Enkindle in Them the Fire of Your Love: 1st Sunday of Lent (C)

Liturgical readings

Deuteronomy 26:4-10
Psalm 91
Romans 10:8-13
Luke 4:1-13

"Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days, where He was tempted by the devil."

The gospel for the 1st Sunday of Lent (C) is the story of Jesus' temptation in the wilderness. Full of the Holy Spirit, Jesus fasted in the desert for forty days. The devil took this opportunity to tempt Jesus three times: for Him to use His power to turn a stone into bread; for Him to opt for having power and glory over all the kingdoms of the world; and for Him to put His Father to the test by throwing Himself from the parapet of the temple. In all these three temptations of the devil, Jesus responded with a definitive NO that is grounded and rooted very well in Scripture, His relationship with the Father and the mission He was sent for. After Jesus was victorious over the devil, the devil left Him and awaited another opportunity to tempt Him.

Before this narrative on the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness (Luke 4:1-13), we have the story of His baptism (Luke 3:21-22) and His human genealogy (Luke 3:23-38) - which is traced way back to Adam. These two passages confirm that Jesus is indeed human but also divine. Filled with the Spirit while at prayer during His baptism, He has become the New Adam - One who obeys God totally and faithfully (compared to His ancestor Adam who disobeyed God). After the temptation narrative, the evangelist Luke then presents chapters depicting Jesus in active public ministry in Galilee. These span from chapter 4 to chapter 9 in the gospel of Luke.

Unlike Jesus, our sinful nature (what we inherited from our ancestor Adam) makes us weak against temptation. But if we do not rely on our own strength and intelligence, but trust fully in Christ, He will grant us the courage and strength to also say No to the many temptations we will encounter in our life journey. St. Francis de Sales teaches wisely about what temptation can be compared to, and how we can avoid it. He says temptation is like a dangerous dog that is chained. As long as we do not approach it, we will not be bitten and harmed. As Christ was well-grounded in Scripture and His relationship with the Father, if we also root and ground ourselves well in Word and Sacrament, we will be nourished and spiritually strengthened not to approach temptations, and avoid all occasions of sin. The key therefore not to be conquered by temptation is the strength of our relationship with God. Maybe we can ask ourselves and examine our hearts: how strong is my relationship with God? If it is not strong, what can I do to strengthen it?