Cycle C - Year II:  

6 March 2022: First Sunday of Lent 

(Liturgical Color: Violet)

Readings:

First Reading:        Deuteronomy 26:4-10

Second Reading:   Romans 10:8-13

Gospel:  Please Read  Luke 4:1-13 

We can overcome temptations!

TODAY'S liturgy takes a break from Ordinary Time to begin our pilgrimage in the season of Lent.  What is the meaning and purpose of the Lenten Season?

Lent is a time of preparation for the BIG event of Easter Sunday.  It consists of forty days of fasting, prayer, and penitence which began last Ash Wednesday with the imposition of blessed ashes in our forehead, and concluding at sundown on Holy Thursday. Now take note of the significance of "forty days" because it is the length of time of the fast and temptation of our Lord Jesus in the desert.

Changes in the liturgy during Lent: (1) the liturgical color of the priest's vestments and the altar cloth changes to violet, normally the lighter shade of violet to distinguish it from the violet used during the Season of Advent; (2) the Alleluia, and also the Gloria, is not sung or said from the beginning of Lent    until the Easter Vigil; (3) during Lent the altar should not be decorated with flowers and musical instruments may be played only to give necessary support to the singing. (On the 4th Sunday of Lent or Laetare, the altar may be decorated with flowers.)

The Gospel proclamation is from St. Luke on the temptation of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us recall that during His baptism in the River Jordan, Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit as the Father has anointed and confirmed Him as the Messiah and Savior.  Now, after His baptism the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness of Judea, a lonely place of solitude and silence. (Bible scholars describe Judean wilderness as a vast wasteland of sand, rocks, hills, and deep ravines that stretch for miles and miles. It is one of the most barren, bleak, and inhospitable places on earth.)

The Gospel narrative continues that our Lord Jesus was alone in the wilderness with no contact with family and friends. He was there to prepare Himself for the mission entrusted to Him by the Father, spending forty days and nights in solitude and prayers to His Father in heaven.

St. Luke tells us that at the end of forty days in the wilderness the evil one tempted Jesus. The evil one saw an opportunity to strike while Jesus appeared more vulnerable in His physical and emotional weakened condition due to prolonged fasting and inner struggle over His important call and mission. Our Lord Jesus rejected the empty promises of the evil one and chose the path of His Father -- a path of self-renunciation, humility, and obedience to His Father's will.

Some of us may wonder why was Jesus tempted by the evil one if He is the Messiah?  Biblical writers say that this truth was kept away from the evil one and and so the evil one did not know about Jesus as the Messiah. The evil one wanted to find out for himself and so he tempted our Lord.  

What is the lesson that today's Gospel is teaching us in our practical life?

As humans we constantly face the temptations of comfort, power, and wealth.  In fighting these temptations, we can, therefore, imitate our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Jesus did not rely on His own human strength and will-power for overcoming temptations. He relied on the Holy Spirit for strength, wisdom, courage, and self-control. In the Gospel narrative, Jesus goes back to the word of God and quotes Sacred Scriptures to find strength and insight to fight off evil.  Because the word of God is our big source of energy when we are tempted.  

Our Lord Jesus has shown us that we cannot fight temptations just on our own, because the enemy is far more powerful over humans.  We need help, we need the strength and guidance of the Holy Spirit and the word of God to overcome temptations.  Jesus gives us His Holy Spirit to help us in our weakness, and to be our guide and strength in time of testing. The Lord Jesus also gives grace to those who humbly acknowledge their dependence on Him to be able to reject the lies and deceits of the evil one.

Our Catechism teaches that "Temptation is an attraction, either from outside oneself or from within, to act contrary to right reason and the commandments of God." In moments of temptation, we need not panic but go down in our knees to pray and call on our Lord Jesus Christ. For as St. Paul says, "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Rom 10:13)

Perhaps, the practical way to handle temptation is to run away immediately at the first sign of it. Because we should not rely on our "moral capacity" to resist temptation.

A blessed Sunday to us all. And thank you for a moment with God.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!