A minister parked his car in a no-parking zone in a large city because he was short of time and couldn't find a space with a meter. Then he put a note under the windshield wiper that read: "I have circled the block 10 times. If I don't park here, I'll miss my appointment. Forgive us our trespasses."
When he returned, he found a citation from a police officer along with this note "I've circled this block for 10 years. If I don't give you a ticket I'll lose my job. Lead us not into temptation."
Three temptations
1. Wealth
2. Name and fame
3. Power and glory
How can we overcome?
1. By prayer
2. By the word of God
3. Self -Realization
A father was approached by his small son who told him proudly, "I know what the Bible means!" His father smiled and replied , "What do you mean, you 'know' what the Bible means? " The son replied, "I do know!" "Okay," said his father. "So, Son, what does the Bible mean?" "That's easy, Daddy. It stands for 'Basic Information Before Leaving Earth.'"
Our Lives in Order" First Sunday in Lent
A priest and a rabbi were traveling on a plane. After a while the priest turned to the rabbi and asked, 'Is it still a requirement of your faith that you not eat pork?'
The rabbi responded, 'Yes, that is still one of our beliefs'. The priest then asked, 'Have you ever eaten pork?' To which the rabbi replied, 'Yes, on one occasion I did succumb and tasted pork.'
The priest nodded in understanding and went back to his reading. After a while the rabbi asked the priest, 'Father is it still a requirement of your faith that you remain celibate?'
The priest replied, 'Yes that is still very much a part of our faith.'
The rabbi then asked him, 'Father, have you ever fallen to the temptation of the flesh?'
The priest replied, 'Yes, rabbi, on one occasion I was weak and broke with my faith.'
The rabbi nodded understandingly for a moment and then said, 'A lot better than pork isn't it?'
4. By prayer
5. By the word of God
6. Self -Realization
I heard a rather amusing news clip on national public radio months back. The news clip talked about appropriate ways of addressing a dog. For example, the newsreader suggested that a dog should not be called a dog but rather an American canine. She also suggested a dog cannot be called a pet, but rather, an American canine companion. Moreover, if you happen to own a dog, you cannot call yourself a dog owner, but rather, a guardian. I admit that a dog is a very noble animal. However, history is the witness to situations when dogs were and are treated like human beings and human beings were and are treated like animals. Without offence to animal lovers, I believe that something is wrong with that picture. I have used this example of the dog to really try and comprehend St. Augustine’s understanding of the human person. His ideas will help us understand today’s readings better. For Augustine, the human person is created in the image of God. For Augustine, image of God did not mean the persons’ external appearance, but rather, his/her rationality. As rational beings, made in the image and likeness of God, human beings are to value and desire things in a certain ascending order: at the lowest rung are inanimate objects, then animals, then human beings, then angels and above all of these is God. Destroying this order leads to the destruction of the image of God in which a human person is created.
In many ways, this is what God is saying to us in the first reading. Moses instructs the people of the manner in which they are to celebrate the “Feast of the first fruits.” The Israelites are to remember their suffering in Egypt, God’s intervention on their behalf, and then offer the first fruits of the harvest to God. The first fruits, the best is to go to God. And why? Because human beings are to value and desire things in a certain order. They cannot eat the first fruit because that would mean they have changed the order and loved themselves more than God. They cannot feed the first fruits to the animals because then they would have changed the order and loved animals more than God and themselves. Changing of the order in which a human being loves things can have debilitating spiritual and psychological effects. A human person loses the image of God.
Considered in this way, the gospel reading makes so much sense. Jesus is the Son of God. He knows the order in which to desire and value things. However, Satan’s tempts Jesus to change the order in which Jesus values and desires things. As Jesus spend the forty days in prayer and fasting, in his weakest moment Satan tempts Jesus to change a stone into bread. If Jesus gave in it would mean that he would have loved an inanimate thing more than God. And so Jesus says, “One does not live on bread alone.” Satan tries harder. He shows the entire creation to Jesus and says that it would his if he worshipped the devil. Once again, Jesus does not give in. If he did he would have loved the creature above the Creator. So he says, “You shall worship the Lord, your God, and him alone shall you serve.” Satan offers Jesus the greatest temptation – to love himself above God. “Throw yourself down”, he says, “for God’s angels will protect you.” If Jesus did give in, it would mean that he would be testing God, and putting himself above God.” The reading says, “The devil departed for him for the time,” only to return at the Garden of Gethsemane. But Jesus says, ‘Father YOUR will be done, not mine.” The devil returned again at the crucifixion. He said, “If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” And Jesus said, “Father in YOUR hand I commend my spirit.” If Jesus has given into any one of temptations, he would have changed the order in which to value and desire things. And that would be the end of our salvation.
Let me offer three practical implications for today
1. Today’s readings make us look at the various ‘isms’ in a new light. Materialism and consumerism are human desires out of order. Things become more important than God and people, especially, the poor. Individualism is human desire that loves the self more than God and others. Atheism is human desire throwing God out of the order. One simple example of is what some of my children tell me class; that they could not go to Church because dad said that he was too busy. When is it that human beings work so much that they do not even have time to worship God one hour on a Sunday? Is that a question of being busy or has the person got their order in which to desire things mixed up?
2. Living our lives in the order that God wants us to live is not merely about rejecting evil things like lies, gossip, hatred, grudge, jealous feelings, marital infidelity, pornography, covetousness, selfishness, greed, etc. All these things indicate the destruction of the order in which God wants us to desire and value things. But if we follow Jesus’ example, we have to replace them with things that are holy. Jesus confronted Satan with the Scriptures. Jesus was able to resist Satan’s temptations because he had replaced his human capacity to sin with godly things. This Lent, don't just give up things but also give in. Give up sin and give into virtue. For example, this Lent I have decided to replace the resentment I have against some people and replace it with prayer on their behalf.
3. For the longest time, Augustine lived a life where the order in which he loved and desired things was all messed up. He sought peace in everything but God, and found it in nothing but God. When he did get things right he would say, “Our hearts are restless O God, until they rest in thee.” This is because, unless the heart of a human person loves God above all things, he/she can never be in peace. Lent is here and I wonder if you have thought how you are going to make this lent meaningful. I hope we don’t caught up in childish things, like giving up chocolates and coffee and carbohydrates or ice cream. Moses asks his people of offer the first fruits. Jesus teaches the right order win which to values and desire things. And I hope we will really focus on ordering our lives.
Christ, whom we worship in this Eucharist, gave up his life in order to keep his life in God’s order. Love of his Father, love for each of us, the need to save us, made him break his body and pour out his blood. This Eucharist is the celebration of our victory because of Christ. May we follow his example in our lives! Amen.
