God Allowed Him to be Tempted
Dear Parishioners,
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Church’s annual retreat of forty days in preparation for the Easter celebrations. It calls for a spiritual journey as we prayerfully reflect on the Lord’s passion, death and resurrection.
The imposition of ashes reminds us of our weakness and reality of death. The fascinating aspect of death is that it is both certain and uncertain. We know that we all will die someday; but when, where and how we cannot tell with certainty.
However, the Gospel speaks to us about Jesus who won victory over sin and death. We know that Jesus is full of Holy Spirit. There is no flaw or sin in him; but God allowed him to be tempted and exposed to danger. His experience holds a lesson for us because we also live in a dangerous place and subjected to temptations.
In the ancient Jewish religious tradition, desert is considered a barren land that God did not bless. “It is a cursed place where man, stripped of usual defenses, faces hostile forces, undergoes testing, experiences his inability to triumph over adversity, and is compelled to fall back on the mercy and omnipotence of his God.” We have an opportunity to share in the victory which Jesus won.
The forty days of lent gives us an opportunity to prayerfully consider how we live our lives and make effort to avoid a spiritual death. No one is excluded from this invitation. By his example, Jesus taught us how to reject Satan and all his works. He calls us to repentance, to share our bread with the hungry, to shelter and care for the oppressed, homeless and never to turn our backs to those in need. He warns against the ills of materialism.
God made us body and soul; therefore, our souls must be nourished too and not forgotten. Often, hunger for material goods consumes us. “It is written, One does not live on bread alone.”
There are other hungers to be satisfied; hunger for holiness, and hunger for love. When we allow material goods and inordinate desires to take over our lives that leads to spiritual death. Fasting helps to eliminate such obsessive desire for material goods and transitory glory.
Satan tried to offer to Jesus what he did not possess. He showed him an earthly kingdom and demanded a homage. How blind could be Satan? Jesus would have no other master but God. He will adore only God. He will recognize only God’s sovereignty.
How quick are we blindsided by the false powers? We are surrounded by institutions that promote unjust policies and laws that denigrate human person. The only way to live a meaningful life over oneself and the world is to recognize and acknowledge God’s sovereignty.
The evil that Jesus confronted is still with us at every turn. But victory and salvation are within our grasp if we allow God to be our main focus. Jesus urges us to hold steadfast and to rely on him. Opposition to God’s will leads to doom.
Lenten season is a school that guides us on how best to confront evil and rise victoriously. For the next forty days let our prayer, fasting and almsgiving be our tools to overcoming temptations.
Grace and Peace to You,
Fr. Vitalis Anyanike
Pastor
