1^st Sunday of Lent (A); February 26, 2023

Gn 2:7-9, 3:1-7.  Ps 51.  Rom 5:12-19.  Mt 4:1-11

Deacon Jim McFadden

            Each year, the first reading and the Gospel of the First Sunday of Lent set before us the narrative of how to respond to temptation.  What we see at the beginning of the Creation (the story of the Fall) and re-Creation (Jesus encountering Satan in the desert before he begins his public ministry) shows us that in the weakness of temptation, we must avoid dialoging with the devil, hanging out with him, dabbling in his seductions, and playing his games which are designed to destroy us.

            Isn’t it interesting that at the very beginning of Creation and the beginning of Re-Creation, temptation was the first event.  In the Book of Genesis, Adam and Eve had it made.  They were in an earthly Paradise in which they were in right relationship with God, themselves, and the Garden.  And, they had a task to do: to safeguard and protect Creation on God’s behalf with love.   In the same way, “in the beginning,” they were tempted.

            The same thing happened to Jesus.  Our Lord leaves his hometown of Nazareth, gets baptized by John in the Jordan River, and goes into the desert to pray so as to begin his public ministry which will bring about the salvation of the world.  At that moment of vulnerability, the same tempter seeks to divert Jesus from the Father’s plan of total sacrificial giving by offering him an easier path of having the goods of the world: wealth, success, and power.

            We heard from the Genesis reading that in the temptation of Adam and Eve that “the serpent was the most subtle” (Gn 3:1) of creatures: he shows himself in the form of a seductive serpent and shrewdly seeks to deceive by playing upon our weaknesses.  But, we shouldn’t listen to him because he is the “father of lies” as Jesus calls him.  Notice how he engaged Eve in conversation.  He makes her listen to him carefully.  What he offers sounds good: if you eat the forbidden fruit,  you’ll  become “like gods who know” (v. 5).  What could possibly go wrong with that?  Such a promise makes Eve feel good; she trusts in the devil, who assures her that she will not die if she eats from the Tree of Knowledge.  In so doing, he’s virtually calling God a liar.  Step by step, he leads her to where he wants.

            The devil tries the same gambit with Jesus in the desert.  He makes three offers, but unlike the Genesis account there is no dialogue and the episode ends badly for the devil: “Be gone, Satan” (Mt 4:10a).  However, the dialogue with Eve does not end well for her: Satan wins.  Why?  Eve listens to the devil.  She entertained his seductions.  She placed her toe in the syrupy pool of his illusion.

            Notice how the devil operates.  He does not take us by storm, forcing us to act against our will.  No, when the devil fools a person, it starts with a dialogue.  He engages us and what he says is tantalizing.  That’s precisely what he tries to do with Jesus.  “Hey, you’ve been out here in the wilderness fasting for 40 days.  You’re hungry.  If you are the Son of God, use your power to turn this stone into bread!  You’ve come into the world, but here is a shortcut that can save you a lot of toil.  Go to the top of the temple, show yourself to the crowds and throw yourself down in a stupendous display.  Amazing!  The people will go crazy and they will believe in you.”

            But, Jesus does not play Satan’s game.  In the end, the devil shows his true face.  “Come with me.”  He shows Jesus the whole world and says you can have all of this “if you prostrate yourself and worship me” (v. 9).  That’s the devil’s game for Jesus: he wants the Son of God to commit idolatry.  When one stops believing in God, we don’t stop believing; rather, we start believing in all sorts of things.  Pope Francis describes this in his first encyclical Lumen fidei, as an “endless passing from one lord to another…Those who choose not to put their trust in God must hear the din of countless idols crying out: “Put your trust in me!”

            Jesus understands full well what Satan is doing; so, he cuts to the heart of the matter: Get away, Satan! It is written: “The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve” (v. 10).

            Notice how Jesus deals with temptation, which is a model for us.  He does not dialogue with the devil; he does not play around with him by testing the waters.  Rather, he hears what the Prince of Darkness has to say and gives a response, which is not ostensibly his: Jesus takes the response from the  Old Testament.  That’s his weapon and should be ours as well.

            The Bible, the Word of God, has the strength to defeat the Prince of Darkness.  For this reason, it is important that we become familiar with the Bible: we should read it often, indeed daily, meditate on it, and  assimilate it.  The Bible IS the Word of God, which is always timely, never out-of-date, and is effective in drawing us into the mystery of God and away from illusion.

            As we engage in an on-going conversation with God through his written Word, our hearts will gradually be transformed.  The upshot is that no temptation could separate us from God, and no obstacle can divert us from the Way of Jesus.  Empowered by the Word of God, we would know how to deal with daily temptations that bends us towards evil.  Conforming ourselves to the Word, we would be more capable of living a life renewed in the Holy Spirit, which would be reflected in how we welcome and love our brothers and sisters.

            So, let us not play around with the devil: he is a bad player.  He is a liar and he does not deliver on his promises, which are false to the core.  Satan promise us everything—“you’ll become like a god”—and leaves us naked.

            Jesus did not dialogue with Satan; instead, he stuck to his plan. Jesus is absolutely committed to his Father’s plan of love, which energizes his public ministry and will lead him three years later to the final reckoning with the “prince of the world” (Jn 16:11), at the hour of his passion and Cross.  And, Jesus will have the final victory of love—of being in right relationship with his Father and his brothers and sisters.

            The time of Lent is an opportune occasion for all of us to make a journey of conversion, by sincerely allowing ourselves to be confronted with this Gospel passage.  Let us renew our Baptismal promises: let us renounce Satan and all his works and seductions—for he is a seducer who does not have our good at heart—in order to follow the path of God and arrive at Easter in the joy of the Spirit.  Amen.