HOMILY LENT SUNDAY 1-C
Spe Salvi or Hope
(Dt 26:4-10; Psalm 91; Rm 10:8-13; Lk 4:1-13)
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The message from the readings this first Sunday of Lent is very clear: we are to put our faith in a loving relationship with God and say “no” to any temptations.
In the Gospel, we see Jesus, blessed by the Father at his baptism and filled with the Holy Spirit, was then almost driven by that same Spirit into the desert. It seems that according to the divine plan, Jesus had to go into the desert. The reason is that Jesus is the new Israel who, unlike his ancestors in the desert who were not faithful to God and fell for those exact same temptations, was able to face and reject those very same temptations.
In the desert, despite all that God had done for the Chosen people, freeing them from Egypt, giving them the Law on Mt. Sinai, nourishing them with water from a rock, and feeding them with manna in the mornings and quail in the evening, they were not content. No – they wanted to be like the other nations instead of trusting in God; they wanted wealth like other nations, land like other nations, and a king like other nations.
As the new Israel, Jesus was weak and vulnerable after 40 days. Actually, the number 40 signifies the length of time needed to complete a certain activity. In that sense, it means the fullness of time. Jesus was tempted to put his faith in possessions by changing rocks into bread. He used the scriptures, the Word of God, to resist that temptation. Next, he was tempted to put his trust in power and glory, the kingdoms of the world, if he worshipped Satan, and again Jesus uses scripture to resist that temptation. Finally, he is tempted to put his faith in prestige and fame, and again he uses scripture to resist that temptation. Finally, Satan left him, to return at a certain time, which we know would be the last temptation Jesus faced on the cross, to use his divine power in a selfish way to save himself, and again, Jesus resisted that temptation.
Every time Jesus faced a temptation, he relied on the Word of God to sustain him and give him the strength to resist that temptation. What a model he is for us as we face our own temptations.
The temptations that we face are no different today. We are tempted to put our trust and faith in wealth, and many people fall for that temptation every day. We are also tempted to put our faith in power and control, and many people, even in the church, fall all too often for that temptation. Finally, we are tempted to put our faith in prestige and fame, often gossiping about others and holding back affirmation that we could give to others, as a way of building ourselves up. We too, every day, face the same temptations that Jesus faced.
One could say that President Putin of Russia has fallen in spades for all three temptations of possessions, prestige and power. Regarding the temptation for Possessions, he is filthy rich and surrounded by billionaire oligarchs who support his regime. Regarding the temptation of Prestige, he longs to be the czar of a once lost empire again, and regarding the temptation to Power, what greater rush can there be but to ruthlessly destroy a nation indiscriminately using bombs and bullets regardless of the reaction of the world?
We can resist the temptation to trust possessions through generosity. We can resist the temptation to prestige and fame by blessing others, letting go of gossip. We can resist the temptation to put our faith in power and control by sharing authority and letting go of the need to control and manipulate others. Another way to describe these temptations is Appetite, Arrogance and Ambition. It is all of this that we have to let go of the experience the joy of the Lord.
In the first reading, God hears the prayer of his oppressed people in Egypt and delivers them from that oppression. They are then to offer the first fruits of their work to God, and celebrate that freedom with rejoicing and gladness. So it should be with us.
St. Paul in the second reading, affirms the same message. We are to believe in Jesus with all our hearts, and confess him by our words and actions, resisting these temptations, and the joy of the kingdom will be ours.
The late Oblate priest and poet, Fr. Aloyius Kedl, wrote a poem that, while written for his brother Oblates pondering the future of their Oblate Province, touches on the theme of trusting in God’s power rather than our own. The poem, entitled Spe Salvi or Hope, was written in 2008 and takes on even deeper meaning in the light of the present crisis in the Ukraine:
Burn brightly in the fading twilight scene,
As darkness deepens, ushers in the night!
Now day has died and all is out of sight.
We sit in silence, ponder what has been.
Burn brightly! Face a future unforeseen!
We seek the guidance of a higher Light;
We dare not count on power, wealth or might;
We are a beacon, more than just a dream!
Temptation’s question: Can we long survive?
It seems so hopeless! Can we meet the cost?
Where are the forces that could make us thrive?
Each one of us is called to hope, to strive;
The Lord Himself is with us; we’re not lost;
His Cross is wood to keep this flame alive!
Moses in the desert reminded the people of what God did and led them in offering a thanksgiving sacrifice. The Eucharist that we celebrate now is a memorial of what God has done for us, and our greatest prayer of thanksgiving
So: let us place our complete faith in a loving relationship with God and say “no” to all temptations, as Jesus did.
