Mass readings for the 1st Sunday of Lent:
Deuteronomy 25.4-10 Psalm 91.1-2, 10-15 Roman 10.8-13 Luke 4.1-13
Christ stands in for us in his confrontation with the devil, and Jesus resists all that the devil puts out to bait us into his trap. Where Christ triumphs, against the deceiver, we need to take to heart the principles he announces: live for more than the material things of life, worship and serve God alone, and do not presume upon the mercy of God.
I suppose we’re all on board with these principles – we’re here, aren’t we? But too often we see in hindsight how we’ve allowed ourselves to lapse into the contrary position with respect to our lives and our society.
In retrospect I’ve realized that a purchase of a product or service that I’ve made was to fulfil an emotional want as opposed to a practical need; and in some instances, this was at a cost in terms of spiritual neglect – maybe a quiet hour in the prayer garden was all I really needed. I have to be mindful of the example I set to others, especially as a pastor, as my decisions aggregate into a lifestyle that could be costly to the soul, and indirectly the souls of others who see and follow the bad example.
Another great temptation is to seek power. In the realm of politics (what we might think of first when we consider Satan’s offer of the world to Jesus) for most of us, that is a vicarious pursuit – we become enamored of a cultural figure or a political leader to whom we give our devotion and obedience rather than God. Promises of utopia are made and we invest our political hopes with them without due consideration as to what it’s really going to cost. I can’t help but reflect on the political consensus that has dominated western civilization for several generations. Our leaders in the realm of politics, culture and academia have worked to detach us from God and lead us to this time and place where we fearfully must face the hard truth that we can’t go on like this. The sad emphasis on consumerism, of living, well not just for bread alone, but for a whole host of material things beyond the necessities of life has brought Canadian society to become horribly indebted, scandalously unproductive; unhealthy, increasingly violent, lacking social cohesion. People are becoming isolated one from another, afraid, and ironically, even more susceptible to believing the same promises as were made before, that we just need to trust them again, ignore the worsening situation, and believe that indeed, they can give us the world.
On a more personal level, we can come under the spell of an investment guru, an entrepreneur with the franchise opportunity of a lifetime, and so on who will offer us the solution to our worries; and do so, quite legitimately. With enough money we can buy our freedom, escape the world’s troubles, enjoy travel and luxury, insulate ourselves from the dangers of a society in crisis. It won’t work. I find it fascinating to read about the discoveries of silver and gold caches that come up from time-to-time in the news from the UK and Europe. A farmer digging in a field comes across a hoard of coins and jewelry, buried 1500 years before when the Roman Empire collapsed. As with the archaeologists, I wonder who these people were who buried that gold, and just what was their plan. They’d hidden their treasure, and were readying their escape, but obviously never made it back to collect it. Whatever their plan was, they did not overcome the world, and the power of their money was an illusion.
Finally, we must resist being drawn into a widespread presumption upon the mercy of God that has come to dominate what little religious sensibility remains in our culture. While as serious Catholics, we may be disciplined in our own lives, we are inclined to tolerate the sins of others even as we know the consequences for them are dire; and that is a failure to love others as we love ourselves.
I know we aren’t to judge others, but in a sense, we are taking the position of judge when we decide that God shares in our leniency – but God, being perfect justice can’t look the other way. Without an acceptance of Christ in one’s life, without making that definite decision and so, uniting oneself to the saving sacrifice of our Lord, the full weight of divine judgment will land upon those who presume that God has made some kind of allowance for them, is okay with their neglect of Him, and their indulgence in sin. We can’t keep the gospel from others, but must work to find a way to have them hear it, and we pray, accept it.
Today’s gospel is read within the context of the story of the Exodus. We hear in the first lesson of how Israel escaped bondage through the saving power of God; and that this ought to bring forth gratitude: “you shall … bow down before the Lord your God.” The freedom we enjoy through God should prompt us to worship.
Today, only a fraction of Canadians worship, among Catholics, roughly one in five will be found at mass this weekend. I know that there are many reasons for this, but one that seems obvious to me is that there is a lack of gratitude – but then, what do they have to be thankful to God for?
So many live lives of constant stress: they carry the weight of the world on their shoulders, as do so many others. They struggle to make the payments, to cover the debts, to find the time for family, friends, even some quiet for themselves. Others struggle with desperate loneliness, social isolation, deprivation of fellowship. But rather than turn to God, they become devoted to lesser things: food, sex, gaming, gambling, sports, and so on, diversions upon distractions, seeking to alleviate the stress they feel, the strain, but also disappointment – is this really all there is? A daily grind, week upon week, occasionally alleviated by a fun weekend away, a family vacation that by some miracle was relaxing!
As I said in previous weeks, the big asks of God aren’t for his satisfaction, but for our good: we must love sincerely our enemies, we must repent and reform ourselves before looking to fix others. And as we see in today’s gospel, there is no shortcut to happiness, and Satan certainly can’t make one for us; his is a shortcut to a hell that will be of our own making, and indeed, it’s a hell many have already found in taking his offer.
In this new season of Lent, be especially intent in guarding heart and mind from all these messages that tempt us to believe that someone other than Christ has the answers, that our faith is naïve, unrealistic, impractical. To such assertions, ask the question, “What does scripture say?” What does the Word of God tell us?
If we follow the words of our Lord, as hard as it may be to do so, be assured, if not by me, but by St. Paul who tells us in today’s readings that no on who believes in Christ and his teaching, “will be put to shame.” That indeed, “everyone who calls upon the Lord shall be saved.”
Amen.