We are in the great season of Lent. Lent is an inward
journey. Lent helps us to peel-off shields that hinder us from becoming
Christ-like. During this journey, we will be able to discover that we need
God’s assistance. We are given an opportunity to discover our real-self through
fasting, penance and alms giving. In our usual journey of life, we might have
drifted from God but Lenten journey brings us back to God once again and all
over again.
I would like us to focus on two aspects of today’s liturgy.
Firstly, evil or ‘Satan’ is not exclusive but inclusive to individual existence
and secondly, self-discipline is the remedy for temptation.
Fr Michael Barrow SJ writes
that Satan is not something outside of human being that comes to tempt us. He
writes referring to Pope’s invitation to combat Satan of sexual abuse.
Sometimes we are inclined to think that evil comes outside of human being or in
other words evil is associated with Satan and Satan is someone outside of human
being. In the first reading, Moses addresses the people of Israel after the end
of their journey towards Promised Land. Although he was not going to be with
them in the Promised Land, he prepares them with instructions of staying close
to God just as they did while in the desert. Moses instructs the people to make
a creedal pronouncement. People of Israel had to pronounce individually before
the priest. This way Moses acknowledges that people might drift away from God
on their own accord. We are body and mind. The cause of evil is man himself.
Evil does not come from outside, but outside forces can instigate and encourage
evil. Our human psyche is capable of good but it is also capable of bad. Although
external forces might contribute towards bad but it has come from an
individual. We are carriers of good and bad. For instance an individual might
curse in anger; keep in mind that individual chose to curse when angry. He
could have chosen not to curse. We know that evil is within us. Point of
departure of evil is human being. Liturgy invites us not to blame someone else
for evil but look at oneself.
This takes us to our next aspect in focus; temptation is
from within hence we have to fight temptation from within. Human being comes
with full package with good and bad, temptation and self-discipline. We have
everything in us. Nothing can influence us unless we decide to be influenced. When
Jesus was tempted three times, namely, he was tempted in three districts ways,
namely, authority, submission and hunger. Jesus, as the Son of God had a
comprehensive picture as to how evil can infiltrate and destroy someone. Power,
submission and hunger might seem like external forces but something humans
covet for. If we touch our hearts now and sincerely see what is in the core of
our heart. What are we thinking now?
Most important thing is not temptation but how do we
overcome it? Temptation is inevitable to us. Often, we tend to concentrate on
temptation than to overcome it. For instance, if one is tempted to use curse
words, the person needs to find ways to self-discipline and self- control. Jesus’
self-control and self-discipline did not allow him to budge to the temptation.
In life, we as humans must have discipline which helps us self-control. We can
take horse to the water but cannot make it drink. Discipline has to come from
within. Although we are disciplined by external forces, it is important that
individuals accept to be disciplined. We are flesh and blood. We are raw
without discipline. We can easily be lured by temptation if we don’t have any
self-control. Through his temptation, Jesus warns and reminds us that when we
are weak we are tempted the most. In our weakness temptation pervades and drags
us to doom.
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