Temptation (HOMILY FOR THE FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT YEAR A

Homily for the First Sunday of Lent. Year A

Genesis 2:7-9; 3:1-7. Psalm 51:3-4,6-6ab,12-13,14. Romans 5:12-19. Matthew 4:1-11.

Theme: Temptation.

On this first Sunday of Lent, the Church invites us to reflect on temptation. The first reading tells us of the unfaithful man who lets himself be seduced by evil and chooses to go against the will of God.

After their fall, "the eyes of both were opened, and they knew they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves apron" (Gen.3:7). Before their fall, "the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed" (Gen.2:25). Here, nakedness has not only a literal meaning. It does not refer only to the body. It refers especially to the soul. It means that man is deprived of participation in the gift of God's grace, in the gift of God's love, which had been the source of the fullness of the good intended for man. He, by committing sin, is deprived of the supernatural and preternatural gifts that were his "endowment" before sin.

Still concerning sin, St. Paul tells us in the second reading that eternal death came to humankind through the disobedience of Adam, but the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness has come through Christ Jesus; Jesus' obedience brought eternal life to humankind while disobedience on the part of Adam and Eve brought about self destruction.

Temptation in itself is not a sin. While temptation brought about the sin of Adam and Eve in the first reading, today's Gospel describes the temptation that Jesus faced in his mission of salvation and how He was able to overcome those temptations

The devil tempts us precisely by taking advantage of the needs and weaknesses of human nature. We see this reflected in the temptations of Jesus.

After fasting for forty days and forty nights, Jesus must have been very weak and hungry. Here, He is in the wilderness, lonely. This is the moment the tempter chooses to come forward with the proposition that He should turn the stones that lie around him into the bread He needs and longs for so desperately.

Jesus not only declines the food that his body requires but also rejects a greater temptation: that of using his divine power to solve a personal problem.

In the second temptation, the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, "He will give his angels charge of you,' and 'On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot on against a stone.'"  Jesus said to him, "Again it is written, 'You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'" (Matt.4:6-7).

In the last temptation, the devil offers Jesus all the glory and temporal power that anyone could wish for. The devil showed him all the kingdoms of the world and its glory, and he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me" (Matt.4:9). With this, Jesus now sent the tempter away once and for all.

That Jesus could be tempted is an indication that no one is above temptation. None of us shall escape temptation.

Knowing that we are not above temptation is certain, but how are we to deal with our temptations? The first way to deal with temptation is to "perish the thought," according to Msgr. John Aniagwu; that is to say "No" to it as it creeps into our mind. We see this in the temptations of Jesus. He told Satan where to get off on each occasion that He was tempted. His response was prompt, unequivocal.

We need the grace of God to overcome our temptations. Left to ourselves, we are no match for Satan. He will crush us and grind us to powder. With God on our side, Satan can only depart defeated, as he did in the case of Jesus. He has no chance with God. That is why we pray, "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the Evil One." 

Jesus' temptation shows that he is truly man and also, the Son of God; able to overcome Satan and his temptations. A person can not show true obedience if he/she has never had the opportunity to disobey. Temptation will come. We should be alert and ready for it. Your convictions are as strong as they can hold up under pressure.

Know also that God is not a magician that you ask to do something in order to prove his existence. God wants us to live by faith, not by magic.

Satan used the Scripture to convince Jesus to sin! Sometimes, our family members, friends, or associates will present attractive and convincing reasons why we should try and do what is wrong. They go to the extent of quoting Bible verses that seem to support their arguments. Beware! Study God's word carefully, especially in the broader contexts of specific verses, so that you understand God's principles for an authentic Christian living.

May God grant us the grace to do his will always so as to overcome our temptations through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Happy Lenten Season