February 17th 2013. FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT

Gospel: Luke 4:1-13

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Translated from a homily by Don Fabio Rosini, broadcast on Vatican Radio

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Don Fabio’s reflection follows the Gospel reading ...

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 Gospel of the Lord: Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ

This Gospel presents us with two visions of humanity, one presented by Satan and the other presented by Jesus. Lent is a journey away from an old way of being human, and towards a new way of being human. Satan’s model of humanity uses everything for the satisfaction of his own desires, tries to exercise dominion over everything, including relationships with others, and relentlessly pursues glory in the eyes of his peers. Jesus, by contrast, asserts that there is more to life than the satisfaction of desires. He refuses to bow before possessions, and asserts that the only thing he wishes to possess is his relationship with the Father. These two models of humanity are the ONLY two types possible. There is no middle ground between the new person proposed by Christ and the deceptive model of humanity proposed by Satan. This Lent we are asked to journey away from the deceptive vision of the human being and towards the new model of humanity held up by Jesus.

The Gospel presents us with two models of humanity – which will we choose?

With this Gospel we inaugurate the precious season of Lent, and begin preparing for Easter. The Gospel places before us two different models of humanity: one model comes from heaven, whilst the other is the model of humanity that Satan would have us adopt. Anthropologically speaking, no other types of humanity are possible. There is no middle ground between Christ and Satan. It is not possible to begin walking in the ways of the “new man”, whilst remaining entrapped in the nets and snares of the devil. This becomes more evident when we consider in detail the propositions of Satan and their rejection by Jesus. The propositions of Satan form the basis of a programme by which Satan would like to redesign humanity.

First temptation – to use everything in creation for the satisfaction of my desires

First of all, there is the suggestion that a person who is a child of God has the right to change the nature of created things in order to satisfy his own desires. He has the right to change the stones into bread. This kind of vision of humanity exalts the capacities of man to manipulate his environment for the good. And such manipulation of creation can lead to genuine development. But it can also become a process in which humanity focuses completely on an impoverished notion of “progress.”  Creation is manipulated in the service of illegitimate “rights” and “needs” of man. It is very tempting to be taken by this vision of a humanity that has power, the capacity to heal illness, to solve problems, and to transform everything to the advantage of humanity. But the impoverished nature of such a human being is revealed by Christ’s response to Satan, which we will consider later.

Second temptation – the desire to possess things in such a way that these things exist for me. This includes institutions like matrimony, which are expected to serve my needs

Satan’s second proposal for a vision of humanity is of a person who has dominion over all the kingdoms of earth. In his first proposal, Satan suggests that humanity has the right to use all things to one’s own advantage. Now he suggests that humanity should possess everything. Humanity should want, desire, seek, and pursue its own supremacy. Parents raise children nowadays with the attitude that they are the masters of everything. Children are taught to be possessive towards things. They are rarely encouraged to be charitable with what they have, or to have a spirit of detachment from those things. To some degree we ourselves have been raised in this way, and this is how the new generations are being raised, with the implicit assumption that everything, even relationships with others, must be at the service of our own egos. I am taught that objects and even other human beings are mine, and they exist as a function of my own being. Today this approach to things is being held up as if it were something virtuous. The human person with his exaggerated sense of autonomy is to have dominion over everything. Matrimony must be an institution that suits me, the workplace must be organised in a way that suits me. I must not be asked to renounce any of the things that I desire to possess and exercise dominion over.

Third temptation – affirmation and glory in the eyes of others

The third characteristic of the human being that Satan wishes to nurture is expressed in the Gospel of Luke in terms of the spectacle of throwing oneself down from the pinnacle of the Temple and being raised up by God’s angels. There is a desire in humanity for affirmation, for success in the eyes of others. Our children are socialised to assert themselves, to strive for extraordinary and notable things, to go to great lengths to make themselves beautiful.

Jesus’ response to the three temptations shows a model of humanity that is greater, nobler and stronger than the impoverished vision of humanity promoted by Satan

The three temptations then are the inclination to seek satisfaction from everything, the drive to possess everything, and the rush to be admired by everyone. These three tendencies are buried in us and can destroy our relationships, our workplaces and our lives. Lent is the journey away from this deceptive model of humanity towards a new way of being human. This “new man” is not some sort of inferior or underdeveloped version of humanity. The new human being, as revealed by Jesus, is much greater, stronger and nobler than the vision suggested by Satan.

Jesus points to a greater way of life than a life directed to the satisfaction of one’s needs

Jesus’ first response is, “Man does not live on bread alone.” Jesus is saying that what Satan has to offer is too little for him. All Satan offers is the satisfaction of one’s own needs, but there is much more to life than the constant satisfaction of myself. The fourth Chapter of John’s Gospel speaks of a bread that humanity has not known, which refers to the nutrition that comes from having a relationship with God. The Gospel of Matthew adds an extra phrase to the words recorded by Luke, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” To live on bread alone is too little for Jesus. Bread is a symbol of the one who provides me with sustenance. Jesus wants to live in relationship with this person and to be nurtured by his words. This is a far greater way of life than a life lived seeking satisfaction from the futile things of this world.

Jesus renounces worldly possessions so that he can possess a genuine relationship with God

In the second temptation, the attraction of possessing everything is held up as a goal. But in order to possess everything, I must bow down before something. I must turn those possessions into my one and only God. No one can possess anything if he does not pay the price. Jesus presents himself as the new Adam and says that there is only one person that he will bow before. He will not allow the illusory attraction of power and possessions to shatter his fundamental dignity. There is only one person who deserves to be worshipped by me. He is the one who loves me and who already possess everything. The possessions of this world have no lasting value whatsoever. As the Gospel of Matthew says, the treasures of this world are destroyed by rust and moth. But God is a treasure that cannot be lost. I must ask myself a basic question this Lent: Before what am I going to fall prostrate?  To what goal am I going to expend myself? To what will I devote myself? The only worthwhile possession that I must consume myself for is something that cannot be taken away from me; the possession of a relationship with God. When Jesus speaks of “worshipping” the Lord, he is speaking of the living out of an intimate relationship with God.

There is no need to pursue the vainglory of this world. If I follow the Lord he will bestow far greater joys on me

The final temptation concerns admiration and glory in the eyes of others. If I have a desperate need to be admired by others, then it is because I do not know myself. I am looking for affirmation from others. I am, as it were, seeking from others the right to exist. But there is no need to pursue my own glory in a way that creates antagonism with God. What is essential is that I enter into a proper relationship with God, and he will bestow on me far greater gifts than the vainglory that this world promises.

The model of the person that Jesus holds up to us is an impressive being.  It is a person who has a deep relationship with God, a person who is not a slave to his appetites, a person who is not a slave to the goods and possessions of this world, a person who knows how to follow God. This is the model of person that we must journey towards this Lent.