Last Ash Wednesday, millions attended Masses all over the country to take part in an ancient ritual of penitence, placing ashes on one’s head as a sign of repentance and penance. The ministers, while tracing the cross on the people’s forehead with ashes, say, “Turn away from sin and believe in the Gospel.”
Then the Gospel read for this Mass, every year, talks about the disciplines of Lent, namely, prayer, fasting and works of charity. These are done in private as a deepening of one’s personal relationship with God.
This first Sunday of Lent, we are given the story on the temptations of Christ in the desert. This comes in between his baptism and the beginning of his public ministry.
In the Baptism narrative, Christ sees with great clarity who he is and what his mission is. He is the beloved Son in whom the Father is well pleased. His mission, in its simplest, most fundamental and deepest core, is loving obedience to the will of God, his Father.
Christ knew what he had to do and why he had to do it, as well as for and with whom he was doing it. At the threshold of living out this mission, he is tempted.
Deeper sense
The original Greek verb is more nuanced, and in this Sunday’s story, the more accurate translation is “to test.” While this does not negate the evil spirit tempting us, being tested gives us a deeper sense of evil not simply leading us to doing bad, but also preventing us from doing good.
Many spiritual writers and scripture commentators are in agreement that the temptation of Christ was an interior experience that Christ might have shared with his disciples.
Most say that this is an expression of Christ’s solidarity with humanity, that he experienced all things with us, including temptation, but not sin. Thus this episode at the start of his ministry carries the message that the tests in our life need not lead us to sin, but are moments to overcome sin. They are not always preludes to becoming bad, but opportunities to embrace what is good.
This is what we ended with last Sunday, that temptation can either break us or let our light shine. Tests in life can either make us give in and give up, or strengthen and raise us to our dignity as sons and daughters of God, our Father.
Christ overcomes the test and moves on to do what he has to do. He begins his ministry, and will fulfill his mission—to be the beloved Son in whom the Father is well pleased.
The other point to reflect on in this Sunday’s Gospel is what St. Ignatius of Loyola experienced and reminds us of. Ignatius said that when we come close to doing good and living out God’s will for us, the evil spirit will do everything to prevent us from doing this.
The evil spirit throws in everything—doubt, distraction, depression, despair—to prevent the good that can come from us. I am sure we all have our stories to tell about such experiences in our life. Just when we experience clarity and peace, what follows the “high” is what we could describe as “reality setting in.”
This is the test, the temptation—to doubt, first ourselves, then God.
When we look at the three temptations in the Gospel, they strike us as mirror images of Christ’s own gifts and charisms. This tells us of the insidious strategy of the evil spirit: his most powerful temptation comes from within.
We are our own worst enemy, as the saying goes, and it is the last and strongest test of the evil spirit. It is here where we make the crucial choice to turn not to our strengths, gifts and charisms, but to God who alone saves us.
‘Surrender’
How many times did we also experience this? When we “give up and surrender,” it is then that we allow God’s grace and power to take over. In the words of St. Paul, “For it is when I am weak that I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12: 10)
The final point for reflection is that the choice we make is not a once-and-for-all choice. The defining moment is the core grace and inspiration, but like all things life-giving, it grows and evolves. Naturally, it will evolve toward deeper and greater integration.
But—the fine print—the evil spirit will also meet us at every stage and turn this journey toward greater integration. Thus, our response to overcome the test and follow God’s will is not a once-and-for-all choice.
We must renew and deepen. Christ experienced the same. When Peter told Christ after the prediction of the Passion and Cross that he, Peter, will not allow Christ to suffer, Christ recognizes the test and says, “Satan, get away from me! You are thinking like everyone else and not like God.” (Mark 8: 33)
Then on the eve of his triumph on the Cross, the interior and greatest test happens. “Father, if you will, please don’t make me suffer by having me drink from this cup… But do what you want, and not what I want.”
Every day is an opportunity to not simply overcome the test and sin, but to deepen our relationship with God; a time to choose and define our person, life and mission. The final word was, is and will always be Christ’s: “Him alone shall you serve.”
Christ knew what he had to do, why he had to do it, and for and with whom he was doing it. Even then we get a glimpse of why he is the Beloved Son. —CONTRIBUTED