Gospel: A Season to Fight Temptation
By Fr. Paul Grankauskas
Herald Columnist
(From the issue of 2/22/07)
On this first Sunday of Lent, we hear about the temptations
of Our Lord. At the beginning of his public ministry, Satan tries to sway
him from the way to Calvary, from the way to the cross and the work of
redemption.
If Jesus is the Son of God, says Satan, he could commend that the stones
be turned into bread. He could satisfy his own hunger, which must have
been considerable after so much time in the desert. What is more, he could
win the masses, too, if he just kept their bellies full. Our Lord replies
that man does not live by bread alone. He did not come to be a bread king.
He came to bring us forgiveness of sins. He came to fulfill the role of
Isaiah's Suffering Servant.
Next, Satan offers Jesus all the kingdoms of the world. All Our Lord has
to do is worship him. Jesus replies that, "You shall worship the
Lord your God, and him only shall you serve." He did not come to
be a slave to the Devil.
He came to free us from our enslavement to him.
Finally, if Jesus is really the Son of God, Satan says, he can throw himself
off the parapet of the Temple. Surely the angels will protect him, as
it is written in the Scriptures. Our Lord says it is not good to put God
to the test. He did not come to win souls with cheap tricks.
Again, it seems to be Satan's plan to sway Jesus from the way of the cross,
from doing the will of the Father who sent him into the world. When we
meditate on this particular Gospel passage, there are some important lessons
we can take away regarding the spiritual life.
First, if we are serious about doing the will of God, we will have to
face an adversary who wants to trip us up and distract us: the Devil.
If Our Lord did battle with him, so will we. Peter tells us in one of
his letters to be on guard against him. He is like a roaring lion looking
for someone to devour. He has away of making what is sinful look mighty
attractive and desirable. I could not help but feel a little guilty while
watching the Super Bowl. The ads for Budweiser beer are usually cleverly
done. Unfortunately, they do little do help promote the virtue of temperance.
There are many who can testify to the destructiveness of alcoholism.
Second, temptations come to all of us. Sometimes they come without our
willing them. For example, it is tempting to want to get back at someone
who has hurt me. I am dependent on God to give me the strength to fight
it, and I might be a little more successful in fighting because I do not
want it.
But, we can also place ourselves in harm's way. We are more likely to
fall in this case because we are opening ourselves up to disaster. We
need to remember the closing lines of the "Act of Contrition":
"I firmly intend with the help of your grace to sin no more and to
avoid the near occasion of sin."
During the season of Lent, we practice penance, fasting and almsgiving.
These can be powerful spiritual weapons in fighting temptations, focused
as they are on mortification, self-denial and self-discipline. We have
to realize that if Our Lord was tempted, we can expect no less. The devil
will try his hardest to keep us from doing God's will. Fortunately, with
the grace and strength that comes from God and through our Lenten practices,
we can begin to fight back.
Fr. Grankauskas is parochial vicar at St. Mary of Sorrows Parish in Fairfax.
(c) Copyright 2007 by Arlington Catholic
Herald
