Pastor’s Corner 09.03.2025
The gospel for this first Sunday of Lent narrates the temptation of Jesus in the desert. Jesus was tempted three times, but He remained faithful to His Father; He placed the will of His Father above everything else (cf. John 4:34).
THE FIRST TEMPTATION was for Jesus to turn stones into bread after His fast. This meant that He was tempted to use His power/position for selfish gains, or to “bribe” people to become His followers. The good news is that Jesus resisted and overcame this temptation by making the WORD of His Father first: “Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word of God” (Deut. 8:3; Luke 4:4).
IN THE SECOND TEMPTATION, the devil showed Jesus all the earthly kingdoms and promised to give them to Jesus if He worshipped him. Thus, Jesus was tempted to worship a “god” other than His Father or to compromise on His faith and mission, but He did not give in.
ON THE THIRD OCCASION, JESUS WAS TEMPTED to be sensational or to put God to the test by jumping down from the pinnacle of the Temple. Again, Jesus overcame this temptation by putting God first – and not putting God to the test. Students do not examine their teachers, and so we should avoid putting God to the test. We should, for instance, avoid always looking for signs and wonders before believing in God.
1) We need to confront and conquer temptations as Jesus did, using the means he employed: Like Jesus, every one of us is tempted to seek sinful pleasures, easy wealth, and a position of authority, and is drawn to the use of unjust or sinful means to attain good ends. Jesus is our model for conquering temptations through prayer, penance, and the effective use of the ‘‘Word of God” in Scripture. Temptations make us true warriors of God by strengthening our minds and hearts. We are never tempted beyond the strength God gives us. In his first letter, St. John assures us: “The One Who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). Hence during Lent, and the rest of the year as well, let us confront our evil tendencies with prayer (especially by participating in the Holy Mass), with penance, and with the meditative reading of the Holy Bible.
2) We need to grow in holiness during Lent by prayer, reconciliation, and sharing. We become resistant and even immune to temptations as we grow healthier in soul by following the traditional Lenten practices: a) by finding time to be with God every day of Lent, speaking to Him, and listening to Him; b) by repenting of our sins and renewing our lives, uniting ourselves with God both by the Sacrament of Reconciliation and by forgiving those who have hurt us while asking forgiveness of those whom we have hurt; and c) by sharing our love with others through our selfless, humble service, our almsgiving, and our helping of those in need.
I wish us all a fruitful and Spirit-filled Lent!