February 21st: Study and Meditation On The Scripture Readings for This Coming Sunday's Mass

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Here is a reflection from Dr. Scott Hahn from the The St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology:

In today’s epic Gospel scene, Jesus relives in His flesh the history of Israel.

We’ve already seen that like Israel, Jesus has passed through water, been called God’s beloved Son (see Luke 3:22; Exodus 4:22). Now, as Israel was tested for forty years in the wilderness, Jesus is led into the desert to be tested for forty days and nights (see Exodus 15:25).

He faces the temptations put to Israel: Hungry, He’s tempted to grumble against God for food (see Exodus 16:1-13). As Israel quarreled at Massah, He’s tempted to doubt God’s care (see Exodus 17:1-6). When the Devil asks His homage, He’s tempted to do what Israel did in creating the golden calf (see Exodus 32).

Jesus fights the Devil with the Word of God, three times quoting from Moses’ lecture about the lessons Israel was supposed to learn from its wilderness wanderings (see Deuteronomy 8:3; 6:16; 6:12-15).

Why do we read this story on the first Sunday of Lent? Because like the biblical sign of forty (see Genesis 7:12; Exodus 24:18; 34:28; 1 Kings 19:8; Jonah 3:4), the forty days of Lent are a time of trial and purification.

Lent is to teach us what we hear over and over in today’s readings. “Call upon me, and I will answer,” the Lord promises in today’s Psalm. Paul promises the same thing in today’s Epistle (quoting Deuteronomy 30:14; Isaiah 28:16; Joel 2:32).

This was Israel’s experience, as Moses reminds his people in today’s First Reading: “We cried to the Lord…and He heard.” But each of us is tempted, as Israel was, to forget the great deeds He works in our lives, to neglect our birthright as His beloved sons and daughters.

Like the litany of remembrance Moses prescribes for Israel, we should see in the Mass a memorial of our salvation, and “bow down in His presence,” offering ourselves in thanksgiving for all He has given us.

 

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A brief meditation by His Holiness. Pope Benedict XVI, excerpted from his book, “Jesus of Nazareth” (2007).

Mathew and Luke recount three temptations of Jesus that reflect the inner struggle over his own particular mission and, at the same time, address the question as to what truly matters in human life. At the heart of all temptations, as we see here, is the act of pushing God aside because we perceive him as secondary, if not actually superfluous and annoying, in comparison with all the apparently far more urgent matters that fill our lives. Constructing a world by our own lights, without reference to God, building on our own foundation; refusing to acknowledge the reality of anything beyond the political and material, while setting God aside as an illusion - that is the temptation that threatens us in many varied forms.

Moral posturing is part and parcel of temptation. It does not invite us directly to do evil - no, that would be far too blatant. It pretends to show us a better way, where we finally abandon our illusions and throw ourselves into the work of actually making the world a better place. It claims, moreover, to speak for true realism: What’s real is what is right there in front of us - power and bread. By comparison, the things of God fade into unreality, into a secondary world that no one really needs.

The three temptations are identical in Matthew and Luke, but the sequence is different. We will follow Matthew’s sequence…

The devil takes the Lord in a vision onto a high mountain. He shows him all the kingdoms of the earth and their splendor and offers him kingship over the world… [Jesus gives] an unbelievably harsh answer: “Get behind me Satan! You are a hindrance to me; for you are not on the side of God, but of men” (Mt 16:23).

…The interpretation of Christianity as a recipe for progress and the proclamation of universal prosperity as the real goal of all religions, including Christianity - this is the modern form of the same temptation.

Jesus, however, repeats to us what he said in reply to Satan, what he said to Peter, and what he explained further to the disciples of Emmaus: No kingdom of this world is the Kingdom of God, the total condition of mankind’s salvation. Earthly kingdoms remain earthly human kingdoms, and anyone who claims to be able to establish the perfect world is the willing dupe of Satan and plays the world right into his hands.

Now, it is true that this leads to the great question: What did Jesus actually bring, if not world peace, universal prosperity, and a better world? What has he brought?

The answer is very simple: God. He has brought God, and now we know his face, now we can call upon him. Now we know the path that we human beings have to take in this world."

 

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From Msgr. Charles Pope at the Archdiocese of Washington:

There’s an old Gospel song tradition that speaks of the Christian life as a ride on the “Gospel Train.” But the Gospel Train not always and easy ride with perfect scenery. But you gotta get your ticket for the Gospel Train and stay aboard. The train sometimes passes through difficult terrain and life’s temptations. But just stay on board! Jesus too on his way to glory faced trials, hatred, and even temptation (yet without sin).

Today the Gospel Train pulls into “Temptation Station” and we are asked to consider life’s temptations. The three temptations faced by Jesus are surely on wide display in our own times. What are these temptations?

**Pleasure- **The devil (I intentionally do not capitalize his name not because I deny that satan is a person but why give him the honor of capitalizing his name?) encourages Jesus to turn stones into bread. After having fasted, the thought of bread is surely a strong temptation. In effect the devil tells Jesus to “scratch where it itches,” to indulge his desire, to simply give in to what his body craves. We too have many desires and we too are told by the devil in many ways to scratch where it itches. Perhaps no generation before has faced temptation in this area so strongly as we. We live in a consumer culture that is well skilled at eliciting and satisfying our every desire. All day long advertisements reach into our mind to excite desire and to advise that we MUST fulfill our every desire and wish. If something is out of stock or unavailable in exactly the form we want we are indignant. “Why should I have to wait? Why can’t I have it in that color?” and so forth. The advertiser’s basic message is “You can have it all!” This is a lie of course but it is told so frequently that we feel entitled to just about everything. Some of our biggest cultural problems are problems of over-indulgence. We are a culture that struggles with obesity, addiction, sexual misconduct, greed, and an over-stimulation that robs us of an attention span and causes boredom to be a significant issue for many who are too used to the frantic pace of a video game or action movie. We have done well in turning stones to bread. To all this Jesus rebukes the devil by saying, “Man does not live on bread alone.” In other words there are things that are just more important and bread and circuses, than creature comforts and indulgence. Elsewhere Jesus says, “A man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” (Lk 12:15)…

Popularity- Taking Jesus up a high mountain the devil shows him all the nations and people of the earth and promises them to him if Jesus but bow down and worship the devil. This is a temptation to power but also to popularity for the devil promises him not only sovereignty but also glory. Since most of us are not likely to attain to sovereignty, and since temptation is only strong in those matters that seem possible for us, I will focus on popularity. Here too we face a lot of this in life. One of the deeper wounds in our soul is the extreme need that most of us have to be liked, popular, well thought of, respected, and to fit in. We dread being laughed at, scorned or ridiculed. We cannot stand the thought of feeling minimized in any way. For many people the desire for popularity is so strong that they’ll do darn near anything to attain it. It starts in youth when peer pressure “causes” young people to do lots of stupid stuff. They will join gangs, get tattoos, piercings, wear silly clothes. Many a young lady desperate to have a boyfriend and thus feel loved and/or impress her friends, will sleep with boys or do other inappropriate things to gain that “love.” As we get older we might be willing to bear false witness, make compromises etc to advance our career, lie to impress others, spend money we don’t have to buy things we don’t really need to impress people we don’t really like, be silent when we should speak out for what is right and so forth. All of this is a way of bowing before the devil since we are, in effect, willing even to sin in order to fit in, advance, or be popular. Here Jesus says, You shall worship the Lord, your God, and him alone shall you serve. The real solution to this terrible temptation to popularity is to fear the Lord. When we fear God we need fear no one else. If I can kneel before God, I can stand before any man. If God is the only one we need to please, then we don’t have to run around trying to please everyone else…

Continued on the next post…

 

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Continued from the previous post.

**Presumption- **Finally (for now) the devil encourages Jesus to test God’s love for him by casting himself off the highest wall of the Temple Mount. Does not scripture say that God will rescue him? The devil quotes Psalm 91: With their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone. In our time the sin of presumption is epidemic. Many people think that they can go one behaving sinfully, recklessly, and wantonly and that they will never face punishment. “God is love!” they boldly say, “He would never send anyone to hell or punish!” In saying this they reject literally thousands of verses of Scripture that say otherwise. But they have refashioned God, and worship this idol. ”God does not care if I go to Church,” they boldly declare, “He does not care if I live with my girlfriend.” The list continues to grow. The attitude is that no matter what I do God will save me. It is boldly presumptive to speak and think like this. It is true that Hell and punishments are difficult teachings to fully comprehend and square with God’s patience and mercy. Nevertheless God teaches it and we need to stop pretending that it really isn’t for real. This is presumption…Jesus rebukes satan by quoting Deuteronomy: You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test. We ought to be very careful about presumption for it is widespread today. This does not mean we have to retreat into fear and scrupulosity. God loves us and is rich in mercy, but we cannot willfully go on calling “no big deal” what God calls sin and takes seriously. Hence we should be sober about sin and call on the Lord’s mercy rather than doubt we really need it and just presume God doesn’t mind etc.

Our train is leaving the station soon. It is to be hoped that you and I have benefited from this brief stop and have stored up provisions for the journey ahead such as: insight, resolve, appreciation, understanding, determination and hope. The journey ahead is scenic but also difficult and temptations are a reality. But as the Old Gospel Song says: The Gospel train’s a’comin’, I hear it just at hand. I hear the car wheel rumblin’ And rollin’ thro’ the land. Then Get on board, Children, Get on board, there’s room for many a more!

 

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From Catholic Exchange, here is a meditation with an interesting twist by Fr. Paul Scalia. I especially like this one.

God on Trial

Traditionally, the Church has understood Our Lord’s three temptations in the desert as a summary of the temptations we face. St. Thomas observes, “The matter of all sins were included in the three temptations.” By this interpretation, Our Lord occupies our place. On our behalf He undergoes and triumphs over the temptations of the evil one. Or, better still, in Him we triumph over all temptation.

There is, however, another way of understanding Our Lord’s temptations. Instead of seeing us in Christ’s place, we can see ourselves in the devil’s. Without denying the significance of the traditional interpretation, we can understand the devil’s temptations of Our Lord as signifying also the various ways in which we tempt God — that is, how we test Him and put Him on trial. It is not a flattering interpretation, to be sure. But we often need strong medicine for healing.

Consider the devil’s basic question to the accused: “If you are the Son of God …” (Lk 4:3, 9). This expresses an attitude, implicit if not explicit, that we assume quite often. It is a petulant, peevish response to God’s self-revelation. He reveals Himself and rather than taking Him at His word, rather than responding in faith, we demand proof. We say, in effect, “Oh, yeah? Prove it.” Zechariah copped this attitude and received a rather severe punishment. God’s messenger declared to him, “you will be speechless and unable to talk … because you did not believe my words” (Lk 1:20).

The devil also exemplifies the particular proofs we demand. There is, first of all, the proof of worldly comfort: “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread” (Lk 4:3). For us to believe, we demand that He give us want we want for our worldly comfort. We may not have this exact thought process, but the attitude lurks within. For some reason we suppose that our health and wealth is proof of His divinity — and that the lack or loss of them is reason to doubt or reject Him. How many people lose their faith precisely because they lost the worldly comfort on which they had based it. If He is God, they say, He would not have allowed this.

Second, we demand power. “All this will be yours, if you worship me,” says the devil (Lk 4:7). Now, we would never be so crass as to demand that He worship us. At least not in so many words. But we do demand that He conform to our way of thinking and our way of living before we will let Him into our world. In other words, He must set aside His divine claims before we allow Him in. No, we do not close Him out entirely. We just require Him to take a lower, less divine place — right there alongside our other devotions, interests and hobbies. Instead of conforming ourselves to Him, we demand that He conform Himself to us.

Third, we demand “signs and wonders” in order to believe. The devil demanded a spectacle — that Jesus throw Himself from the temple parapet and let His angels save Him. That would get their attention. Likewise, we demand something stupendous and amazing (which Our Lord warned against specifically: cf. Mt 24:24; Mk13:22; Jn 4:48). We are not content to marvel and wonder at the “small” workings of God. We have grown bored with His “regular” works. We want something big!

Chesterton succinctly condemns this spiritual boredom: “There is only one sin: to call a green leaf grey.” Sin comes from boredom with the wonder of God’s creation, with His small voice, and with His smaller presence in Mary and in the Eucharist. The irony is, those who insist on miracles typically do not believe them when they come — exactly as Our Lord warned: “If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead” (Lk 16:31).

“Prove it” is not a good attitude toward God. We should instead say, “Help me to see!” Mother Church gives us Lent as a time to correct our mindset and cultivate the proper openness to and delight in God’s self-revelation — so that as Easter comes our response to Him will be one not of doubt but of devotion: “My Lord, and my God!”

 

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From Father Thomas Rosica, CSB at ZENIT:

Temptations Correspond to Our Vulnerabilities

An ancient proverb says: “Good habits result from resisting temptation.” On Ash Wednesday we heard three fundamental orientations for this season in the rich Scripture readings: almsgiving, prayer and fasting.

Lent is a season of solidarity, of sharing, of openness to our neighbor, especially toward the most needy. Lent is also the favorable time for personal and community prayer, nourished by the Word of God as proclaimed each day in the liturgy. This year at the beginning of Lent, we are invited to focus our attention on Luke’s account of the temptations of Jesus in the wilderness. How can we develop some good habits this Lent as we strive to overcome our temptations?

Led by the Spirit into the wilderness

Most of us are very familiar with the three graphic temptations of Jesus as related by Matthew and Luke in their Gospel accounts of Jesus in the desert. As a result of the descent of the Spirit upon Jesus at his baptism (Luke 3:21-22), that same Spirit leads Jesus into the desert for 40 days to be tempted by the devil. The mention of 40 days recalls the 40 years of the wilderness wanderings of the Israelites during the Exodus (Deuteronomy 8:2).

At the outset we must ask ourselves as countless people have asked throughout the ages: How could it be said that the Holy Spirit led Jesus into temptation? If Jesus was God, and God is incapable of being tempted, how could Jesus have been tempted? Such questions arise when we consider the temptations of Christ. How do we reconcile what we know about God, Jesus, and temptation, with what is said to have happened in the gospel accounts regarding Christ’s temptations?

Lukan aspects of the temptations of Christ

Let us consider several important aspects of this Sunday’s Gospel story of Jesus tempted. The Holy Spirit did not lead Jesus into temptation. The Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness. The evil one would utilize the moment of Jesus‚ physical weakness and exhaustion in the desert to tempt him. Satan would consider this “an opportune time,” and he would look for other “seasons” as well. The devil did the tempting, not the Holy Spirit!

Neither Matthew (4:1-11) nor Luke claim to represent the chronological sequence of the temptations. Luke may have reflected on the scene from the standpoint of geography, relating the two in the wilderness first, and then the one on the temple’s pinnacle. Matthew records that after the temptation on the high mountain, Jesus said, “Away from me, Satan.” Matthew’s order, therefore, may be the chronological sequence, but there is no contradiction between the two evangelists.

Luke represents the three specific temptations as occurring after the 40 days of fasting (4:2-3). The Lord may have endured many temptations during the 40 days, but the three temptations were the culminating, most intense testing, of Jesus’ wilderness solitude. Luke’s temptations conclude on the parapet of the temple in Jerusalem, the city of destiny in the third Gospel. It is in Jerusalem that Jesus will ultimately face his destiny (9:51; 13:33).

Continued on next post…

 

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Continued from previous post.

In the first temptation in the desert, Jesus responds to the evil one, not by denying human dependence on sustenance (food), but rather by putting human life and the human journey in perspective. Those who follow Jesus cannot become dependent on the things of this world. When we are so dependent on material things, and not on God, we give in to temptation and sin.

The second temptation deals with the adoration of the devil rather than God. Jesus once again reminds the evil one that God is in control. This is so important for us to hear and believe, especially when our own temptations seem to overpower us, when everything around us might indicate shadows, darkness and evil. It is God who is ultimately in charge of our destiny.

In the third temptation, the devil asks for a revelation or manifestation of God’s love in favor of Jesus. Jesus answers the evil one by saying that he doesn’t have to prove that God loves him.

Luke says that the devil left him when he “had ended every temptation” (4:13). Are we to understand that the devil never tempted the Lord again? Luke 4:13 indicates that the devil’s temptations ended on that occasion “for a season,” or “until an opportune time.” The devil’s opportune time will occur before the passion and death of Jesus (22:3, 31-32, 53). It was after Jesus endured the desert wilderness that he withstood temptation. Alone and defenseless against the wind and the weather, exposed to both day and night, and even exposed to the seeming absence of God, this experience of desert wilderness is a part of human growth and maturity.

Our temptations

At the very beginning of his campaign for this world and for each one of us, Jesus openly confronted the enemy. He began his fight using the power of Scripture during a night of doubt, confusion, and temptation. It will do us well not to forget Jesus’ example, so that we won’t be seduced by the devil’s deception. We are tempted in the same ways Jesus was – wanting to have power over life and death, wanting to control our economic futures, putting our appetite for food ahead of our appetite for God. But trusting in God, as Jesus did, will make us strong.

Temptation is everything that makes us small, ugly, and mean. Temptation uses the trickiest moves that the evil one can think up. And his power is greater and stronger than our own human power. The more the devil has control of us, the less we want to acknowledge that he is fighting for every millimeter of this earth. Jesus didn’t let him get away with that.

Jesus’ desert experience raises important questions for us. What are some of the “desert” experiences I have experienced in my life? What desert experience am I living through right now? When and how do I find moments of contemplation in the midst of a busy life? How have I lived in the midst of my own desert wilderness? Have I been courageous and persistent in fighting with the demons? How have I resisted transforming my own deserts into places of abundant life?

Far from creating a great divide between Jesus Christ and ourselves, our own trials and weaknesses have become the privileged place of our encounter with him, and not only with him, but with God himself, thanks to this man of the cross. Jesus has been tested in all respects like us – he knows all of our difficulties; he is a tried man; he knows our condition from the inside and from the outside – by this did he acquire a profound capacity for compassion. For one must have suffered in order to truly feel for others. From Jesus we learn that God is present and sustaining us in the midst of test, temptation and yes, even sinfulness.

As Christians, we are in a constant fight with the desires born of our sinful natures. We are unable to resist temptation without God’s grace. We are called to trust the Lord (not ourselves) for strength to resist temptation before it becomes sin. It is not the temptation itself that leads us to sin, but the lack of resistance and trust in the Lord for deliverance.

Christ identifies with our struggles

Jesus, the friend of tax collectors and sinners, knew well that temptation could simply overcome people. Victims of poverty, ignorance, prejudice, oppression, abuse, violence and drugs reveal to us how easily people can be driven beyond endurance. Those who pray with Jesus share his profound sense of ultimate human helplessness and dependence.

Christ was human and He can identify with our struggles. Hebrews 4:14-16 says, “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Lord, lead us not into temptation! Rather, guide us into the pathways of justice, love and peace during these Lenten days. Give us the grace and fidelity to be faithful to our God and Father in heaven. Give us the courage to accept who we really are and where we should be.

 

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Again, from a slightly different angle (talking about the Church as a whole), here is a meditation by Fr. George Rutler:

Christ’s temptation and ours

Christ was tempted three times as an act of love to prepare his Church for three temptations which would assault her in every generation.

The Spirit that “drove” Jesus into the desert to be tempted by Satan (Mark 1:12) is the Third Person of the Most Holy Trinity, the bond of love between God the Father and God the Son. Christ was tempted three times as an act of love to prepare his Church for three temptations which would assault her in every generation.

Satan tested Christ to figure out if he truly was divine: “If you are the Son of God . . .” So Satan also tempts the Church, not to discern her holiness as the Body of Christ, but to test whether Christians will be faithful to that holiness.

Satan first tempts the Church to turn stones into bread: to reduce the Church to a human creature devoid of supernatural charisms. The Church is the world’s greatest feeder of the poor, but unless she feeds souls, she is redundant in a materialist culture. Satan wants to replace Communion lines with bread lines, as if the Body of Christ were nothing more than temporal sustenance. But Christ is Our Saviour and not Our Philanthropist. “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, you shall not have life in you” (John 6:53).

Secondly, Satan tempts the Church to mock herself, as he wanted Jesus to jump from the pinnacle of the Temple and survive. This test will see whether Christians will take up the daily crosses of life with Christ in a broken world, or engage grace as a kind of New Age energy arrogated to ourselves without moral obedience to natural law. To fly against nature is to live in an unreal world, claiming to be Catholic without living as Catholics. Satan wants us to “take Communion” on our terms rather than “receive Communion” on Christ’s terms. St. Paul would not fly that way: “He who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks his own condemnation; and for this reason many of you are weak, and ill, and some have died” (1 Cor. 11:29-30).

Thirdly, the Church is tempted with earthly power. Cardinal Consalvi reminded Napoleon that the Church’s power is not from earthly rulers. Pius XII said that Stalin would be able to count the Church’s divisions only after he died. The two Thomases, Becket and More, made similar remonstrances with their own blood. In the history of the Church, Judas was the first to accept a government grant in exchange for doing evil. The Church is entering a time of severe testing, and she will be crucified in ways more tortuous than nails, for she will be jeered by journalists and patronized by politicians and menaced by false messiahs, but in the end the Church’s despisers will hear severe words: “You could have no power at all against me, were it not given you from above; so he who delivered me to you has the greater sin” (John 19:11).

 

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From Brian Pizzalato at The Road to Emmaus:

Jesus is tempted

Luke’s Gospel for the First Sunday of Lent presents Jesus being tempted in the desert.

We first hear that Jesus “was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days.” (Lk 4:1-2) This occurs right after Jesus has received the Spirit in his Baptism. But, why would the Holy Spirit want him to go into the wilderness?

First, Jesus has just associated himself with sinners by undergoing the baptism of repentance. As the new Adam who has come to undo what the old Adam did, he is driven into the wilderness; much like Adam was driven out of Eden. Jesus, like Adam, will be tempted by the devil. The difference arises in the fact that Jesus is obedient whereas Adam was not.

Second, Jesus has come to defeat, not Rome, but sin, death and the devil. St. John tells us: “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.” (1 Jn 3:8) Therefore, he goes into the wilderness to do battle. However, this temptation does not take place until he has first prepared himself through 40 days of fasting. (cf. Lk 4:2)

The Gospel of Mark makes clear Jesus’ mission by reminding readers that in the wilderness "he was with wild beasts.” (Mk 1:13) In Scripture, the wilderness is frequently associated with evil powers which are portrayed as beasts. Isaiah, for example, refers to the wilderness as "the haunt of jackals.” (Is. 35:7)

On the other hand Scripture also portrays the wilderness as a place of special intimacy with God. Jeremiah says, “I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride, how you followed me in the wilderness…” (2:2)

Jesus and Israel in the wilderness

One of the main themes in the Gospels is an emphasis on the new and greater exodus which was prophesied by Isaiah. (cf. 40-55)

In the Gospels, Jesus is depicted as reliving the life of Israel during their exodus and years of wandering in the wilderness. Just as Israel passed through the Red Sea and then journeyed into the wilderness for 40 years, so too Jesus passes through the Jordan and into the wilderness for 40 days.

This event emphasizes the stark contrast between Israel’s disobedience during their 40 years of exile and Jesus’ obedience during his 40 days of fasting. There are many parallels between the two events. For example:

1. Both Israel and Jesus are called God’s son. (Ex 4:22; Lk 4:22)

1. The temptations of both are preceded by a baptism. (Ex 14; 1 Cor 10:1-5; Lk 4:1-13)

1. Israel was tested 40 years; Jesus was tested 40 days.

1. The Spirit of God was seen to be particularly active during the Exodus and their 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, so too is the Spirit active with Jesus during his 40 days. (Ex 40:34-38; Is 63:10-14; Lk 4:1)

1. The three temptations that Jesus endures parallel the experience of Israel in the wilderness. This is especially so given the context of the quotes Jesus gives from Scripture which all come from Deuteronomy 6-8 (8:3; 6:16; 6:13). In these passages Moses tells the children of those who have come up out of the Egypt and are about to enter the Promised Land why their parents failed. He is speaking to them at the end of the 40 years of wandering.

a. Jesus’ first temptation has to do with hunger and provision. On several occasions during their exile, the Israelites complain about food and water. (Ex 15:24; 16:2; 17:2)

b. Jesus’ second temptation has to do with putting God to the test. For example in Exodus 17:2, when the people are murmuring about water, Moses says, “Why do you put the Lord to the test?”

c. Jesus’ third temptation has to do with worshipping false gods. The Israelites were extremely prone to this. For example, no sooner had they come up out of Egypt, they tried to worship the golden calf at Mount Sinai. (Ex 32) Forty years later, just as they are about to enter the Promised Land, they attempt to worship Baal of Peor. (Nm 25)

Like Adam, like Israel, and like Jesus, we too enter into the wilderness during Lent. We must do battle with temptation and the devil. How? As Jesus says when he comes out of the desert, “Repent, and believe in the Gospel.” (Mk 1:15) However, like John the Baptist told the Pharisees, we must “bear fruit that befits repentance.” (Lk 3:8)

What are the fruits of repentance? In the sixth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus talks about deeds of piety, or righteousness during the Sermon on the Mount. These deeds are almsgiving, prayer and fasting. And that is exactly what the Church calls us to during this Lenten season. We must beware of being like the Pharisees who only did such so that others would see them and think them holy. Each of our actions, our deeds, must be accompanied by the interior disposition of repentance.

 

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From “Sunday Gospel Reflections”:

Gospel
Luke 4:1-13

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Interesting Details

This account immediately follows the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan. The spirit given Jesus at His baptism (3:22) does not lead Him into temptation, but is the sustaining power with Him during this time. As the baptism revealed His divinity, so the temptation story emphasizes His humanity.

The wilderness/desert was believed to be the place of demons (Lk 8:29, Lk 11:24).

(v.2) Jesus’ forty days in the desert recalls the forty years of the wilderness wandering of the Israelites during the exodus (Dt 8:2). While the people of God’s forty years are described as years of testing and failure (Acts 7:39-43), Jesus’ forty days are those of testing, faithful and victory.

(v.3) “stone to bread”: Jesus is challenged to use His power for His own ends rather than to obey His Father.

(v.4) “man shall not live by bread alone”: Jesus’ response to the devil is taken from Deut. 8:3. His responses in vv 8 and 12 are also from Deut. (6:13,16).

“Son of God”: Luke refers his readers back to Jesus’ baptism, where God had declared, “You are my Son” (3:22). Jesus, God’s Son, is faithful to His Father and does not fall during His testing as Israel, God’s Son, had done.

Jesus’ testing in Jerusalem is the final and climatic one. It is in Jerusalem that the devil will return at “the opportune time”. As Jesus is about to begin His public ministry, Luke directs our attention to Jerusalem, where Jesus again remains victorious and God’s promises will be ultimately fulfilled.

(vv.10-11) The devil tries to use Scripture (Ps 91:11-12) to offer Jesus to test His sonship against the promise of God to protect Him. Scripture is no more authorative than any other text if it is wrongly interpreted as in this case by the devil.

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One Main Point
Jesus’ victory over the devil. Luke presents Jesus precisely as the kind of person John the Baptizer predicted: the “more powerful one” (3:16)

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Reflections
What have you found most helpful in Jesus’ victory over temptation?

If the Devil could identify your three greatest weaknesses, what would they be?

In your prayer, be with Jesus, imagine His physical weakness and His strong determination to obey His Father’s will.

 

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From the magazine, The Word Among Us:

**Meditation: Romans 10:8-13 **

*If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9) *

Every Sunday at Mass, we publicly confess what we believe. When we recite the creed, we openly state that we believe in the Trinity, in the virgin birth, in Jesus’ death and resurrection. We proclaim our faith that the church is one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. We place our hope in eternal life. Yes, every Sunday we do indeed “confess” with our mouths that “Jesus is Lord” (Romans 10:9).

What about believing in our hearts? Scripture tells us that the heart is the center of our being. It is the place where our deepest desires dwell, but also the place where we make our most important decisions. So believing in our hearts means deciding to surrender ourselves to the Lord who died and rose for us. It means loving the Lord and deciding to follow his ways.

This means that every time we proclaim the creed at Mass, we can check the level of conviction that goes into the words we are saying. In the early church, Christians died for confessing with their lips and believing in their hearts. That’s how much their faith meant to them. Today, we face similar challenges to our faith. Our lives may not be on the line, but our hearts are. Will we stand up as believers in this world? Or will we let the world dictate the terms of our faith?

When you say the creed at Mass today, be sure that you are proclaiming it both outwardly with your lips and inwardly with your heart. Tell the Lord: “I believe in you. I trust you with all my heart. Thank you for all you have done for me.” The more you hold this creed in your heart, the more you will see your faith increase. And as your faith increases, you will find yourself more compassionate, more loving, and more eager to share Jesus with those around you.

“Come, Lord, and increase my faith this Lent. I want to know you more and to serve you better.”
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Questions for Individual Reflection or Group Discussion

Readings: Deuteronomy 26:4-10; Psalm 91:1-2,10-15; Romans 10:8-13; Luke 4:1-13

1. In the first reading, Moses reminds the people of all that God has done for them by setting them free from slavery to the Egyptians. He also instructs the people (and the priests) to express their gratefulness and thanks to God by offering him their “first fruits.” Each of us has been set free from slavery to sin, through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. What are some “first fruits” you can offer to God out of gratefulness to Him for this wonderful work. Discuss some gift(s) God has given you that he may be asking you to use for him now.

1. The Responsorial Psalm calls God our “refuge and fortress,” that is, the source of our comfort and strength. Where do you turn for comfort and strength? In light of the many promises of the Lord in this Psalm, how can you overcome the obstacles that keep you from seeking your comfort and strength from the Lord?

1. In the second reading, what does St. Paul say is required to be “saved”? In what ways do you agree or disagree with this?

1. The second reading also says that in Christ all distinctions between people, whether Jew or Greek, have been abolished. Considering that we will be together in heaven one day, what are the prejudices in your life God might be asking you to eliminate?

1. In the Gospel reading, how would you summarize the temptations of the devil towards Jesus in the desert? How would you relate them to the ways the devil tries to tempt you? In the Gospel, Jesus quotes the truths of Scripture, the Word of God, to respond to the lies and temptations of the devil. How often do you read Scripture on your own now? Discuss some steps you are willing to take during Lent that will allow you to read and meditate on Scripture more regularly?

1. The meditation states that “Every Sunday at Mass, we publicly confess what we believe” and we do this when we recite the creed. How would you describe the difference between confessing that “Jesus is Lord” with our mouths and actually believing it our hearts.

1. Have you ever made a personal commitment of your life to Jesus Christ? Even if you have, why not take a few minutes now to “confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord” and receive him, the risen Lord, as Lord of your life.

 

[Fidelis]

From Presentation Ministries:

**FAST FROM FOOD, FEAST ON THE BIBLE **

*:bible1:“The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart.” *—Romans 10:8; see also Deuteronomy 30:14

Lent is a time of fasting, but Lent is not a time of famine — that is, a famine for the word of God (compare Am 8:11). Yes, give up food for fasting, but also begin a feast: a feast for the Word of God. Feast daily on the Bible this Lent. Through daily Bible reading:

you won’t be as hungry for food, for God’s word will feed you and satisfy your hunger (Mt 4:4),

you will experience the power of Scripture to lead to conversion and salvation for both yourself and those with whom you share it (Rm 1:16),

you are set free to overcome temptation and the devil through the power of the Holy Spirit wielding God’s Word through you (see Jn 8:31-32; Eph 6:17; Mt 4:4-11),

you will know Jesus more deeply, for “ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ” (Catechism, 133), and

you will store the words of the Bible in your heart to help avoid sin (Ps 119:11).

This Lent and all your life, the devil will tempt you to stay away from daily Scripture reading. Defeat Satan by reading extra passages of the Bible each day in Lent (see Acts 17:11). Let your Lenten Scripture feasting be a foreshadowing of the heavenly feast (Rv 19:9).

Prayer: Father, this Lent may hundreds of thousands of Catholics begin reading and sharing the Bible daily.
Promise: “If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” —Rm 10:9
Praise: Praise Jesus, the Living Word, Who is the Way to the Father (Jn 14:6).

 

[Fidelis]

From biblical scholar John Bergsma over at The Sacred Page:

**The Temptation, Kings, Nuns and Priests **

The Gospel reading for the first Sunday of Lent is the temptation of Christ in the desert according to Luke.

Christ is tempted in three ways: through his physical desires (hunger for food), through his eyes (being shown all the glory of the kingdoms of the world), and through the temptation to pride (to stage a magnificent stunt that would win him fame throughout the nation).

This threefold temptation of Christ corresponds to St. John’s warning about the “lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” in 1 John 2:15. This threefold categorization has been known in the Church as the “threefold concupiscence,” the unholy Trinity of temptation.

Eve was tempted in the same way. She saw that the fruit was “good for food, pleasing to the eye, and to be desired to make one wise.” “Good for food” is lust of the flesh. “Pleasing to the eye” is lust of the eye. “Desired to make one wise” is a temptation to pride—Eve wants to be wise like God.

Thousands of years later, the king of Israel was commanded by Moses to restrain himself from the temptations of the threefold concupiscence. Deut 17:16-17 forbids the Israelite king from multiplying horses (military might), women (sensual pleasure), and gold/silver (greed/avarice) for himself. These three items correspond to lust of the flesh (women), lust of the eyes (gold), and pride (self-aggrandizing military build-up).

First Kings 10–11 describe how, in his latter years, Solomon, the first Son of David to sit on his father’s throne and a kind of “New Adam” figure in the biblical story line, egregiously fell prey to the threefold concupiscence by multiplying for himself everything Deuteronomy 17 forbids.

In today’s Gospel, we see Jesus, the New Adam, overcoming the threefold concupiscence, and so undoing the sin of Eve, and overcoming the failings of the first Son of David, Solomon. “One greater than Solomon is here” (Luke 11:31).

All Christians share in Christ’s royal anointing and therefore must take steps to overcome lust, avarice, and pride. In particular, in the Catholic tradition, those who enter the religious life take vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. These vows are radicalized ways to mortify the threefold concupiscence: lust of the flesh (chastity), lust of the eyes (poverty), and pride (obedience). We should view these “evangelical counsels” as means toward a profound conformity to Christ and his power to overcome temptation. Even Catholic diocesan clergy, who do not take formal vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, nonetheless de facto commit themselves to this lifestyle. It seems fitting that they should, since they are in a sense the viceroys of the New Israel (Gal 6:16), and therefore should commit themselves more radically to the self-denials required of anyone who would rule over the people of God (Deut 17:16-17).

 

[Fidelis]

Thanks to all who have followed this thread to the end. If you have any meditations to add or would like to share your thoughts on the Readings, questions or meditations, please feel free to do so (in a charitable manner, of course!) Time for me to start preparing for the next one for the 2nd Sunday of Lent.

Have a blessed week.