COMBATING THE TEMPTATION OF IDENTITY


The first reading of today gives us the summary of the salvation history of Israel. This passage is the prayer that Israel’s were told to make when they bring first fruits of the Promised Land to the Lord God to offer a thanksgiving sacrifice. We need to remember that most people who underwent slavery in Egypt and witnessed the mighty hand of the Lord in exodus were dead in the desert itself before they could reach the Promised Land. Although people who offered first fruits to the Lord in the Promised Land might have had some knowledge about the history of their fathers, still many would not have realized the gravity of the exodus. The recalling of their history and the intervention of the Lord God in their history made them realize and be aware of what they were doing. It was the duty of fathers in Israel to pass the salvation story to their children during Passover. The handing of faith to the next generation is very important as they give reason to the people for their faith. We did not see what happened in exodus, nor did we witness what happened to Jesus, all that we have as Christian faith are handed down to us through our ancestors and the church. If we don’t know the history and reason for our faith we may not last long or we may not find any meaning in our faith. The reason for one’s faith is very important to sustain in that faith. And so, by recalling the salvation history every generation of Israel was able to give reason for its belief. In the second reading St. Paul insists that we need to believe and confess our faith. The confession of faith is not mere articulation of one’s faith rather it is an elucidation of various reasons for one’s faith. Whenever we go to the church we need to recall our catechism lessons that enlightened us about our faith. Every prayer of ours should recall some fundamental elements of our faith.

In the Gospel, Jesus is facing temptation. As mortal beings, all of us face temptation. This is the most common disturbance in all our lives that make us to go astray easily. The text says that Jesus was being tempted throughout forty days in the desert (Lk 4:2). The devil goes away from Jesus not because he has finished three temptations but because he got exhausted in his work of temptation, he is going away is only for short time soon he would return to Jesus to continue his work of temptation. Therefore, the three temptations are only highlights of those temptations. We cannot lessen the temptation of Jesus by reducing it into an event that involved devil and Jesus in a dialogical form. The victory of Jesus in these three temptations contrasts the failure of Israel in three areas. In the first temptation, Jesus refuses to use his power for His own benefit whereas Israel used the gift of divine revelation for themselves alone; they refused others to have any knowledge about their revelation. In the second temptation, Jesus refuses to bow down to the devil, whereas Israel despite witnessing God’s might works in exodus made golden calf to adore, later in the promised land also they made abomination acts by submitting themselves to false gods. In this second temptation the devil claims to have power over the world, which is a great lie. In Genesis Adam and Eve were deceived by the lie of the devil, on the contrary, here in the second temptation Jesus stands firm against the lie of the devil. In the third temptation, Jesus refuses to test divine providence, whereas Israel tested the patience of God in the desert by cursing Him and Moses for not providing water and food. If we notice clearly, in the first and third temptations the devil beings his address by saying, ‘if you are a Son of God’. The devil is malicious, it always tempts us by exalting our status and identity. It tells us, if you are God’s children ask God to give such and such… if you are a good husband do such and such to your wife to see whether she recognizes your goodness… if you are a faithful wife do such and such to see whether your husband is loyal…  if you are leader of the community do such and such to see whether your community values you and your position… if you are a president of the country do such and such to see whether your subject are under your control… We need to be careful about this kind of lies. The worst lies that devil could tell us are; you are not loved by God, you are unworthy to receive holy communion, there is no use in going for confession as you would sin again,… All these lies are made by devil to keep us away from God. The more we receive sacraments, the stronger we become to combat the devil. Adam and Eve by believing in the lie of the devil became weak in faith. Jesus by going near to God through fasting and prayer in the wilderness was able to stand against the lies of the devil. The season of Lent is an opportune time to become like Jesus by going near to God through fasting and prayer. This is also a season to introspect one’s faith. We need to renew our faith constantly by recalling reasons for our belief. Let us make use of this season of grace for reflection and rejuvenation of our faith.   

 

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