I SUNDAY OF LENT
THE TEMPTATIONS
By our Pastor, Fr. Carmelo Jiménez
In this first Sunday of Lent we find readings which are very rich to reflect upon. The first and second readings are professions of faith, one of the People of Israel and the other from someone who believes in Christ. The gospel corroborates the double nature of Jesus, because only the human nature could have those sorts of temptations, but only with the divine nature could he overcome them.
The first reading is taken from the 26th chapter of the book of Deuteronomy. The book of Deuteronomy is a work of different itinerant preachers who insist on Israel being chosen and the consequences of that. These verses that we hear are a permanent reminder of the gift of the Earth. Not long ago Pope Francis gave us a beautiful Apostolic Exhortation about Mother Earth, and the care, respect and gratitude that we should have for her.
“My father was a wandering Aramean who went down to Egypt…the Egyptians maltreated and oppressed us… he heard our cry and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. He brought us out of Egypt…bringing us into this country, he gave us this land.” (Deut. 26:5b.6a.7b.8c.9a) The profession of faith that the Israelite people make manifests and reflects their personal and historic relationship with their liberating God.
The people of Israel do not entertain very abstract reflections. The other day I interviewed a couple to start a process of sacramental preparation, they have been baptized but that’s it. They know nothing of theological reflections about their faith, or about God, but they believe in and love God, they pray with faith and they give themselves to God. Their biggest reason is their profound gratefulness to God for each day, for life, for their family and for having each other. They don’t know a lot about definitions and the life of Christ, but they believe firmly that he is alive. They trust in his promises. They are not catechized but they believe and they hope in the promise of eternal life. In them is confirmed what Saint Paul says: “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart —that is, the word of faith that we preach—, for, 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.” (Rom. 10:8a-9)
In the gospel today we hear the temptations of Jesus. The first Christians must have asked themselves time and time again: Could Jesus be tempted? Why did he want to submit himself to temptation? And we also have to ask ourselves: Did they think about Jesus like we do today? They didn’t have the profound theological knowledge that we have about the double nature of Jesus in one person. Lucas believes that Jesus is the Son of God, but he contemplates him and sees the truly human. Jesus was tempted just as we are in all forms, but he did not succumb to sin. The experience of temptation of Jesus illumines the reality of the believer who is assaulted by temptation.
But if the temptations were immediately after his baptism and the 40 days of fasting and prayer, how did the disciples who were his friends know that Jesus was really tempted? Jesus in the Last Supper reminds the disciples that they are his friends because he has opened his heart to them. So I do not doubt that in an especially important and dramatic moment he revealed to them his own temptations which intended to separate him from the mission.
Brothers and sisters, temptation is not sin. You can feel blessed to be in temptation but ask God for the strength to not succumb to it. In temptation our faith is tested. Recognize yourself tempted as Christ, and recognize yourself overcoming it with him. He could have avoided the devil, but if he had not been tempted he would not have taught you the victory over temptation when you feel tempted. May God guard us and protect us so we will not fall into temptation. Amen.