(Edited) Sunday Reflections: (From:) Liturgical years 2014 (A), 2015 (B), and 2016 (C)
March 9, 2014
Liturgical readings
Genesis 2:7-9, 3:1-7
Psalm 51
Romans 5:12-19
Matthew 4:1-11
"Jesus was led into the desert by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil."
Reading the text more closely, one can see how the devil uses three things to tempt Christ - and one after the other. In the second temptation, the devil uses Scripture to match Jesus' knowledge of God's Word. Christ however was consistent in all His defense since the beginning. He never wavered from His pure trust in God's Word. Jesus was so firmly anchored on the Truth, quoting from a pure objective: for the purpose of God's Kingdom.
One of the greatest minds in Catholic tradition, St. Augustine of Hippo, knew by experience what temptation to sin is. He gives this deep reflection on the gospel story of Jesus'temptation by the devil in the desert:
'If in Christ we have been tempted, in Him we overcome the devil...
Jesus could have kept the devil from Himself, but if He were not
tempted He could not teach us how to triumph over temptation' .
St. Augustine teaches a practical path to ward off evil: to seek Christ in our soul and to be firmly anchored and rooted in Christ. Only in Jesus can we overcome temptations. Although we may not be victorious over evil every time (as spiritual falls are always a reality), we know that with humility and rising again, Christ will be there for us.
Temptation is part of the daily struggle in Christian life. It enters our life whether we are rich or poor, honored or in disgrace, young or old, and healthy or sick. St. Francis de Sales, another great teacher in Catholic tradition, has this to say for people of all walks of life:
"so long as your will refuses its consent - not only to the temptation,
but to the pleasure which flows from it - God is not offended."
We do not sin if we resist the temptation at its beginnings - even if it troubles us, gives us anxieties, makes us uncertain, or finds us weak. It is in Jesus that we are encouraged, and are able to overcome temptations in life. The more we have Jesus in our mind and heart, and the more we are fed by His Word and Sacrament, we will be equipped to overcome any temptation.
Scripture quotes for reflection:
The Lord God formed man out of the clay of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life (Genesis 2)
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt and of my sin cleanse me (Psalm 51)
Just as through one man's disobedience all became sinners, so through one man's obedience all shall become just (Romans 5)
At that the devil left Jesus, and angels came and waited on him (Matthew 4)
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