29.02.2004 The First Sunday of Lent Year C
First Reading: Deuteronomy 26, 4-10
Psalm 90
Second Reading: Romans 10, 8-13
Gospel Reading: Luke 4, 1-13
In the Churches following Roman rites this is the fourth day of lent. During
this time we will turn our attention in particular to the Word of God, intensifying
our commitment by not paying attention to our desires and passions, going without
distractions from television or other time wasting activities. We will dedicate
more time to listening to God, to discovering the reasons for our holy Baptism
and to rejoicing in it's fruits.
The Gospel reading shows us Jesus while he is fasting. For forty days he offers
this penitence to his Father as a sign of love, of total dedication to Him without
sparing himself. Jesus truly sees and accepts the Father as a Father who thinks
of everything concerning his life, whether material, spiritual or social. Hence
he acts as a son, a true son who leaves the worries of his life to Him who generated
him, desired him and loved him.
Jesus' decision can be seen very clearly in the way he resists the various temptations
at the end of the forty days. Each temptation attempts to make Jesus decide
alone, independently without putting himself in the position to listen: "Make
your own decision concerning your bread, and decide like someone who is omnipotent
like God, decide for yourself what men need to be ruled with justice, decide
for yourself how to show that you are the Messiah"! The temptations are
strong and touch the important issues of his life and the significance of his
presence in the world. Jesus does not decide, or rather he decides to continue
to listen to the Father. He knew that God had spoken, that His Word had been
written down and could still manifest His will. The temptation started with
the words: "If you are the Son of God…", since you are the Son of
God … one can almost imagine Jesus reply to himself: "Since I am the Son,
I wish to behave like a son, I wish to listen to the suggestions and decisions
of my Father"! And every time he remembers and uses the Words of the Holy
Scriptures. He himself is the Word, but in the face of temptation he seems not
to want to trust his own reasoning: each time he turns to the Scriptures, with
obvious humility, with love for every word given by the Spirit of God to His
prophets.
It is important to keep firm hold of the true and sure knowledge of God, as
did Jesus: God is the Father! Jesus helps us to be persevering and determined
to keep the purity of the knowledge of God. If we begin to doubt, or fantasize
about his identity, all the rest will vacillate: hope and caution will vacillate,
justice and the ability to love will collapse. If we are not clear and firm
in our knowledge of God as Father, we would be at the mercy of human ideas,
fantasies, and ignorance and we would soon become pagans in heart and mind!
Today more than ever we need this clarity: ways of thinking and reasoning are
spreading that destroy communion, disorient families, overturn what progress
has been made in justice and charity over hundreds of years of effort. This
is above all because of the confusion that exists concerning the knowledge of
God. In various circles, with or without malice, God is described as energy,
as a spark or splinter of the "cosmic god", as the "One"
who is within all created things, which in that case were not created .., and
so one begins to believe oneself divine and omnipotent, and therefore, without
sin! Even some who claim to be Christians, use this language or ideas and exercises
underlying them; from no longer recognising the Father, one is no longer able
to distinguish the temptations of Satan from the inspirations of the God of
love! The confusion which arises drives many away from the Church, from the
sacraments, in particular from confession, with deleterious consequences for
the faith and for life in the family and society.
Our faith in God the Father, and in he who was sent, must be professed aloud
with clarity and without fear. St Paul says: "if you confess with your
lips that Jesus is Lord, then you will be saved": it is a great gift to
believe with your heart, to keep alive ones faith within one, but it is not
sufficient to be saved, to be protected from the dangers of widespread paganism.
To profess ones faith in telling the great works of God is Moses commandment
to his people. We obey that commandment, telling of the resurrection of Jesus
from the dead and demonstrating with works and words that we consider him Lord
of our lives and of all times!
Fasting at lent will help us to be stronger and more careful not to miss those
occasions in which we can testify our faith!