First Sunday of Lent - A
MT 4:1-11
Sts. Peter & Paul (Mankato)
No one acts without a motive.
We get out of bed in the morning because we have to go
to work, to school, or simply to the bathroom.
We carry-out jobs to provide for our family, to pay the
bills, or to offer some service to others.
We study to get good grades, to get out of trouble, or
because we really want to learn.
Everyone has a motive behind their work.
So what’s Christ’s motive?
The Church Fathers teach us that in all things, Christ
acts, not motivated by necessity, but by initiative.
Everything He does, He does it to redeem us and to
teach us.
In today’s Gospel we see Jesus being led into the
desert where He fasts, prays, and is tempted. He did it
for our instruction, says St. John Chrysostom.
So, what does He teach us?
1. The dignity of our Baptism.
2. How to triumph over temptation.
1. The dignity of our Baptism.
After what great event did the Spirit lead Jesus into
the desert to be tempted?
After His Baptism in the Jordan. We cannot read these
events separately. They are connected.
Our Baptism, we have to understand, was a call to arms.
We should be reminded of Our Lord’s words, the kingdom
of heaven suffers violence, and the violent are taking
it by force (Mt 11:12).
Jesus is led into the desert, to “wrestle with Satan”,
says St. John Chrysostom, in order that each of us who
are baptized, if after our baptism we have to endure
greater temptations may not be troubled as if it were
something unexpected, but may “nobly continue”, he says
“as though it were happening in the natural course of
things.”
There we have it, folks. Temptations are a part of a
normal Christian life. Don’t be afraid of them. Don’t
be scandalized by them. Don’t despair over them. Look
to Christ. See in His temptation, your victory!
There are several reasons why we benefit, post Baptism,
through temptations. (Obviously understanding that it
is in rejecting them that we “gain” anything. Falling
into temptation is not what God seeks.)
1. Temptations remind us of the dignity of our
Baptism. Satan does not need to trap someone who
doesn’t belong to him. It was because of their
dignity that Satan tempted Adam and Eve and Job and
Christ.
2. Temptations teach us prudence. We learn prudence
from our mistakes and in recognizing our weakness.
3. Temptations show the devil where we stand. “I will
not serve”
4. Temptations make us stronger. Through rejecting
them we grow in virtue.
2. How to triumph over temptation.
“He could have kept the devil from himself; but if he
were not tempted he could not teach you how to triumph
over temptation.” (St. Augustine, Commentary on the
Psalms)
1. We should avoid isolation.
The great benefit of fostering family life, having good
friendships, and belonging to a community is that it
helps us overcome temptations. Looking at today’s
Gospel we see that Jesus was led, not into a city, nor
a market place, but a desert, to be tempted. It is His
loneliness that Jesus uses to bait the devil. The devil
“especially will attack us,” writes St. John
Chrysostom, “when he sees us alone and separated from
each other.”
That’s how Satan tempted Eve—when her husband wasn’t
around.
2. We should know our Scriptures.
By knowing Scripture, we provide ourselves with an
arsenal of divine truth. This truth is important in the
moment of temptation, because Satan is the “father of
lies”. His work is to bring us to a lack of faith, by
sowing doubts. If we know the truth of Scripture, we
will not fall into His traps. This means we need to
both read the Scriptures and meditate on them.
In today’s Gospel we especially see the importance of
truly knowing the Scriptures in the second temptation,
when Satan tries to provoke Jesus’ divine power.
Jesus uses Scripture to rebuke Satan in the first
temptation, Deuteronomy 8:3, man does not live by bread
alone but by every word that comes forth from the mouth
of God. To which Satan says, “Okay, it takes two to
tango, so here’s some Scripture for you” which leads us
to the second temptation, “If you are the Son of God,
throw yourself down. For it is written: ‘He will
command his angels concerning you’ and ‘with their
hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot
against a stone.’”
Now, the problem with Satan’s use of Scripture is that
he quotes it rightly, but understands it wrongly.
(Which, btw, is common among those who do not actually
study and meditate on Scripture.)
If we really think about it, does God show His power by
“throwing himself down”? No. God shows His power by
“raising others up”. (Jesus’ miracles)
3. We overcome the devil by patient endurance…not by
marvelous power.
Three times Jesus is tempted, and three times He
rebukes Satan. And He never loses His cool.
One of the things that makes temptations more
difficulty is the anxiety we bring to them. Satan feeds
on anxiety, thus we need to learn how to remain calm
and fight-off temptations as taught by the Lord.
The best tactic—flee every temptation. Don’t dialogue
with the devil. Eve did and she eventually fell. Jesus
could dialogue because He’s God…we’re not. So, every
temptation must be rejected immediately, by drawing our
hearts and minds to something else. Pray. Read. Go talk
to someone. Get out of the room and situation you are
in. Go for a walk.
This is especially true for any temptation against
purity.
I’ve rattled on for long enough now.
In conclusion, after having heard today’s Gospel and
this homily, in the face of temptation let us remember
to look to Christ: For we do not have a high priest who
is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one
who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without
sin (Heb. 4:15).
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