Today we focus on the temptations of Jesus in the wilderness. Jesus was fully human, and therefore subject to all the temptations that humans are. The difference lies in the way he handled them.
He is tempted to turn stones into bread, to satisfy the hunger of his long fast. To use his miraculous powers for his own personal benefit. He refuses. So are we called to use the gifts God has given us for spreading his good news, not just for personal satisfaction. Like Jesus, our special gifts are for the service of God and others.
He is asked to bow down and worship Satan – just once – for the possession of the whole world. Satan is the prince of the world, so it seems this is within his power. But Jesus knows that God’s kingdom cannot be built on a compromise with evil, even a small evil. We, too, cannot do evil that good may come of it. In the end, the foundations of our efforts are rotten, and they will crumble. We can never compromise with evil; we are set on this world to follow good and avoid evil.
Satan tempts Jesus to use his privileged position with God by throwing himself off the Temple walls, knowing the angels will rescue him. This is the temptation to take the easy and superficial way to win followers. But Jesus is called to win followers by suffering and dying for their sins. To take the easy way means that he will not die, and that our sins will not be forgiven. We, too, must follow what God has called us to, no matter what. It is the only path to eternal life with him.
So, like Jesus, we are tempted. And like Jesus, we must resist temptation. This is what we are called to, and this is one of the special graces of Lent. Through our fasting, almsgiving and prayer, God works within us to overcome temptation, to achieve within ourselves the victory of Christ over the devil. May this be your achievement during this blessed and holy season of Lent 2016.
Fr Phillip
