It is 21st February 2021. We celebrate the First Sunday of Lent with the theme of temptation.
The readings are from Genesis 9:8-15; the second reading is from 1Peter 3:18-22; and the Gospel from Mark 1:12-15.
At the outset of the Lent we are led to ruminate over the time of temptations and deviations of the initial promises we have made to the Lord, family and the community at large. There is no one is spared when it comes to temptation. Temptations come in every color, shape, fabric and fables.
There was a big ban importing the cotton between the south and north America. One businessman wanted to bribe a captain of the ship to carry cotton into his desired destination. He bargained him with little money but the captain refused the offer. Gradually the businessman increased the amount to trap the captain, but the captain took his revolver and put on his forehead and said not to tempt him more than he could withstand. The business man disappeared.
God assures the humanity in the first reading that God continues to love us by connecting with us in the nature.
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” (Heb.4:15).
Lent is a time to examine how far we have given in to Satan’s tricks and treats by compromising our faith-commitments. Satan is all around our life when to make us fall prey to malicious wishes casting on us.
“Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour.” (1Pet.5:8). The purpose of Satan is to divert our attention from God. The leaders divert the mind of the people from economical collapse, they throw freebies and innocent killings.
The emperor Nero set fire to the city of Rome to divert the people from the economic upheaval and began blaming the Christians. There began the persecutions against the Christians. The innocent human lives were thrown before cruel animals in the arena to entertain and to divert the minds of people from addressing the issues related economy. Mark portrays this as though Jesus himself was in the wilderness amidst hungry beasts. Jesus, the most innocent one yet it did not protect Him from the attacks of the evil one. As Jesus began the ministry, he was challenged and attacked by Satan. He was put to test by the evil one before going public ministry.
Mark teaches us that Jesus was tempted by Satan. In Hebrew, Satan means adversary. In the OT, it means the opponent. Philistines considered David as their Satan. (1 Sam.29:4). Any dangerous opponent was considered as Satan at the earlier understanding of the concept later it was understood as the one who pleads the case against the another, an accuser of people before God, God’s adversary and a demonic spirit opposed to God. But in the NT, Satan is understood as the principal spirit of evil who opposed God’s ways and plans. As Jesus came to be baptized, the Father was so pleased with Him. Right after the public approval, he encounters the adversary of God who proposes the ways. It is not time of temptation to choose between the ways of the Father and of the Satan. Every temptation calls us to have a change and clarification of our stand for God. Jesus emerged gloriously from the wilderness of temptation but it did not stop there. The adversary would appear to distract Jesus during the ministry too. “Get behind me Satan! Because the way you think is not God’s way but man’s” (Mk.9:33). Jesus took a clear stand for God and inviting us to embrace the rule of God by believing in the Gospel.
Repentance and believing are the proof we have overcome the battle of temptation. Jesus is the Good News. It is time to know, love and serve Jesus. A radical change and complete 360 turnaround. It is not about leaving one sin or sets of sins rather our attitude and addiction to the sins to be looked at with faith. Without repentance, we cannot believe in the Gospel and come closer to God.
As we begin the Lent, the Church invites us to discipline ourselves with the Word of God to face the wilderness of temptation with Jesus. What is expected of us to resist evil and to bring peace and harmony in ourselves and with others. In facing the wilderness of temptation, we are not alone. We are with our Lord and the followers. We are all tempted, sinned and failed. Many of us have got stuck in the tunnel of sins believing that there is no way out. It is all about change of heart and mind about the way we think. Lent is the time to examine our habits of sin and find the exit with the help of the Good News. It is a lifetime process till we die. Temptations would be there around as long as we live here on earth. Let us begin again facing the enemy in us and around us. It is the time to enjoy not merely to endure. It is the perfect to grow in spiritual maturity and emerge so strongly than ever before. St. Peter confesses, “For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God.” (1 Pet.3:18).
Growing temptation amidst the pandemic is that we have no time for God and the pressure of work forces us to forget God and to believe that everything is achieved by our efforts alone. How many of us go to bed without examining our conscience daily? How many of are willing to switch of the links, the connections, the contacts that make us feel sinful, small, and alienated from God? Our screen time has increased so dramatically, while our space with God has shrunk so small. Each one has an addiction to look at it and deal with it during this time of grace, mercy and forgiveness.
Messing is part of growing. We all hear the cry within ourselves to leave the mess we have created and make a space for God. We all need to renew, revisit, remember the patterns of falling. Lent is the time of growing up spiritually, relationally in our faith commitments and with one another. The floods of sins could have destroyed the areas we treasured most yet the rivers of grace never run dry in our life.
The responsorial Psalm praises, “Your ways, O Lord, are love and truth, to those who keep your covenant.” (Ps.25:10)
Lent is time of training to combat the evils we usually take for granted. Jesus did this training in forty days to begin with. (Mk.1:12-13). There is a wilderness in everyone’s life. We need to look into it. We do not need to judge, condemn, and crucify ourselves rather to look at us as God looks at us compassionately and to appreciate our willingness to change. “This is the time of fulfilment. Re-form yourselves.” (Mt.4:17). The battleground has shifted from the desert to the halls of our hearts. Let us begin the Lent with enthusiasm, confidence and courage even though we are still not able to have the full access to the Church and the Sacraments. Our fasting, prayer and charity need to be accelerated. Our charity to the needy is the expression of our love for humanity within and embracing battered face of divinity in the image of God. Let us change and submit ourselves out of love not out of force, fear and formality. To experience the mercy and grace, we need to enter in. May the Lord help us to enter in to the time of Lent with seriousness. Have a fruitful Lent and making the spiritual life meaningful. God bless you and have a lovely day.