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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