Sunday 17
February 2013
1st Sunday of Lent C
Deuteronomy 26:4-10 Psalm 90:
1-2. 10-15. Rv. 15 Romans 10: 8-13 Luke 4:1-13
He brought us here and gave us this land, flowing with
milk and honey.
My refuge, my stronghold, my God in whom I trust.
Believing in the heart you are righteous. Confessing with
your lips you are saved.
Having exhausted all these ways, the devil left to return
at the appointed time.
First reading
Deuteronomy
26:4-10
Moses said to the people: ‘The priest
shall take the pannier from your hand and lay it before the altar of the Lord
your God. Then, in the sight of the Lord your God, you must make this
pronouncement:
‘“My
father was a wandering Aramaean. He went down into Egypt to find refuge there,
few in numbers; but there he became a nation, great, mighty, and strong. The
Egyptians ill-treated us, they gave us no peace and inflicted harsh slavery on
us. But we called on the Lord, the God of our fathers. The Lord heard our voice
and saw our misery, our toil and our oppression; and the Lord brought us out of
Egypt with mighty hand and outstretched arm, with great terror, and with signs
and wonders. He brought us here and gave us this land, a land where milk and
honey flow. Here then I bring the first-fruits of the produce of the soil that
you, the Lord, have given me.”
‘You
must then lay them before the Lord your God, and bow down in the sight of the
Lord your God.’
The Israelites were to realise
that everything they had was from God. He alone had brought them into the
Promised Land and they should show their gratitude. Likewise we should realise
that all we are and have comes from God. Furthermore his promises of life with
him are beyond anything we can even think of or imagine. Our first reaction
should be loving gratitude.
Psalm
Psalm
90:1-2,10-15
Be with me, O Lord, in my distress.
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most
High
and abides in the shade of the Almighty
says to the Lord: ‘My refuge,
my stronghold, my God in whom I trust!’
Be with me, O Lord, in my distress.
Upon you no evil shall fall,
no plague approach where you dwell.
For you has he commanded his angels,
to keep you in all your ways.
Be with me, O Lord, in my distress.
They shall bear you upon their hands
lest you strike your foot against a
stone.
On the lion and the viper you will tread
and trample the young lion and the
dragon.
Be with me, O Lord, in my distress.
His love he set on me, so I will rescue
him;
protect him for he knows my name.
When he calls I shall answer: ‘I am with
you,’
I will save him in distress and give him
glory.
Be with me, O Lord, in my distress.
____________________
Second reading
Romans
10:8-13
Scripture says: The word (that is
the faith we proclaim) is very near to you, it is on your lips and in your
heart. If your lips confess that Jesus is Lord and if you believe in your
heart that God raised him from the dead, then you will be saved. By believing
from the heart you are made righteous; by confessing with your lips you are
saved. When scripture says: those who believe in him will have no cause for
shame, it makes no distinction between Jew and Greek: all belong to the
same Lord who is rich enough, however many ask his help, for everyone who
calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
In the beginning was the Word and the
Word was with God and the Word was God. The Word became flesh in Jesus and he
lived and lives among us still. If Jesus really lives in us then our life will
proclaim this fact. To call on the name of Jesus is not simply to say his name
but to be dependent on him from our heart.
Gospel
Acclamation
Mt4:4
Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal
glory!
Man does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes from the
mouth of God.
Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal
glory!
____________________
Gospel
Luke
4:1-13
Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus left
the Jordan and was led by the Spirit through the wilderness, being tempted
there by the devil for forty days. During that time he ate nothing and at the
end he was hungry. Then the devil said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell
this stone to turn into a loaf.’ But Jesus replied, ‘Scripture says: Man does
not live on bread alone.’
Then
leading him to a height, the devil showed him in a moment of time all the
kingdoms of the world and said to him, ‘I will give you all this power and the
glory of these kingdoms, for it has been committed to me and I give it to
anyone I choose. Worship me, then, and it shall all be yours.’ But Jesus
answered him, ‘Scripture says:
You must worship the Lord your God,
and serve him alone.’
Then he led him to Jerusalem and made
him stand on the parapet of the Temple. ‘If you are the Son of God,’ he said to
him ‘throw yourself down from here, for scripture says:
He will put his angels in charge of you
to guard you,
and again:
They will hold you up on their hands
in case you hurt your foot against a
stone.’
But Jesus answered him, ‘It has been
said:
You must not put the Lord your God to
the test.’
Having exhausted all these ways of
tempting him, the devil left him, to return at the appointed time
The Sword of the Spirit
Satan
sneaked into the Garden and deceived Adam and Eve. We all came under his
influence. Satan infiltrated everywhere. Creation was in ruins. God could
destroy him with a word. However, he decided to enter the field as a human
being.
Jesus
is alone in the wilderness, a soft target for any satanic attack. He is a man
like us but filled with the Spirit. The Spirit leads Jesus into the arena.
Today we see the first skirmish. Satan fires his shots and Jesus rebuffs him. We
often imagine Satan coming to Jesus in some grotesque form but in whatever way
he came, they were real temptations.
‘Change
this stone into bread’ – use your divine power. Win people with material
benefits. Though food is necessary for life and let us see that everyone has
enough, food is by no means sufficient. We live by every Word that God speaks.
His Words are creative. To have life in
abundance we must make our home in his Word.
‘I
will give you all these. Just worship me’. Satan offers Jesus political power.
How many people have fallen for the empty promises of Satan and fallen indeed.
Jesus in no way succumbs. “You shall worship the Lord your God and him only
shall you serve”. Jesus refuses to be a political ruler. He wields the Sword of
the Spirit.
‘Throw
yourself down’ Do a mighty deed and force God’s hand to save you. The third
offer: the way of glamour and sensation. Let people see that you are from God.
Be a miracle worker. They will flock to you.
Earn acclaim and fame. You will be a celebrity and have a huge
following. “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”
Jesus
refuses to defeat Satan by divine power.
He has chosen the human way. Satan deceived humans. As a human being,
Jesus will overthrow Satan. Surrendered to the Spirit he will obey his Father.
Love for his Father brought him here and he will reveal God’s love for us. His
agenda is to live among us as the God of love made man. Although always God he
appears as an ordinary human being. Satan challenges him and will continue to
challenge him: trust in your God will bring you nothing but hardship and
opposition and how many will follow you? How long can you go on when everyone
abandons you and men torture and degrade you? Jesus says I will to the very
end. Satan will use everything in his armoury to make Jesus lose his love and
do his own thing. The stakes are high; he who wins takes us all.
Jesus
rebuffed Satan with the Word of God, the Sword of the Spirit. Are you on his
side? He defeated Satan by obedience to his Father. Does your love inspire you
to obey the Lord?
Father, may I walk behind Jesus in the war with Satan.
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