Readings: 1st Reading; Genesis 2 :7 – 9, 3 : 1 – 7
               Responsorial Psalm; Ps. 50 : 3 – 6  , 12 – 14, 17
               2nd Reading; Romans 5 : 12 – 19
             Gospel; Matthew 4 : 1 – 11.

 
The first reading gives an account of the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.We have certainly read or heard the story several times. It is a good story for us all because it is a story of us all! We are all tempted in one way or the other; to be proud, to be covetous, to be lustful,  to practice sloth or to be envious. These temptations like in the Garden of Eden , make us to envy God. We would like to be like God or even be our own gods and gods for others. The painful consequences of disobedience (sin) which we all live today are a reminder and a warning to us of what will happen when we  continue to make fatal choices.

In the Gospel, Matthew narrates the temptations of Jesus by the same devil. Unlike Adam and Eve, Jesus does not disobey God or fall into the temptations of the devil. In our days, the tempter or devil comes in so many forms, means and ways. By Jesus’ example, we are urged to face our tempters who desire to turn our relationship with God into illusions and pretences. We will get stronger in our faith only when we put God’s will over ours.

I once met a young-man who told me he loved to be tempted, because temptations make him realise what values he has which the tempter will want him to devalue. The tempter only comes to you when he finds that you have real values . Jesus’  temptations came at a time of solitude and when He was full of the Holy Spirit; whereas ours, come daily in a very fast moving world. The ways we get our daily temptations may be varied and complex and the devil (tempter) comes in as many forms too.The devil even has the capabilities of changing like Quick Silver! disguising sometimes as God’s representative. No doubt, Shakespeare says the devil can even quote scripture brilliantly for his own purpose.The devil attacks when you are at your weakest point.

How do we as Christians recognise temptations? Temptation is when a person causes another to fall into sin. It may be intentional when it is on purpose or it may inadvertent. We see intentional temptation in the first reading and the Gospel of today. Jesus promises punishment to all who intentional tempt others to fall into sin. ” But if anyone causes any of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea”. (Matt. 18:6). He continues that ” …Such things must come, but woe to the man through whom they come” (Matt.18:7). He says if any part of your body tempts you to sin, you would better have it cut off so that you can enter heaven maimed or crippled than be thrown into eternal fire. (Matt.18:8-9). On the other hand when you overcome temptations, the angels of God come to take care of you as they did to Jesus when the devil left Him.

Temptation may come in several ways; your tempter may make you familiar with sin, he may facilitate you to sin (leading you to places of sin and removing the fear of sinning from your heart and even  removing the obstacles from your way), he may let you taste sin or introduce you to sin under a false concept or giving sin a good name to deceive you. Also, if a person gives you wrong information about another to act on, he is tempting you to sin. For instance, I have had some people wanting to slaughter me because of false information they have received about me from people who claim to know me better than I know myself.

The kind of company we keep can also be tempting to sin. No doubt, Paul says “Evil company corrupts good habits” (1 Cor. 15:33). The English summarise this by saying “tell me who your friend is and I will tell you who you are”. Every bad company is a stumbling block and we read what the psalmist says also about this. “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful (Ps.1:1). Our parents consider you bad if you are in bad company. There is hardly a  way to escape, as induction in such company comes unnoticed. In this line we will include bad culture and mass media. Even the kind of literature you read may be tempting and may finally lead you to sin.

The important thing for a Christian is not to provide a cause for temptation. Sometimes, it is necessary to avoid certain things when you discover that they will be a stumbling block to others, even though the actions may not be wrong in themselves. Our parents hide a lot of things from us which are not wrong in themselves, because at our tender ages  they may mislead us to sin.

Bad examples are also temptations. Others consequently sin by imitating such examples. Whether they come from teachers, leaders,  bosses, colleagues, seniors, parents and guardians. These may range from coming late to work, being slothful, justifying errors, maltreating the subordinates,  writing false reports to gain promotion and pay when work has not been done or has been done badly.

Back to our daily struggles as Christians, the devil has taken the better part of us. Jesus is tempted with food. How do we act when we are in need of food? Some of us will do anything to have food, even if it means killing in the process. Second, Jesus is tempted to put His Father into test.The devil challenges us everyday to prove that our God is omnipotent and omnipresent and we fall for it by asking God for miracles to prove His Worth. You shall not put the Lord your God to a test. Jesus’ third temptation is on political power. Here, the devil has a strangle hold on most of us Christians. Instead of trusting in God’s power we want to have political power by any way possible. We bribe our way, we manipulate, we join secret cults, we silently eliminate our opponents, we stage ‘coups d’états’ and cause wars just to accept the devil’s promise to have political power.

How then can we overcome temptations in our lives? God gives us His Holy Spirit to be our strength, guide, and counsellor in temptation and testing. Jesus is ever ready to pour out His Spirit upon us that we may have the strength, wisdom and courage to resist sin and to reject the lies and the deceits of the enemy Satan. We only “fight the good fight of the faith” (1 Tim.6:12) with the power and strength that comes from the Holy Spirit.

Our Lenten call is to repent, be more prayerful, be more generous, and do more works of charity. We are called not to participate in the envy, greed and pride of Adam and Eve. We must not give in to the devil to these vices but call on God daily with the prayer our Lord Jesus taught us, that reminds us  to call on God every other time not to be led “into temptation but to deliver us from evil”.

A Little Prayer. 

Lord Jesus, I have turned my back on you and walked away, trying to depend on my strength and the strength of the devil whose temptations beckon me  with illusions of material prosperity and empty promises of happiness. I have lived life my own way. I have closed my heart to those in need and thought only of myself. I have played so many games and failed. Now I return to you with deep remorse. Forgive me my trespasses. Amen. 

Have a Blessed Week!.

Bobe Talla Toh.