Homilies

1st SUNDAY OF LENT: OVERCOMING TEMPTATIONS IN LIFE

AS WE EMBARK ON THE LENTEN JOURNEY, the Church invites us to grow in our spiritual life. The forty-day preparation for Easter Feast can be likened to Jesus’ experience in the desert. Just as he was led by the Spirit, our Lenten journey is also an experience of being led by the Spirit in order to grow in our love for God and others. Just as Jesus spent time for praying and fasting, we also need to be generous to God by spending more time in communing with Him, and be generous as well to others through fasting, that is, sharing some of our “bread to the hungry.”

However, while in the desert, there was an accompanying temptation by the devil, and in fact Jesus was subjected to strong temptations in the depths of his soul. The devil was so relentless as he challenges Jesus’ identity being the “Son of God.”  The devil had really tried to tempt Jesus to turn away from God’s plan of saving humanity, and offered Him false happiness with enticements of riches, power, and security. But the devil was never successful. Jesus emerged victorious after a long and difficult battle.

Temptations are real and always present wherever we are. Like Jesus, we also face before the many temptations in our day-to-day existence. But unlike Jesus, we seldom overcome these temptations. Instead, we easily cave in to temptations.

Let us try to examine once again the nature of the temptations of Jesus.

The first is the temptation of happiness that wealth brings. The devil told Jesus, “command this stone to become bread.” Jesus’ answer to this was, “One does not live by bread alone.” This could be a fitting reminder for people who give more importance to their bodily needs over the spiritual. Yes, as finite beings, we crave for material things in order to satisfy our hunger and thirst. But no amount of material things can satisfy us. The clear satisfaction can only be had when we encounter our Lord Jesus. He gives us real and true satisfaction to our hunger.

Second, the temptation of happiness that power brings. The devil said to Jesus, “I will give you power and their glory… if you worship me.” The response of Jesus was, “You will worship the Lord your God alone.” It is true that like riches, power is also being worshipped by most people now than it was before. In other words, power appears as a new form of God. We can find that in our society, especially now that the election is getting closer. Pictures of candidates are seen everywhere, but these people are not seen in the Church. I remember my priest-friend who reprimanded his former classmate who runs for an office in their province. He told him, “Ang mukha mo ay kung saan-saan nakikita, pero hindi nakikita dito sa loob ng Simbahan” (Your campaign posters are ubiquitous, but you are never seen coming for Church celebrations). And he was embarrassed by that truth. The problem of power is this: when it is not properly dealt with, it makes ourselves gods. If that happens, it would be difficult for the true God to enter into our lives.

Third, the temptation of happiness that security brings. The devil said to Jesus, “…throw yourself down…for God will command his angels to guard you.” But Jesus retorted, “You shall not put God to the test.” Today, some people challenge God to show them extraordinary signs. Some have even making conditions when they ask something from God. If God gives what they want, they will remain to be with Him. But if not, then they will distance themselves from Him. This is not a healthy relationship with Him.

As I said earlier, Lenten season is a great season to grow in our spiritual life, to grow in our love for God. Let us try to reflect on our own values, correct them, and align them with the values of the kingdom. Lenten season is a season to grow in grace and let us not miss this opportunity.

« Back to Homilies Index