1st Sunday of Lent, Year A (Feb. 10, 2008)
16/02/08 22:45
1st Sunday of Lent, Year A
February 10, 2008
Overcoming Temptation
Today is the first Sunday of Lent. I want us to look at what this season means, spiritually, and also, to look specifically at what our readings tell us is one of the biggest obstacles we face in following God successfully in our lives.
To start, I’ve asked a young man/woman to come up and help me. (Invite a child forward)
When did Lent start? Right – this past Wednesday! How many went to church this past Wednesday? What did you receive? Ashes! (put ashes on forehead of child) What do these ashes mean? Why do we put them on our foreheads? Is it because we forgot to take a bath? Is it because we’re all just pigs? No! The ashes remind us that in our humanness – “we are dust, and unto dust we shall return” – we are more than dust – much, much more! – because of the saving power of Jesus. The cross on our foreheads, made of ash, remind us that without God, we are nothing; but with God, we are everything. Jesus, by dying on a cross, redeemed and reconciled us anew to our Father in heaven. We are no longer orphans, but children of God!
The ashes also are a public sign, visible to all, a proclamation to the world that we are proud of our faith, that we are God’s witnesses and God’s ambassadors. Read with me what Saint Paul says in his 2nd Letter to the Corinthians: We are Christ's ambassadors, and God is using us to speak to you. We urge you, as though Christ himself were here pleading with you, "Be reconciled to God!" (2 Corinthians 5:20, NLT)
Another question for my young assistant: Do you like to drink water? Good, because I want you to drink this glass of water. (Ask child to drink a glass full of visibly dirty water) No? How about drinking this other glass of water? (Offer a glass full of crystal clear, clean water) Better, right? God wants us to live clean lives. God wants us to experience His fullness of life. God does not want us to pollute and contaminate our lives, or to miss out on the abundant life that is ours, when we live according to his purpose. If we live dirty lives, we are no longer living as faithful witnesses and ambassadors for our King, who is Jesus!
Let’s give an applause to my young assistant. (applause)
Now, let’s look at how we can overcome the obstacles to the pure, clean, abundant life that God offers to us. Our readings today focus on a specific obstacle which we all face as we struggle to follow the Lord in our lives. Watch the following video clip to see if you can identify the obstacle. (show video – it is a compilation of a scene from the Fall of Adam and Eve in the video, “The Hope”; the scene of Jim Carrey facing the temptation of a beautiful woman at the start of the movie, “The Mask”; and the Clump family pigging out at an all-you-can-eat buffet in the movie, “The Nutty Professor, 2”)
What’s the obstacle? Right – Temptation. Read with me this warning from the Bible: Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour. (1 Peter 5:8, NLT)
Question: Is temptation a sin? Answer: No. Lots of people get confused on this point. We all experience temptation. It is inevitable. It comes from Satan, the devil, the great enemy who is on the prowl. Jesus himself endured temptation. Read with me what the Bible says in the Letter to the Hebrews: This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same temptations we do, yet he did not sin. (Hebrews 4:15, NLT)
Sin and temptation are not the same thing. Sin is when we cave in to the temptation, which Jesus never did. The Bible warns us: Whoever thinks he is standing secure should take care not to fall. (1 Corinthians 10:12, NAB)
That’s why we need Lent. It’s easy to fall, especially when we think we are at our strongest. There are two basic kinds of sin. First are sins of commission, and we’re all familiar with those: Lying, cheating, stealing, murder, cussing, hurting another person through our words and/or our actions. But the more pernicious sins are those of omission: We don’t pray; we don’t get involved in church or live out our faith as we should; we don’t stop to help someone in need, because we’re in a hurry or we’re too busy; we don’t forgive someone who has hurt us, or we don’t reconcile, but instead we stew silently in our anger toward someone; we carry with us an “attitude” of anger or impatience. These, and many more, are sins of omission. Often, sins are not just our bad actions, but also, our bad thoughts and our bad attitudes.
Our second reading offers us hope. It talks about the Old Adam, who with his wife Eve committed the first sin in the Garden of Gethsemane, in the Book of Genesis – that was our first reading today – and the new Adam, Jesus Christ. Saint Paul tells us in his Letter to the Romans: Because one person disobeyed God, many people became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many people will be made right in God's sight God's law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God's wonderful kindness became more abundant. (Romans 5:19-20, NLT)
So how do we allow the new Adam, Jesus Christ, to triumph in us, instead of the Old Adam of sin? First, we need to trust in God to help us. Saint Paul tells us, in his 1st Letter to the Corinthians, The temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can't stand up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it. (1 Corinthians 10:13, NLT)
Second, we need to do our part. The Bible tells us, in the Letter of James, Humble yourselves before God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you. Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, you hypocrites. (James 4:7-8, NLT) Notice the order here: First, humble yourself before God; then, second, resist the devil. Lots of people reverse this order, which is why they fail in their efforts to overcome temptation and sin. They try to resist, resist, resist the temptation for chocolate, or for soda pop, or for beer, or whatever – they try, try, try, all on their own power and effort. No wonder they fail. None of us can resist the devil on our own! First, humble yourself before God. First, get right with the Lord. First, focus on strengthening yourself spiritually. Then, as you grow stronger in the Lord, you will find it easier to resist the temptations and testings of the devil, because you will have God’s grace to help you. The more you center your life on the spiritual, on the Lord, the less will your life feel threatened by the contamination of sin and temptation.
So now, let’s get really practical. Let’s look specifically at the three temptations that Jesus experienced, and find a way to apply Jesus’ experience to our own life. The first temptation was a temptation of the flesh. Jesus was hungry. He had been fasting for 40 days. Then the Devil came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, change these stones into loaves of bread.” (Matthew 4:3, NLT)
How good are we at resisting temptations of the flesh? In the last few weeks, some friends and parishioners have been in the hospital for diabetes and high sugar. About a month ago, my doctor told me that I, too, had a higher than normal sugar level and needed to start watching my diet, exercise, rest, take care of myself. Too often, our children don’t eat right and are overweight, and they don’t get enough exercise or sleep. They go to school tired because they stayed up too late the night before.
The Bible tells us: Don't you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20, NLT)
So for this Lent, here are few ideas and suggestions to help us take care of ourselves and our families:
♣ Stop drinking the soda pop. Don’t even buy it at the store. If it is not in the house, it is less of a temptation.
♣ Cut back on other junk food and in-between-meal snacks – popcorn, chips, candy, cookies, ice cream. Give up some of those items for Lent – then, keep it up beyond Lent. Substitute healthier snack items – fruit, yoghurt.
♣ Cut back on eating at fast food restaurants. Save the money for the new church!
♣ Exercise! Doctors recommend at least 30 minutes every three days, or every day, if possible.
♣ Get at least 7 or 8 hours of sleep each night. Go to bed a bit earlier. Make sure your children get enough sleep so they can be at peak, optimal strength for school.
♣ Don’t poison or pollute your body with dangerous and addictive substances – cigarettes, illegal drugs, booze.
♣ Don’t misuse your body in a sinful way sexually – live a life that is pure and gives honor to God.
Jesus answered the devil in this way: The Scriptures say, “People need more than bread for their life; they must feed on every word of God.” (Matthew 4:4, NLT) And so, taking care of ourselves physically is just Step 1. Here, Jesus reminds us that we do not live on bread alone -- we also need to take care of ourselves spiritually. And that leads to the second temptation – the temptation of pride and spiritual arrogance. Then the Devil took Jesus to Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, "If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, 'He orders his angels to protect you. And they will hold you with their hands to keep you from striking your foot on a stone.’ ” (Matthew 4:5-6, NLT)
Pride keeps us from following God. We want to be in control. We want to set the rules. We refuse to listen to and to obey God. How do we overcome pride? Cultivate good spiritual habits that will keep you connected to the Lord, so that pride cannot so easily overtake you. Here are some suggestions for this Lent:
♣ Pray each day at home – individually and in your family. Maybe read the upcoming Sunday gospel or a story out of a children’s Bible to you’re your kids and discuss it. As a family, pray together before each meal and give thanks to the Lord for his blessings.
♣ Attend Mass each week together as a family, if at all possible. Don’t miss Mass out of laziness. Make it a priority on Saturday night or Sunday to give time to the Lord.
♣ Do something this Lent to feed yourself spiritually – maybe some quiet time alone with the Lord, or more time to read the Bible, or some other spiritual reading; maybe attend a few of the mini-retreats or other retreats or classes or workshops here at the parish; maybe plug in to a Bible study group or small faith community.
♣ Confess and reconcile – this is a great spiritual discipline for Lent. We have confessions coming up on Thursday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m., with priests available from the area to hear your confession. Especially if you’ve been angry, resentful, holding a grudge against someone – a spouse, a child, a co-worker, some member of your family – Lent is a great time to let it go, to free yourself from the slavery of anger or negativity, by forgiving and seeking to be forgiven.
Jesus responded to this temptation by telling the devil: “The Scriptures also say, ‘Do not test the Lord your God.’ ” (Matthew 4:7, NLT) How often do we put God to the test by not being faithful to really following the Lord wholeheartedly in our lives?
The third temptation is idolatry: Next the Devil took Jesus to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him the nations of the world and all their glory. “I will give it all to you," he said, “if you will only kneel down and worship me.” (Matthew 4:8-9, NLT) Jesus replied, "Get out of here, Satan, … For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God; serve only him.’ ” (Matthew 4:10, NLT)
We live in an idolatrous world, full of false gods of materialism, wealth, money, pleasure, greed. God reminds us that people are always much more important than possessions or pleasures. So this Lent, tend to your relationships: with your spouse; with your kids; as a family, together; and with your neighbors, co-workers, friends, and so forth. Here are some concrete ideas and suggestions:
♣ In your marriage, make sure to take time as a couple at least every month, away from the kids. Get a babysitter, if necessary. Next week is Valentine’s Day. Do something special, something romantic. Your marriage is a gift from God, and like a plant, it requires attention and “water” so that it can grow and flourish.
♣ Spend time with your kids – each of them, individually. Get to know them. Help them get to know you. Last week, a young man came to me for help. He doesn’t even know his dad. They’ve never, ever done anything fun together. He just sees his dad early in the morning as he leaves for work, and late at night when he comes home, but they seldom talk. Most the time, his dad is just angry and yelling when he is at home – which doesn’t make him very “approachable.”
♣ Spend time with your family, together. Play some games. Rent a movie. Pray together. Go out for pizza or an ice cream. Take a walk together around the block or through the park. Eat together. I’m amazed at how few families eat together anymore, or only on rare occasions. Common table produces common life!
♣ Serve. Don’t just live selfishly for yourself, or even just for your family. We’ve all been blessed by God. God expects us to share and to give back. Be generous, and not just with your money, but also with your time. Get involved in a ministry here at church. Maybe find a ministry that you can do with the rest of your family!
Let’s end today with a warning and a promise.
The warning comes at the end of today’s gospel story. Matthew’s version of the temptation of Jesus ends this way: Then the Devil went away, and angels came and cared for Jesus. (Matthew 4:11, NLT) But Luke ends the story in a slightly different way: When the Devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came. (Luke 4:13, NLT) In Luke’s version, the devil is coming back – and that’s a good warning to us, for us not to become complacent or overly comfortable. Temptation may subside for a while, but it will never go away. It will always be with us, always be a part of our life, always require struggle.
But here’s the promise, from the Old Testament, from the prophet Isaiah: You, Lord, will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock. (Isaiah 26:3-4, NLT)
Do not fear! Like Jesus, we too can overcome temptation, when we put our trust in God as our Rock, when we seek his peace, his protection, his salvation.