COMMENTARY ON THE LITURGY OF THE FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT
Collect
Almighty and everlasting God, who hatest nothing that thou hast made, and dost forgive the sins of all those who are penitent; Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness. may obtain of thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Readings
2 Cor 6:1-10; Mt 4:1-11
Comment
Jesus is prepared for his ministry with baptism in the Jordan, where he receives the testimony of the Father, and with temptations in the desert, where he is moved by the Spirit. This is a must for us too; in fact, the greater the manifestations of grace in our spiritual journey, the stronger will be the tests that will follow to keep us in humility. Thus the book of Sirach admonishes: "My son, if you come forward to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for temptation" (Sir 2:1).
Jesus accepted to be tempted by taking on our frailty; but if the tempter had triumphed over the first Adam, he is defeated by Christ, the second Adam, who freed humanity enslaved by sin. Indeed, "Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted" (Heb 2:18) and "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin" (Heb 4:15).
There is a parallel between Jesus' forty days in the wilderness and Israel's forty years of wandering before entering the promised land; with the forty-day stay of Moses on Mount Sinai and that of the prophet Elijah - restorer of the Law - on Mount Oreb. Jesus is the one who repairs infidelities to the first covenant, but also the legislator of the new covenant, extended to the whole of humanity.
Temptations are presented in the Gospel of Matthew in the form of a rabbinic dispute; both the devil and Jesus quote passages of the Scriptures, the first in a deceptive way, while Jesus reveals its authentic meaning. We can defend ourselves from the snares of the evil one with the word of God, but only if it is read with faith, in the presence of Christ.
With the first temptation, Satan tries to jeopardize man's relationship with God, insinuating that he is not a Father or that he is not a Father who desires the good of his children. He does not exhort Jesus to pray to his father to transform the stones into bread but to transform them himself. Man is tempted in this way when he breaks his relationship with God and thinks he can trust only in himself; every time he falls into a sort of "magical thought", thinking he can change reality with ideology, science, technology, the idols of his time.
With the second temptation, the devil places Jesus on top of the Temple of Jerusalem, the holiest place in the holy city and urges him to ask God for a miracle that arouses admiration. But Jesus refuses, because he stripped himself of his own divine power by making himself similar to men, to teach meekness, humility, and mutual service.
In the third temptation, Satan offers Jesus the kingdoms of this world, of which he is prince, but a prince overthrown. In the time that separates him from the fulfillment of history, man is tempted to disown the authority of God, submitting himself to the father of lies. But the evil one has been overcome by the incarnation and the cross of Christ, and his power is limited to what God's will allows him to do, until the day the Son returns to earth to take possession of his kingdom.
A frightening place for his desolation, the desert is a place where one can only venture if is driven by the Spirit, who calls us to this experience to educate us to fight and put us in front of our frailty. By remaining steadfast in the faith that Christ has defeated the enemy and fights with us, we will be able to triumph over temptation and taste the bread of heaven administered by the angels.
- Rev. Dr. Luca Vona
