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February 10, 2008: First Sunday of
Lent
Lent — Week
One: Temptation
The temptations of Jesus in
the desert probably reveal his human side as much as any other Gospel
story. Even though Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition tell us that
Jesus was “like” us in all things except sin, too often we only focus on how
Jesus is “unlike” us. When we look closely at Jesus in the desert we can
better connect Jesus to being like us.
Jesus was greatly tempted in the desert. We see that he
was weary and vulnerable. He struggled to secure his way in a dangerous and
uncertain land. If we look closely at his life on earth we see that
his life was really like ours. Look at all the demands people made on him.
The blind man who shouted from the roadside for help, the
paralytic lowered from the roof by his friends and the woman pleading for
her daughter who was ill, these were just some of the many people who
pressed their cares on Jesus at every turn.
Jesus was pressured by the political and religious
establishments of his day. They threatened his life in order to force him
to conform to their low standards. He was threatened to comply with their
corrupt customs and to join the status quo. They wanted to him to endorse
their futile practices and rituals. They even promised him a place of honor
if he complied.
We see that his own disciples tempted him. They
implored him to abandon his mission and use his supernatural power and
authority to become a world-wide success.
Looking closely, we see that Jesus was just like us in
his daily life. The temptations Jesus experienced in the desert highlight
the temptations we face everyday. Only there is a major difference here
between Jesus and us.
When we are tempted we tend to give up under our daily
burdens. We readily conform to the practices and preferences of the world.
We are quick to compromise our lives and relationships and follow the
alleged status quo. We turn to other powers like wealth and prestige for
strength, guidance and direction rather than the quiet power of God found in
fasting, prayer and meditation.
When Jesus was tempted he responded, “Get behind me,
Satan.” Jesus never wavered or refused an opportunity to bring glory to God
with his person and with his very life. All this he did to bring salvation
to the world.
In his humanity, yes Jesus is like us, in all ways
except sin. In his divinity, Jesus shows us his love and mercy; he shows us
the way out of temptation and straight into the kingdom of God. We have to
be willing to turn away from temptations and focus on bringing glory to God
in all that we say, think, do and feel.
With faith,
hope and love,
Father Steven C. Rogers
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