9 March 2025

9 March 2025 - First Sunday of Lent

Transcript

Reading:  

Luke 4:13

Write:  

When the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him for a time.

Reflect:   

The devil’s tactics: food, power, identity. Now, let’s expand those three words because they are the challenge that exists in our society today – that exists in every single soul that is challenged by the devil, or the world, or the self.

Let me say at the start that we do not need to know whether it is the devil, the world, or ourselves that is causing the temptation to turn away from following the holiness of God. Honestly, I don’t think the devil has to work as hard now as he did say… fifty years ago. He has already distorted so much of our society – and we… buy into it. But enough about that.

Food, power, identity. These are not evil things in and of themselves. We need food to survive. We have other human drives that are necessary for survival as well – that should lead people into marriage and procreation, for instance. But how much of all of this is being distorted today? The natural human drives for sustenance and procreation have been distorted by such things as overeating and pornography. Yet, there is something good about food and a proper orientation of our sexual drives. Another natural human drive is for simple friendship. And that too is distorted by power plays instead of genuinely being a friend.

Power. There are good forms of leadership and bad. Jesus gives the antidote to bad forms of leadership in the gospel when he says that we are to be a servant to all. Yes, there are proper places for power to be used in the public square, but we all know of people who have abused that and distorted the work they were called to do. I’m not going to delve into any political positions at this point. Everyone can have their own opinions on what is right and proper. And one person’s decisions may be at odds with another, but that does not mean that either one is completely wrong. There are different ways to put the ingredients together to make a loaf of bread.

Identity. If you are asked who you are, what is the first thing you think of? It should be: I am a child of God. And yet so many people set themselves up for failure by identifying themselves in ways that have little to nothing to do with God. One of the most common responses to the question “who are you” is a response that “I am what I do:” I am a teacher, an electrician, a plumber, a firefighter, a police officer, or as a different answer, I am an American… the list could go on. In fact, my inclination is to not say that I am just a child of God, but that I am a priest of Jesus Christ… that says a lot more, but yet identifies me in relationship to God. That… does make a priest’s position unique.

All that is background.

What is the devil trying to do in our gospel today? He is attacking these three points: food, power, identity.

The devil even tries to use Scripture himself [“It is written … (vv. 10–11)], but Jesus is quick to turn aside the challenge to his Father’s fidelity. The devil misuses Scripture. Here is an interesting quote from one of my resources: “Scripture is no more authoritative than any other word if it is wrongly interpreted.” And the devil does this… quite often. Jesus called him the father of lies and he distorts Scripture for his benefit. But notice the way Jesus responded: he used Scripture as well. Jesus didn’t fight with the devil with anything but Sacred Scripture! All three of the responses that Jesus made to the challenges of the devil were from the Bible. Do you think that is an indication of how we are to attack back – how we need to respond to temptation?

Apply:   

Now, I know that it is very hard to have a lot of the Scriptures memorized so we can respond to the challenges made against our faith. Jesus was the author of Scripture, so he had it ready in his mind right from the start. But, for us, when the attacks are in the form of temptations, there is a sure and simple method to combat those temptations. Make the sign of the Cross! Even if you have to do it… ten times right-in-a-row! Every time we make the sign of the Cross, when done in reverence, we receive a partial indulgence. The devil, and any temptation – from whatever source – cannot stand against the power of the Cross! That is one of the reasons why we have Ash Wednesday. We are sealed with the sign of the Cross!

Making the sign of the Cross should be something we are not ashamed to do at any time and in any place. All right, I know at times it may seem inappropriate in some public circles. But you can still mentally make the sign of the Cross. I think a visible sign of the Cross is much more effective for battling temptation, but… You do what you must.

Remember this quote from the letter to the Hebrews: “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin.” (4:15) Using the sign of the Cross calls on the source of our salvation, and – trust me – the devil hates that. It is not a magical way of fending off temptation. It is the source of our salvation.

My last point, based off of the entirety of the gospel today and the quote from Hebrews that I just made is this: the temptations Jesus endured were much worse than anything that we face. After all, we so often give in to temptation and the attack stops. But Jesus did not give in! And as the final line says in the gospel today the devil “departed from him for a time.” If we just recognize that Jesus conquered all temptation through his death on the Cross, we can use that sign of the Cross to strengthen ourselves against temptation and to grow in the holiness of God. Memorizing Scripture is great. But the power of the sign of the Cross… priceless!

Join me… “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

+++++