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On this first Sunday of Lent
the Church looks to the book of Genesis to examine how sin came into the
world. Most of us first heard this powerful story as children and it
stirred our imaginations. We hear of the loving God who created Adam and
Eve and placed them in his wonderful garden of Paradise, the cunning
serpent, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and the tree of
life. The ancient authors of Genesis tried to explain how evil entered a
world created by a good and loving God. Is there a personal evil force
independent of humanity, the devil? Is there some inherent flaw in our
humanity, an inclination toward sin? Is the source of evil to be found
in our inability to distinguish between what is good and what is better?
The Genesis story considers all of these explanations.
In today's gospel Jesus is led into the desert by the Spirit of God. The
desert was a place of isolation. Many years before this, God led his
people, Israel, into the desert, where they wandered with God for forty
years. There the Israelites were tested until they learned to depend on
their God for every aspect of their survival. Only then were they
ready to enter the Promised Land and possess it.
Matthew's gospel tells us that Jesus was alone for forty days and forty
nights. For Jesus this was a time to examine his relationship to the
Father and his mission to the world. Near the end of his time of prayer
and fasting the tempter approached. Matthew describes three temptations
about Jesus’ mission. The first was to become a bread king. If he fed
people, they would follow him. After all didn't God feed the people
manna in the desert? This temptation is still a powerful one for today’s
disciples. We need only the things of this world to be happy. Good food,
a nice home, a new car, the right perfume, and everything will be fine.
Jesus responds: we need the word of God.
The second temptation involved working wonders. This temptation was
often repeated throughout the gospel. Even on the cross, Jesus'
persecutors told him that if he would just come down off that cross,
they would believe in him. Our age is no different. We too are seeking
signs. Jesus is God's ultimate sign. There will be none greater.
The third temptation was the most direct. Make a little room for evil
and the world will be yours. Our human nature is forever looking for
that easier way. "Eat the fruit, it will open your eyes." "Cheat a
little here, a little there. Everybody does it." Make this Lent
special-- go into the desert of your own heart to seek the Lord.
You might find him in prayer,
perhaps by attending daily Mass or the Stations on Friday afternoons or
evenings. You could experience him in fasting, by taking only one
meal on Fridays and perhaps on one other day. You might want to come to
the Simple Suppers and give the cost of a really nice meal to the poor.
Maybe you could seek him in others in a Small Faith Group. This Lent the
Lord is waiting to be found in the quiet places of our lives. Perhaps
when we find him there, we will recognize him in each other! |
