First Sunday of Lent, Cycle A

MATTHEW 4:1-11
IN THE FIRST READING, WE HEAR ABOUT THE TEMPTATION OF ADAM AND EVE. WE ALL KNOW HOW THAT CAME OUT. THEY COULDN'T RESIST. BUT THERE IS ANOTHER PART OF THAT STORY WHICH YOU MAY NOT HAVE HEARD. AFTER EVE ATE THE FRUIT, GOD TOLD HER SHE WOULD HAVE TO LEAVE PARADISE. AS SHE WALKED AWAY, ADAM LOOKED AROUND – THERE WAS A GORILLA OVER THERE, A GIRAFFE OVER THERE … AND FINALLY HE PICKED UP THE FRUIT AND TOOK A BITE HIMSELF. GOD TOLD HIM HE WOULD HAVE TO LEAVE AS WELL. AS ADAM WAS LEAVING THE GARDEN, HE ASKED GOD, “WHY DID YOU MAKE HER SO BEAUTIFUL? HERE I AM, GIVING UP PARADISE TO BE WITH HER.” GOD ANSWERED, “I HAD TO MAKE HER BEAUTIFUL SO THAT YOU WOULD FALL IN LOVE WITH HER.” ADAM WALKED ON. THEN HE ASKED, “GOD, JUST ONE MORE QUESTION. “ WHY DID YOU MAKE HER SO STUPID? SHE GAVE UP PARADISE JUST TO TASTE A PIECE OF FRUIT!” AND GOD ANSWERED, “WELL, SHE HAD TO FALL IN LOVE WITH YOU, YOU KNOW.”
IN THE GOSPEL STORY, JESUS IS LED BY THE SPIRIT INTO THE DESERT, WHERE HE WILL FAST AND BE TEMPTED. IN THE VERSION IN MARK, IT SAYS THAT THE SPIRIT DROVE HIM INTO THE DESERT – MUCH MORE FORCEFUL. BUT WHY? I THINK THIS MOMENT IS SUPREMELY IMPORTANT IN OUR UNDERSTANDING OF JESUS. THIS IS THE MOMENT WHEN HE CHOSE – YES, CHOSE – TO UNDERTAKE THE MISSION GOD HAD GIVEN HIM. SOMETIMES WE THINK THAT THE SON OF GOD CAME DOWN FROM HEAVEN AND SORT OF WALKED THROUGH THIRTY THREE YEARS OF A LIFETIME THAT COULD NOT HAVE GONE ANY OTHER WAY. IT WAS ALMOST LIKE HE WAS ACTING ON A STAGE, EVERY STEP, EVERY WORD, EVERY GESTURE, PLOTTED IN ADVANCE. BUT THAT COULD NOT BE THE CASE. JESUS WAS FULLY HUMAN, AND WE HUMANS CAN CHOOSE NOT TO OBEY GOD ANY TIME WE WANT. SOMETIMES OUR DISOBEDIENCE MAY NOT SEEM TO HAVE GREAT CONSEQUENCES – FAILURE TO DO SOMETHING OFTEN SEEMS MUCH LESS SERIOUS THAN ACTUALLY DOING SOMETHING THAT GOD FORBIDS. SO I SUSPECT JESUS COULD HAVE CHOSEN OTHERWISE – HE EVEN HINTED AT IT WHEN HE WAS IN THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE WHEN HE PRAYED, “NOT MY WILL, BUT THY WILL BE DONE”. THAT SOUNDS TO ME LIKE IN HIS HUMAN NATURE HE MAY HAVE WANTED SOMETHING DIFFERENT THAN THE HORRIBLE DEATH HE KNEW AWAITED HIM. HE WOULDN'T BE HUMAN OTHERWISE.
AND HERE, JESUS HAS CHOSEN TO BEGIN HIS MINISTRY. AND THE FATHER SAYS, IN EFFECT, “NOT SO FAST, SON! HAVE YOU THOUGHT THIS THROUGH? WHY ARE YOU CHOOSING TO DO THIS? IS IT BECAUSE YOU WANT TO EXERCISE YOUR DIVINE POWER? IS IT BECAUSE YOU WANT TO BE FAMOUS? IS IT BECAUSE YOU WANT TO BRING ABOUT MY KINGDOM, BUT IN YOUR OWN WAY? WHY DO YOU WANT TO ENTER THIS MINISTRY THAT I HAVE PUT BEFORE YOU?” AND THAT IS THE REASON FOR THE FORTY DAYS IN THE DESERT – BEFORE STARTING OUT ON THIS TASK, IT WAS VITALLY IMPORTANT THAT JESUS BEGIN HIS MINISTRY FOR THE RIGHT REASONS, BECAUSE ONLY THEN CAN IT BE SUCCESSFUL. IF IT IS UNDERTAKEN TO DO GOD'S WILL, THEN IT WILL FLY – EVENTUALLY. IF IT IS UNDERTAKEN FOR ANY OTHER REASON, EVEN THOUGH IT IS THE SAME MINISTRY, IT WILL FAIL.
EVERY YEAR THE CHURCH TELLS HER CHILDREN TO GO OUT IN THE DESERT, NOT JUST FOR A DAY OR TWO, BUT FOR FORTY DAYS. FORTY DAYS IN WHICH WE WILL UNDERTAKE SOMETHING THAT WILL CONSTANTLY REMIND US THAT WE ARE IN THE DESERT – GIVING UP THAT TIME IN THE EVENING WHEN WE WATCH TELEVISION, AND CHOOSING TO READ A SPIRITUAL BOOK INSTEAD. MAKING IT A POINT TO GET TO MASS ON A WEEKDAY, OR THE STATIONS OF THE CROSS ON FRIDAY EVENINGS. ATTENDING FATHER RIANDEAU'S PRESENTATIONS – BUT SOMETHING THAT WILL SHAKE US UP, MOVE US OUT OF OUR RUTS.
AND THE PURPOSE OF THIS LENT IS THE SAME PURPOSE FOR WHICH THE SPIRIT LED JESUS INTO THE DESERT. ARE WE WILLING TO UNDERTAKE THE MISSION GOD HAS GIVEN US, AND UNDER HIS OWN TERMS? BECAUSE BEING A CHRISTIAN IS NOT JUST A MATTER OF BEING A NICE PERSON. SAINT JEROME AND SAINT PIO WERE PROBABLY NOT NICE PERSONS AS WE UNDERSTAND THEM. SAINT JEROME HAD A GIFT FOR SARCASM. AND SAINT PIO WAS KNOWN TO LEAVE THE CONFESSIONAL AND CONFRONT THE PENITENT WHO WAS NOT TELLING HIM THE TRUTH, SOMETIMES IN A RAGE. BEING A CHRISTIAN IS NOT JUST A MATTER OF HAVING BEEN BAPTIZED AND RAISED IN A CHRISTIAN CHURCH, OR BELIEVING CERTAIN SPIRITUAL TRUTHS. SATAN, AFTER ALL, BELIEVES THAT JESUS IS THE SON OF GOD AND THAT HE IS PRESENT IN HIS HUMANITY AND DIVINITY IN THE HOLY EUCHARIST. YOU CAN'T BE A CHRISTIAN AND COAST ALONG FROM DAY TO DAY AND YEAR TO YEAR, EVEN IF YOU ARE IN CHURCH EVERY SUNDAY, EVEN IF YOU NEVER DO ANYTHING PARTICULARLY SINFUL, EVEN IF YOU HAVE NO PROBLEM BELIEVING WHAT SCRIPTURE AND THE CHURCH TEACHES. BEING A CHRISTIAN REQUIRES THAT WE CONSTANTLY ASK THE SAME QUESTION THAT JESUS MUST HAVE ASKED HIMSELF: AM I DOING THIS FOR THE RIGHT REASON?
WHY ARE YOU A LAWYER? YOU CAN BE A LAWYER WITH THE INTENTION OF SERVING GOD THROUGH YOUR PROFESSION – OR YOU CAN HAVE OTHER REASONS FOR PRACTICING LAW. WHICH ARE YOUR REASONS? IF YOU ARE A HOMEMAKER RAISING CHILDREN, YOU CAN BE DOING THIS WITH THE INTENTION OF SERVING GOD, OR PERHAPS BECAUSE YOU LOVE YOUR CHILDREN AND AND WANT THE BEST FOR THEM. BUT EVEN THOUGH THE SECOND REASON SOUNDS GOOD, GOD STILL HAS TO COME FIRST.
IF WE ARE TO BECOME SAINTS, WE HAVE TO CONSTANTLY PURIFY OUR INTENTIONS; WE HAVE TO EXAMINE WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO, AND WORK TO ELIMINATE THOSE REASONS WHICH SERVE OURSELVES, OR EVEN SERVE OTHERS. OUR GOAL IS TO DO EVERYTHING FOR GOD, FOR THE HONOR AND GLORY OF GOD. AND THIS PROCESS CANNOT BE ACCOMPLISHED WITHOUT PRAYER AND SACRIFICE, WITHOUT EFFORT. EVEN JESUS, THE SON OF GOD, HAD TO GO OUT INTO THE DESERT AND PRAY AND FAST AND BE TEMPTED, SO THAT WHEN HE CAME BACK TO CIVILIZATION, HE COULD UNDERTAKE HIS MISSION WITH THE PUREST OF INTENTIONS – AS HE SAID ONE TIME, “MY FOOD AND DRINK IS TO DO THE WILL OF MY FATHER.” AND ONCE WE PURIFY OUR OWN INTENTIONS, SO THAT EVERYTHING WE UNDERTAKE IS FOR THE SAKE OF GOD'S KINGDOM, WE WILL DISCOVER A CERTAIN CLARITY. WE MAY BE DOING THE SAME THINGS WE DID YESTERDAY – BUT WE WILL SEE THAT IN THE COURSE OF OUR DAY, THERE ARE TIMES WHEN WHAT WE INTEND TO DO IS JUST NOT THE WAY GOD WANTS THINGS. THAT'S THE HOLY SPIRIT. AND GRADUALLY WE WILL BECOME THE PERSON JESUS WANTS US TO BE – NOT A DIFFERENT PERSON, BUT A PERSON WHO LIVES TO DO GOD'S WILL. AND THAT IS THE DEFINITION OF A SAINT.
SO LET US PRAY THIS FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT THAT WE WILL BE GIVEN THE GRACE TO PURIFY OUR OWN INTENTIONS, SO THAT EVERYTHING WE DO – THE FUN THINGS, THE LOVING THINGS, THE DIFFICULT THINGS – EVERYTHING WE DO IS FOR THE SAKE OF THE FATHER.