Sunday Gospel Reflection
Jesus fasted forty days and forty nights and was tempted by the devil
Introduction:
Lent, the forty days and nights proceeding Easter, should be a meaningful time of preparation that we look forward to with anticipation. The early church saw these days as preparation not only for the candidates for baptism but also for the entire church. Lent can be a time of both sorrow and joy as we reflect on our humanity and on Him who is the redeemer of our humanity. During Lent, as we read, pray, and reflect we often sadly recognize our hardness of heart,lukewarm devotion, and lack of true holiness. This very recognition of our stained humanity should give us hope. As C.S. Lewis said, "It is when we notice the dirt that God is most present in us, it is the very sign of His presence."
St. Francis de Sales tells of St. Catherine of Siena's
struggle with temptation. "This temptation continued for a long time until our Lord
one day appeared to her and she said to him, 'Where were you, my sweet Lord, when my heart
was filled with such a great darkness and filth?' He answered, 'My daughter, I was within
your heart.' 'But how could you dwell within my heart where there was so much impurity?'
she asked, 'Is it possible that you could dwell in so foul a place?' Our Lord replied to
her, 'Tell me, did the filthy thought within your heart bring you pleasure or gloom, grief
or delight?' and she said, 'The very greatest grief and gloom.' He replied, 'Who placed
this great grief and gloom in your heart but me who remained hidden in the very center of
your soul? My daughter, believe me, if I had not been present there those thoughts which
beset your will and which you could not drive away would certainlyhave conquered and
entered into it. Once accepted with pleasure by your free will, they would have brought
death to your soul. Since I was present within you, I put that displeasure and resistance
in your heart and thus enabled it to reject the temptation as far as it could. When unable
to do as much as it wanted to it felt still greater displeasure and dislike for both
the temptation and for itself. Thus these trials have been a
great source of merit and profit for you and have greatly increased your strength and
virtue'"
(from Introduction to the Devout Life.)
This Sunday's Gospel reading gives us immense insight into the nature of temptation and the source of victory to overcome temptation. Someone, speaking of temptation has said, "We can't prevent the birds from flying overhead but we can prevent them from building a nest in our hair." So it is with temptation. We cannot prevent our being subjected to temptation, it is part of the human drama. However, we don't need to surrender to it.
Even Jesus, the Son of God was put to the test by Satan. Satan pulled out all the stops and appealed to all of man's senses and inner desires to tempt Jesus to step outside of the Father's will. But Jesus did not succumb. In his experience overcoming temptation Jesus provides the key elements we need for overcoming temptation also. Jesus was schooled in the Scriptures to understand both the nature of the Father, and God's expectations of us for living a holy life and he had already determined that he would submit to the Father's will regardless. So when a tempting situation was offered to him he tested it against God's revealed will in the Scriptures,and willingly surrendered his will to the Father's.
Jesus' experience and St. Francis de Sales' advise have one things in common, the Word of God. Jesus who is the Living Word used the written Word to safely lead him out of temptation's trap. St. Francis de Sales rightly identified the indwelling Word of G od as the one who safely turns our dark days of temptation into stepping stones of strength and virtue. As we enter these days of Lent, let's not only fasten our eyes on our stained humanity but rather upon him who is the answer to that stain, the Word of God, the indwelling presence of Jesus.
First Reading
Genesis 2:7-9; 3:1-7
7 Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and
breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
8 And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and
there he put the man whom he had formed.
9 And out of the ground the LORD God made to grow every tree
that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the
garden, and the tree of
the knowledge of good and evil.
...
3:1 Now the serpent was more subtle than any other wild
creature that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God say, 'You shall
not eat of any tree of the garden'?"
2 And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the
fruit of the trees of the garden;
3 but God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree
which is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'"
4 But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not die.
5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be
opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and
that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise,
she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, and he ate.
7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they
were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons.
Second Reading
Romans 5:12-19
12 Therefore as sin came into the world through one man and
death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all men sinned -
13 sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where
there is no law.
14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose
sins were not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.
15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many
died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift in the
grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many.
16 And the free gift is not like the effect of that one man's
sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift
following many trespasses
brings justification.
17 If, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through
that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of
righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.
18 Then as one man's trespass led to condemnation for all men,
so one man's act of righteousness leads to acquittal and life for all men.
19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so
by one man's obedience many will be made righteous
Gospel Reading
Matthew 4:1-11
1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be
tempted by the devil.
2 He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he
was hungry.
3 The tempter approached and said to him, "If you are the
Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread."
4 He said in reply, "It is written: 'One does not live by
bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.'"
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, and made him stand
on the parapet of the temple,
6 and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw
yourself down. For it is written: 'He will command his angels concerning you and 'with
their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.'"
7 Jesus answered him, "Again it is written, 'You shall
not put the Lord, your God, to the test.'"
8 Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain, and
showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence,
9 and he said to him, "All these I shall give to
you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me."
10 At this, Jesus said to him, "Get away, Satan! It is
written: 'The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you
serve.'"
11 Then the devil left him and, behold, angels came and
ministered to him.
Bible Study
1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be
tempted by the devil.
----Probably the desert of Judea; a steep slope
that falls from the central ridge of the country to the valley of the Jordan and the Dead
Sea. Jebel Qaranthal, named after the forty days, lies to the west of Jericho and is
traditionally associated with the mount of temptation.
2 He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards
he was hungry.
----Moses spent forty days and forty nights
fasting on Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:18). Israel spent forty years in the desert being
tempted and failing. The number 40 in Hebrew numerology indicates a time of transition or
change.
3 The tempter approached and said to him, "If you are
the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread."
4 He said in reply, "It is written: 'One does not live by
bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.'"
----Jesus quotes from Deuteronomy 8:3. The
Israelites had been hungry in the desert and had rebelled.
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, and made him
stand on the parapet of the temple,
6 and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw
yourself down. For it is written: 'He will command his angels concerning you and 'with
their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.'"
----Satan quotes Psalm 91:11-12.
7 Jesus answered him, "Again it is written, 'You shall
not put the Lord, your God, to the test.'"
----Jesus responds by quoting Deuteronomy 6:16.
Massah is so called because at this place the Israelites put God to the test (Exodus
17:7).
8 Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain, and
showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence,
----This mountain does not exist in nature, it is
a vision; although Jebel Qaranthal has been associated with it in legend.
9 and he said to him, "All these I shall give to you,
if you will prostrate yourself and worship me."
-----The temptation is to use political power to
accomplish the ends of the Messianic Mission.
10 At this, Jesus said to him, "Get away, Satan! It is
written: 'The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.'"
11 Then the devil left him and, behold, angels came and
ministered to him.
-----Jesus dismisses Satan and quotes
Deuteronomy 6:13, another test the Israelites had failed in the desert.
Meditation
Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit to spend forty days and nights in prayer and fasting in a lonely place. Why was he compelled to seek solitude for such a lengthy period? Was it simply a test to prepare him for his ministry? Or did Satan want to lure him into a trap? The word tempt in English usually means to entice to sin. The scriptural word here also means test in the sense of proving and purifying someone to see if there are ready for the task at hand. We test pilots to see that they are fit to fly. Likewise God tests his servants to see if they are fit to be used by him. God tested Abraham to prove his faith. The Israelites were sorely tested in Egypt before God delivered them from their enemies. Jesus was no exception to this testing. Satan will surely tempt us and will try his best to get us to choose our will over God's will. If he can't make us renounce our faith or sin mortally, he will then try to get us to make choices that will lead us, little by little, away from what God wants for us.
Jesus was tempted like us and he overcame not by his own human strength but by the grace and strength which his Father gave to him. He had to renounce his will for the will of his Father. He succeeded because he wanted to please his Father and he trusted that his Father would give him the strength to overcome the obstacles that stood in the way. Luke says that Jesus was "full of the Holy Spirit" (Luke 4:1). When tempted by the devil Jesus did not try fight his adversary on his own human strength. He relied on the power which the Spirit gave him. Jesus came to overthrow the evil one who held us captive to sin and fear of death (Hebrews 2:14). His obedience to his Father's will and his willingness to embrace the cross reversed the curse of Adam's disobedience. His victory over sin and death won for us not only pardon for our sins but adoption as sons and daughters of God.
How can we overcome sin and oppression in our personal lives? The Lord gives us his Holy Spirit to be our strength, guide and consoler in temptation and testing. The Lord Jesus is ever ready to pour out his Spirit upon us that we may have the strength and courage to resist sin and to reject the lies and deceits of our enemy Satan. God wants us to "fight the good fight of the faith" (1 Tim. 6:12) with the power and strength which comes from the Holy Spirit.
Reflections:
· Please re-read the phrase(s)/sentence(s) that move(s)/touche(s) you.
· Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert
to be tempted by the devil.He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he
was hungry. (Matthew 4:1-2)
-----Jesus fasts in the wilderness for 40
days? What is the wilderness(the testing ground) in my life?
· Matthew 4:2-11
-----In what ways did Jesus' response to temptation
differ from Adam's and Eve's?
· What are my temptations to test my Faith? How have I responded? How should I respond? What can I do to prepare for future temptation?
· Do I rely on the Lord for the strength and help I need to overcome the temptation.
· Do you think that praying and fasting are
important for each of us as a disciple of Jesus? What is your prayer life today? Share one
experience when you overcame the temptations because you depended on prayer and fasting.
To Live His Word This Week
· Eat simply on all Fridays and use that money to help the poor.
· Put aside at least 15 minute each day to read the Bible or spiritual material or spend 5 to 10 minutes, at least 2 times a week if you can not do it daily, to pray to God. This could be at home, work or at church.
For Youngters
· Do not curse when you talk with friends.
· Do not play any video games for 15 minutes and help your parents clean up the house instead
Prayer
Lord, your word is life and joy for me. Fill me with your Holy Spirit that I may have the strength and courage to embrace your will in all things and to renounce whatever is contrary to it.