Catechism Links[1]
CCC 394,
538-540, 2119: the temptation of Jesus
CCC 2846-2949:
“Lead us not into temptation”
CCC 1505:
Christ frees from evil
CCC 142-143,
309: faith as submission to God, response to God, answer to evil
CCC 59-63:
God forms his priestly people through Abraham and the Exodus
 |
| “Temptation of Christ” by Michael Pacher (St Wolfgang Altarpiece) 1479-81 |
Reading I: Deuteronomy 26:4-10
Moses spoke to the people,
saying:
“The priest shall receive the
basket from you
and shall set it in front of
the altar of the LORD, your God.
Then you shall declare before
the Lord, your God,
‘My father was a wandering
Aramean
who went down to Egypt
and lived there as an alien.
But there he became a nation
great, strong, and numerous.
When the Egyptians maltreated
and oppressed us,
imposing hard labor upon us,
we cried to the LORD, the God
of our fathers,
and he heard our cry
and saw our affliction, our
toil, and our oppression.
He brought us out of Egypt
with his strong hand and
outstretched arm,
with terrifying power, with
signs and wonders;
and bringing us into this
country,
he gave us this land flowing
with milk and honey.
Therefore, I have now brought
you the firstfruits
of the products of the soil
which you, O LORD, have given
me.’
And having set them before
the Lord, your God,
you shall bow down in his
presence.”
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Commentary on Dt 26:4-10
Moses gives the
people a ritual formula to pronounce when making their offering to the temple
(previously required in Exodus 22:28ff, Exodus 23:19). While the date is not stated explicitly, it is
probably to occur at the spring festival of Azymes. The rite recalls the
nomadic nature of the people. (Aramean: either in reference to the origin of
the patriarchs from Aram Naharaim (cf Genesis 24:10; 25:20; 28:5; 31:20, 24), or merely in the sense of "nomad," in
the same way as "Arab" was later used; cf Jeremiah 3:2.[5]) The rite then follows the
Hebrew enslavement in Egypt and the release from bondage to be brought into the
land of Israel, essentially recalling the Lord’s mercy and salvation. The
offering referenced is from the first fruits of their harvest.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 91:1-2, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15.
R. (cf. 15b)
Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.
You who dwell in the shelter
of the Most High,
who abide in the shadow of
the Almighty,
say to the LORD, “My refuge
and fortress,
my God in whom I trust.”
R. Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.
No evil shall befall you,
nor shall affliction come
near your tent,
For to his angels he has
given command about you,
that they guard you in all
your ways.
R. Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.
Upon their hands they shall
bear you up,
lest you dash your foot
against a stone.
You shall tread upon the asp
and the viper;
you shall trample down the
lion and the dragon.
R. Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.
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.
R. Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.
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Commentary on Ps 91:1-2, 10-11, 12-13,
14-15
Psalm 91 is especially important
in that it contains the quote Satan uses on the Lord in the desert when he
tempts him to throw himself down from a high place so the angels of the Lord
God might rescue him: “For to his angels he has given command about you,
that they guard you in all your ways. Upon their hands they shall bear you
up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.” (Luke 4:10-11) The psalm is as
song praising God for his saving works.
CCC: Ps 91:10-13 336
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Reading II: Romans 10:8-13
Brothers and sisters:
What does Scripture say?
The word is near you,
in your mouth and in your heart
—that is, the word of faith
that we preach—,
for, if you confess with your
mouth that Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart
that God raised him from the dead,
you will be saved.
For one believes with the
heart and so is justified,
and one confesses with the
mouth and so is saved.
For the Scripture says,
No one who believes in him
will be put to shame.
For there is no distinction
between Jew and Greek;
the same Lord is Lord of all,
enriching all who call upon
him.
For “everyone who calls on
the name of the Lord will be saved.”
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Commentary on Rm 10:8-13
The author of the Letter to the
Romans (probably from the Pauline Community) provides a confession of faith in
Jesus and the view of the universal invitation to Christ. Anyone who calls on
Christ in sincerity and believes in his divinity has access to his mercy and
salvation.
Taken in the context, this reading is part of a larger apologetic
discourse about Christ being the one who brings salvation, as opposed to the
view held by some Jews that it came from the Law of Moses. In those
circumstances and at that time in history, this reading takes on a different
meaning: professing Christ openly could result in persecution and even death.
CCC: Rom 10:9 343,
186, 449; Rom 10:12-13 2739;
Rom 10:13 2666
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Gospel: Luke
4:1-13
Filled with the Holy Spirit,
Jesus returned from the Jordan
and was led by the Spirit
into the desert for forty days,
to be tempted by the devil.
He ate nothing during those
days,
and when they were over he
was hungry.
The devil said to him,
“If you are the Son of God,
command this stone to become
bread.”
Jesus answered him,
“It is written, One does not
live on bread alone.”
Then he took him up and
showed him
all the kingdoms of the world
in a single instant.
The devil said to him,
“I shall give to you all this
power and glory;
for it has been handed over
to me,
and I may give it to whomever
I wish.
All this will be yours, if
you worship me.”
Jesus said to him in reply,
“It is written:
You shall worship the Lord,
your God,
and him alone shall you
serve.”
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.
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Commentary on Lk 4:1-13
The story of Jesus being led into
the desert to be tempted by the devil is consistent with the other synoptic
Gospels of Matthew 4:1-11 and Mark 1:12-13. Jesus is “filled
with the Holy Spirit” as he is emerging from the baptismal waters. Forty
days is symbolic of the forty years the Israelites wandered in the desert
during the Exodus.
The story serves to help us understand that the temptations we
face were also faced by Jesus who was totally human, like us in all things but
sin. The Lord overcame the temptation of food when he was hungry, and power
when he was powerless. We note that the devil used scripture to support these
temptations, twisting what was good to evil purpose.
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Reflection:
On a day when we celebrate the goodness of God in giving us His
Only Son, it is appropriate that we understand that all God created that was
good, can also be used by the evil one to lead us down the wrong path. Today we hear the story of Jesus who is led
into the desert following his baptism in the Jordan River by John the
Baptist. He wanders for forty days, and
when he is weak from lack of food, the evil one comes to him and offers him
what his human self must want the most.
Further, the devil uses the Lord’s own identity to tempt him. Had Jesus wished, he could have grasped at
the devil’s rationalization (using scripture, no less) and satisfied his
hunger.
More tempting to the Lord must have been the second temptation. Jesus had a mission to lead all the people of
the world to God. The devil offered him
all of that in one instant. All Jesus
had to do was give homage to Satan. We
can almost imagine him, weak from hunger, challenged by one who seemed so fair
but felt so foul. He offered Jesus
everything his heart desired. But the
Lord was stronger. He drove the devil
away with his words, “for a time.”
With all the cunning and power of Satan, is it any wonder that we
are sometimes tricked into actions that we know are not in keeping with God’s
commandment to us? This time of lent is
our chance to look back at our lives and see there the fingerprints; the
fingerprints of God who supports us in time of distress, and the fingerprints
of Satan who takes advantage of our weakness and even provides rationalization
for us using scripture.
The Lord came to help us distinguish between God’s will and Satan’s
traps. He gave us commandments that help
us identify whose voice we are hearing.
His Great Commandment: “Love one another as I have loved you,” which he
tells us is superseded only by loving God the Father, becomes our litmus test.
Let’s look at an example.
If we are wronged, unjustly treated by another person, we hear in our
heads: “Even the Bible says ‘…eye for
eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot’ (Exodus 21:23). I should get
even with that other person by doing to them what they did to me.” We hear in that voice justice. We might even rationalize our actions saying:
“How will that person understand what they did was wrong if they go unpunished?”
When we step back and look at the same situation through the eyes
of Christ, we instantly hear the words of the Evil One whispering: “I shall give
to you all this power and glory,” as
he did to Jesus in the desert.
We are asked to respond as
the Lord would have responded; as he did respond time and again when insulted,
humiliated, and maligned. The Lord gave
love for hate, compassion for pain, and forgiveness even in death. That is the model we have chosen to follow.
Today
let us ask God to show us those times when we were buoyed up by his presence
and ask him to forgive us for those time we were weak. Let us pray that he might strengthen us so
that we might, in the future, be more aware of the difference.
Pax
In other Years on this date
the optional memorial for Saints Cyril and Methodius, Bishops
[1]
Catechism links are taken from the Homiletic
Directory, Published by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the
Discipline of the Sacraments, 29 June 2014
[3]
The picture is “Temptation of Christ” by Michael Pacher (St Wolfgang
Altarpiece) 1479-81
[4]
The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the
Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This
re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[5]
See NAB footnote on Deuteronomy 26:5
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