QUEEN OF PEACE CATHOLIC COMMUNITY
GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA
MARCH 4
1st Sunday of Lent, yr 3, 2001
Reading I
A reading from the Book of Deuteronomy
Therefore, I have now brought you the firstfruits
of the products of the soil
which you, O LORD, have given me.'
Reading II
A reading from the letter of Saint Paul to the Romans
For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek;
the same Lord is Lord of all,
enriching all who call upon him.
Gospel
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke
Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days,to be tempted by the devil.He ate nothing during those days, and when they were over he was hungry.
The devil said to him,"If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread." Jesus answered him, "It is written, One does not live on bread alone."
Then he took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant. The devil said to him, "I shall give to you all this power and glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I may give it to whomever I wish. All this will be yours, if you worship me." Jesus said to him in reply, "It is written: You shall worship the Lord, your God, and him alone shall you serve."
Then he led him to Jerusalem, made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written:
He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you, and: With their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone." Jesus said to him in reply, "It also says, You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test."
When the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him for a time.
The first reading today, from the third book of the Bible, Deuteronomy instructs the head of every household what should be done following every harvest. First, recall who you are and where you come from, second, remember who God is, third remember what God has done for you and finally, give an offering through the priest to thank God. We call that Stewardship. Moses called it the Law.
Of course the temptation from Adam and Even and Cain and Able in the first book of the scriptures and the golden calf in Exodus through to Jesus in this Gospel and to us on this day is to forget who we are and where we come from; to forget who God is and all that God gives us and to put our desires ahead of offering a sacrifice thanking God.
Oscar Wilde said, "The trouble with temptation is you might not get another chance."
When we are tempted we are making a choice about our own identity. Everyone of us knows the kind of people we'd prefer to live with. Who wants to be with someone who is a liar or only a "fair weather friend?" Does any quarterback want a blocker who steps aside? Jesus took the big hit for us in the crucifixion. Spouses, parents, good friends, those who truly love us, are willing to make sacrifices for us. Life is not really about feelings so much as deciding that even if it requires sacrifice, I will stick by my friend. Real love plays through the pain.
People of the lie, people who choose evil, show their true colors just as people who are good show their true colors in the choices that are made over time.
The devil, we are told at the end of today's gospel "departed for a time." Later in the gospel, Peter tries to tell Jesus the Messiah mustn't suffer, and in the Garden, Jesus is tempted again to try to get out of being who he truly was. It's the same temptation every time. Oscar Wilde was wrong, there's always going to be another opportunity to give in to the same temptation; evil has no originality or creativity. Believe me, there is no place more boring than hell.
Only goodness is creative. We are true to ourselves when we remember who we are, where we have come from, who God is and all God has done for us, and when we, in gratitude, make sacrifices for God. Only by being true to ourselves do we guarantee ourselves an interesting life and an interesting eternity. Jesus knows it, the gospel writers want us to know it too. That's why we call it the Good News!