1st Sunday of Lent

Temptation!

The one subject we know too well is temptation! Every person born experiences temptation throughout life as an inescapable companion. Sometimes temptation takes a back seat, but never quite disappears. At other times temptation is like a torrent raging through our emotions and appetites. Years ago we were advised to avoid temptation. The truth is it’s not avoidable; it has to be fought.

The battle line for Jesus was drawn quickly after his Baptism. Luke (4:1-13) is the Gospel for our First Sunday of Lent this year. If you have wondered why Jesus was tempted, the great theologian St. Thomas Aquinas provides an insight:
“It was very necessary, and on two counts:
First, as a remedy for our sins,
and secondly, as a model for us in our behaviour.”
(Conference 6 on ‘The Creed’)

Temptation is the weapon of our lifetime adversary, Satan. As this Sunday’s Gospel extract shows, our adversary is an extremely skilled sniper. Satan shows how well he knows us by his patience, choice of place and circumstance, time and the very precise area of our character that he targets. It clearly demonstrates that we, while on earth, are in his territory. (1 John 5:19)

Can temptation be classified as part of the cross that Jesus calls us to carry? (Matthew 16:24) Yes! Unless we deliberately place ourselves in temptation’s way, then it is something done to us and not of our choosing. People may not have regarded temptation as a form of ‘carrying their cross in the following of Christ’, but it is. From the moment he accepted his vocation at his Baptism in the River Jordan by John (Luke 3:22) everything in Jesus’ daily life can be classified as part of his redemptive suffering, including the temptation he suffered.

Temptation, as used by Satan, is a precise weapon. The empty wilderness of Judea with its intense, moisture sapping, heat of the day and the equally intense penetrating cold of the night would test the hardiest. Jesus appears to have been led to this experience by the Holy Spirit. It’s as if the gloves are ‘off’ and battle is truly joined. The Gospel accounts vary but it may be helpful to remember that Jesus’ experience of temptation and our own have a significant difference.

When faced by temptation we recognise that, to some degree, we have brought the affliction upon our-self by our sin. Our outrage at being tempted is lessened by the uncomfortable sense of being personally responsible for the suffering, to some extent. By contrast, Jesus is without sin. Satan’s affront in tempting Jesus is doubly painful for him. The pain Jesus experiences is greater as he is the innocent victim and also that he chooses to experience, in himself, the accumulative effect of all human sin.

Training is essential for all athletes. What the Olympics and Paralympics didn’t show were the years of painful, determined training without which no medal could have been won in London 2012. Jesus’ so-called hidden years in Nazareth were his essential training. To have any hope of standing fast against temptation, we need a daily workout under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. A combination of Sacramental life, prayer and fasting is considered essential. The Sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist are the core of our training. The purging of self–centeredness through the liberating grace of God’s forgiveness restores vision and hope. The nourishment of The Eucharist builds up that vital relationship with Jesus.

Lent, along with Advent, is a time for limbering up. Lent invites us to accompany Jesus in the final stages of his self-sacrificing vocation to redeem us. Six weeks may seem an eternity but delay starting and it’s Holy Week, if not Easter Sunday! Non-implemented good intentions do us no good whatsoever.

Athletes take advice about training from those competent to give it. The Baptised need to seek advice from a spiritual director, someone we trust and who is established on his or her own spiritual journey with Christ. Choosing our own workout programme may not be the best way forward. Where we may lay emphasis (for example, in the ‘doing-without’ area) may not be where we need to concentrate our efforts. Time needs to be set aside for a proper consultation. The GP who has the prescription half-written before we’ve sat down doesn’t impress us!

Those addicted to Facebook and Twitter might consider donating fifteen minutes a day to pray-as-you-go.org. This Jesuit sponsored help to pray the Scriptures has a worldwide following. Why not try it?

For sure, without a dedicated training routine Jesus would not have been prepared for Satan wiliness. Our lack of preparation shows clearly when we face up to how often temptation flattens us with just a little fingertip!