Tag: temptation

“Him alone shall you serve.” | First Sunday of Lent

From the responsorial psalm: “Because he clings to me, I will deliver him; I will set him on high because he acknowledges my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in distress; I will deliver him and glorify him. Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.”

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (4:1-13, today’s readings)

Then he led him to Jerusalem, made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written: He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you, and: With their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.” Jesus said to him in reply, “It also says, You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.” When the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him for a time.

Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returns from his baptism by John in the Jordan River. Fasting and being tempted by the devil in the wilderness, Jesus responds to each temptation with the truth of scripture. “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” Jesus answers “It is written, One does not live on bread alone.” The devil goes on to offer Jesus power over all the kingdoms of the world and then urges him to throw himself down from the pinnacle of the temple so that angels catch and protect him. Luke tells us that the devil departs from Jesus for a time, only to return until the moment of his death. Jesus’ power over the devil in the face of temptation is made powerless through the word of God and through the Holy Spirit. The devil’s futile tests only serve to identify Jesus as the Son of God, allowing him to fulfill his mission.

God, let me consider how Jesus repelled the devil’s temptations and then do as Jesus did when tempted. The temptation to satisfy cravings and physical pleasure, to pursue wealth and power and worldly achievements, and to demand proof all have at root the desire to obtain security. To each of these, Jesus quotes scripture to reaffirm where true security lies, by whose will “we live and move and have our being.” Help me see, Lord, the example Jesus sets out of love to go into battle fully armed with the power of the Holy Spirit to face the deceits of the devil. When temptation comes again, give me the grace to go straight to your divine Word for strength, authority, and wisdom. Jesus, I trust in you!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

“Repent, and believe in the gospel.”| First Sunday of Lent

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (Mk 1:12-15)

After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

Before Jesus came to Galilee, Mark tells us that he was driven into the desert by the Spirit, where he remained for forty days, among wild beasts and tempted by Satan. Angels ministered to him. The Spirit that impelled Jesus brought him to a place of physical isolation from others but in uninterrupted spiritual contact with his Father and the purpose for which he came. The presence in the desert apart from food and family and friends—every human comfort—meant that Jesus could confront Satan in a way that put that part of his mission behind him, breaking from times past and clearing the way for him—true God and true man—to announce that the time of fulfillment had at last come.

God, help me understand the promptings of the Holy Spirit that drove Jesus out into the desert. As part of the fulfillment of his mission of salvation, he faced temptation to take on himself all human temptation. In order to conquer death, he took on the sins of all humanity. In facing temptation and subjecting himself to the test at the prompting of the Holy Spirit, it is the Son of God, the Messiah, the Lord, who returns from the desert and proclaims your kingdom. Give me the grace, Lord, to grasp the big picture and my part in the covenant relationship you have made with your people.

From the responsorial psalm: “Remember that your compassion, O LORD, and your love are from of old. In your kindness remember me, because of your goodness, O LORD. Your ways, O Lord, are love and truth to those who keep your covenant.”

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

First Sunday of Lent

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew

The tempter approached and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread.” He said in reply, “It is written: One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.”

In today’s Gospel, Jesus is led by the Spirit into the desert for the purpose of being tempted by the devil. Twice, Satan tempts Jesus beginning with the words “If you are the Son of God.” In Jesus’ many encounters with the evil spirits that he rebuked, the spirits recognize Jesus immediately by saying “I know who you are—the Holy One of God.” Satan knows well that Jesus is the Son of God; it is the Father of Lies who tries to weaken Jesus by questioning his divine identity. In the same way, the first reading from Genesis shows how Satan questioned Eve, weakening her reliance God’s word: “Did God really tell you not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?”

God, help me understand how to face temptations as Jesus did. He gives us the exact way to respond when tempted: not through argument buy by invoking your holy name. “One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.” And “You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.” Jesus says to him, “Get away, Satan! It is written: The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.” For every lie Satan presents to Jesus, he refutes it with truth, the word that comes forth from your mouth. By saying “Get away, Satan!” Jesus declares his divine authority as your Son. Just as you spoke light into existence, Jesus speaks and Satan leaves him.

When tempted, Lord, let me look to what follows as Jesus conquers temptation. “Then the devil left him,” Matthew says, “and, behold, angels came and ministered to him.” When I am tempted, Lord, and desire what I want when I want it, let your Spirit within me speak your name, my Lord and my God.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

https://youtu.be/2W-KSOPWWBY

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