the forbidden fruit was good for food, delightful to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom. Like Adam and Eve, we are susceptible to temptation by the evil one; we are still attracted to what appears to be good, pleasing, and satisfying to our senses. It’s not that creation itself is bad; what’s bad is our inordinate or excessive desires to satisfy the self at the expense of a relationship with God and neighbor. Satan tempts us to redirect our love for God toward love of something far inferior--food, pleasures of flesh, possessions, security, vanity, and pride.
What could happen to us when we face similar temptations? Sometimes we attempt to make inanimate things of life into a necessity that we could actually do without. You have heard a saying, “our eyes are bigger than our stomachs”; sometimes we think we need the latest phone or the newest item that comes along even when we can’t afford it. The sad reality is that we all have given into so many temptations that we no longer consider them temptations. We no longer consider giving in to over-indulging as gluttony. We now say that we’re being truthful even when we’re giving into the sin of detraction and calumny. We are so saturated with sensual images and innuendos in media that we no longer consider impure thoughts and actions as sin of lust. Have we at times dressed up our sinful behaviors as something good that God would want for us? It’s time for us to form our conscience through the Word of God and the teachings of the Church in order for us to be the person God created us to be. Make no mistake; God is only desiring that which is good for us. He created us out of love, and we are made to love--to love the Good, the True, and the Beautiful.
We will never be free of trials and temptations as long as our earthly life lasts. Therefore, we should always be on our guard against temptations, always praying that our enemy, the devil, who never sleeps but constantly looks for someone to devour (1 Pet 5:8), will not catch us off guard. … [In times of temptation] wait for the Lord, act bravely, and have courage. Do not lose trust. Do not turn back but devote your body and soul constantly to God's glory. I will reward you most plentifully. I will be with you in every tribulation.
