1st Sunday of Lent 18 Feb 2024 Temptations
Lent is a time of waging war on Sin. Jesus was tempted by the devil to settle for a lesser goal, to be distracted from higher and better things.
This is how the devil tempts us, to take lesser gods and expend all our desires on them.
It helps if we have a clear concept of life’s having a start and a finish. We say life is short but then live like it goes forever, ignoring what happens after death.
Many have a vague idea about life after death, but do not see the urgency of getting this life into order. They become absorbed in this life, but do not know what it is for!
We live in a world which is ordered by God. He hears our prayers and He interacts strongly, without taking away our free will.
People think God is remote. No, indeed. He is aware of everything. He knows if a sparrow falls from the sky (Mt 10,29). He knows what we need, but often awaits our asking for it.
He wants us to have a lively and continuous conversation with Him, learning as we go, growing in love and trust towards Him.
In the coming of Christ to the world, God reconciles humanity with divinity, and this gives humanity the best exposure it has ever had to true goodness, with all its flow-on effects. Such as peace, happy families, fulfilling lives etc.
He gives us many blessings from which we can learn, and then become grateful.
We learn to obey God and to see why that is necessary, and the best thing to do.
Choosing our own course may seem the obvious way forward but, as we see, it leads to more and more trouble.
We live as disciples of Christ with the knowledge that He is nearby, and never forgetting there will be a day of reckoning.
Instead we read the signs and repent. Like Nineveh, like the Prodigal Son, like Mary Magdalene, and thousands since, who have come to the Saviour and found new life.
Reading the signs we have direction and the way to complete the path.
God knows our human frailty so He does not ask more of us than we can bear.
However, we will find that our capacity to make sacrifices will increase, and then we will be loaded with more responsibility (cf Mt 25,28, give the one who has ten talents even more). He will also give us many consolations on the way.
We must not be too attached to the temporary blessings of this life. They are like refreshment points along the way, but not themselves the end of the journey.
We give up things in Lent to acknowledge that we want the heavenly food instead. We do not live on bread along but on every word that comes from the mouth of God (Mt 4,4).
We learn to live in two worlds at once, this world and the heavenly world. We live by the laws of the heavenly world, at the same time being responsible citizens here on earth; doing all we have to do, but inwardly longing for our true home in Heaven (Ph 3,20).
Whenever we came to faith and baptism, that was getting on course. Everything after that is staying on course – to Heaven.
We make it hard for ourselves whenever we choose to sin. Sin is like being on a journey and then suddenly going sideways or backwards. It does not make any sense, but the temptations are strong, because previous sin clouds our minds and weakens our wills.
A strong dose of clarity from Heaven will enable us to resume the straight path!
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