LUKE 4:1-13
ON ASH WEDNESDAY I GAVE
OUT ASHES TO ABOUT 100 PEOPLE IN A NURSING HOME. SOME OF THEM HAD
ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE, AND I KNOW THEY WEREN'T EVEN AWARE THAT THEY
WERE RECEIVING ASHES. MANY OTHERS WERE OLD, FRAIL, VICTIMS OF
STROKES OR PARKINSON'S DISEASE; MANY WERE BEDRIDDEN, NOT EVEN ABLE TO
FEED THEMSELVES. AND I GAVE THEM ASHES, TELLING THEM TO REMEMBER
THAT THEY WERE DUST, AND UNTO DUST THEY WOULD RETURN.
TODAY'S GOSPEL SHOWS
JESUS FACING TEMPTATION. THE CHURCH PUTS THE STORY OF HIS TEMPTATION
ON THE FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT. THAT MEANS IT IS IMPORTANT, THAT WE
NEED TO PAY ATTENTION. THERE IS AN ESSENTIAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
TEMPTATION AND LENT. WHEN I WAS IN FOURTH GRADE, ONE OF MY
CLASSMATES, A GIRL NAMED SANDRA, WAS ASKED WHAT SHE WAS GIVING UP FOR
LENT. SHE REPLIED, “CANDY”. OUR TEACHER ASKED, “WHY ARE YOU
GIVING UP CANDY?” SANDRA REPLIED, “BECAUSE MY DENTIST TOLD ME
TO.” OUR TEACHER TOLD US THAT WE SHOULDN'T GIVE UP THINGS FOR
REASONS LIKE THAT; WE SHOULD GIVE THEM UP AS OFFERINGS TO GOD. BUT I
THINK SANDRA WAS ON TO SOMETHING. LENT, AFTER ALL, IS NOT FOR GOD,
WHO DOESN'T NEED ANYTHING. IT IS FOR US. AND IT IS ALL ABOUT
TEMPTATION.
WE THINK OF TEMPTATION IN
PLEURAL TERMS; TEMPTATIONS TO COMMIT SINS; TEMPTATIONS TO DO NOTHING
WHEN WE SHOULD DO SOMETHING; TEMPTATIONS TO DO JUST ENOUGH TO GET BY
INSTEAD OF DOING OUR BEST. WE HAVE TEMPTATIONS TO FEEL SORRY FOR
OURSELVES, TO WALLOW IN OUR ANGER, TO LOOK DOWN ON SOMEONE. WE ALL
HAVE THEM, EVEN WHEN WE NEVER GIVE IN TO THEM; BUT IF YOU ARE LIKE
ME, YOU PROBABLY GIVE IN TO THEM NOW AND THEN. OF COURSE, IF YOU ARE
LIKE JESUS, YOU DON'T.
AND YOU AND I ARE
SUPPOSED TO USE OUR LENTEN JOURNEY TO BECOME STRONGER IN RESISTING
TEMPTATION. JESUS DEMONSTRATES FOR US WHAT IS NECESSARY. HE HAS
JUST FINISHED A FORTY DAY FAST, DURING WHICH TIME IN ADDITION TO
FASTING, HE DID A LOT OF PRAYING. AFTER ALL, IT WAS IN THIS DESERT
EXPERIENCE THAT GOD REVEALED TO HIM WHAT HIS MINISTRY WOULD BE ALL
ABOUT. AND JESUS USES THE WORD OF GOD TO NIP TEMPTATION IN THE BUD.
“IT IS WRITTEN, ONE DOES NOT LIVE BY BREAD ALONE; IT IS WRITTEN,
YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND HIM ALONE SHALL YOU SERVE;
“IT ALSO SAYS, YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST.”
PRAYER AND FASTING TO
MAKE YOU STRONG, AND KNOWING THE WORD OF GOD TO GIVE YOU GUIDANCE.
THAT'S WHAT KEPT JESUS FROM GIVING IN TO TEMPTATION.
SO WHAT DO WE DO?
IT ISN'T IMPORTANT WHAT
WE DO. IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE DO SOMETHING, AND THAT WE DO IT EVERY
DAY. IN THIS YEAR OF THE FAITH, PERHAPS LEARNING MORE ABOUT A
PARTICULAR PART OF YOUR FAITH MIGHT BE USEFUL. WHY DOES THE CHURCH
TEACH THAT GOD IS A TRINITY? WHAT DOES THAT MEAN, AND MORE
IMPORTANTLY, WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO ME? OR PRAYER. MAYBE IT'S TIME TO
GET RE-ACQUAINTED WITH THAT ANCIENT PRAYER, THE ROSARY AGAIN.
FIFTEEN MINUTES A DAY? CAN YOU FIND TIME FOR THAT? TO MEDITATE
WITH MARY ON THE LIFE OF JESUS? IF YOU CAN'T YOU ARE WAY TOO BUSY.
MAYBE IT IS GIVING SOMETHING UP, SOMETHING THAT WE DO EVERY DAY,
SOMETHING THAT HAS BECOME SO MUCH A ROUTINE THAT WE CAN'T IMAGINE
BEING WITHOUT IT. IT'S ONLY FOR SIX WEEKS; AND IF YOU WANT TO BE A
STICKLER ABOUT IT, IT'S ONLY FOR A WEEK AT A TIME, BECAUSE SUNDAY
ISN'T LENT. IF YOU GIVE UP YOUR EVENING MARTINI, YOU CAN STILL HAVE
ONE ON SUNDAY. MAYBE IT'S GETTING TO MASS EVERY MORNING. THAT'S A
HALF-HOUR GIVE OR TAKE.
SO WE EXERCISE, WE BUILD
UP STRENGTH TO RESIST TEMPTATION. YOU AND I ARE GIVEN OUR HUMAN
NATURE AND WE KNOW THAT BEING HUMAN GETS US INTO TROUBLE MORE OFTEN
THEN NOT. SAINT JOSEMARIA ESCRIVA COMPARED OUR HUMANITY TO A DONKEY,
STUBBORN, WILLFUL, DIFFICULT TO WORK WITH; AND OUR TASK IS TO LEAD
THE DONKEY, NOT BE LED BY IT. THAT'S WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO DO DURING
LENT.
BUT WHY? WHY NOT JUST
INDULGE OURSELVES? WHY DO WE REALLY NEED TO EXERCISE OUR SPIRITUAL
MUSCLES? AFTER ALL, MOST OF US PROBABLY THINK WE ARE PRETTY GOOD THE
WAY WE ARE. I DOUBT THAT ANYONE IN THIS CHURCH REALLY BELIEVES THEY
ARE IN DANGER OF GOING TO HELL.
I THINK ABOUT THOSE
PEOPLE TO WHOM I ADMINISTERED ASHES. AND I THINK THERE IS ONLY ONE
TEMPTATION. THAT IS THE TEMPTATION THAT TELLS US WE ARE WORTHLESS,
THAT WE ARE JUST LUMPS OF MEAT LIVING OUT OUR DAYS. IT'S ON THE
SURFACE THERE IN THE NURSING HOME; AND I SUSPECT IT IS A CONSTANT
TEMPTATION TO MANY OF THOSE WHO STILL HAVE MENTAL FACULTIES, BUT CAN
REALLY DO NOTHING FOR THEMSELVES. BUT IT'S A TEMPTATION WE ALL HAVE.
IN FACT WHEN WE THINK ABOUT THE MORE COMMON FACES OF TEMPTATION –
MONEY, POWER, FAME, PLEASURE – DON'T THEY ALL START FROM THE IDEA
THAT ACQUIRING THEM MAKES US SPECIAL IN SOME WAY? THAT WE NEED THEM
TO BE COMPLETE – AND BY EXTENSION, THAT IF WE DON'T GET THEM, WE
ARE WORTHLESS, WE DON'T COUNT?
THAT'S THE VOICE OF
SATAN. THAT'S THE VOICE JESUS HEARD – IF YOU ARE WORTH ANYTHING,
YOU NEED TO HAVE POWER, ADMIRATION, STUFF. THAT'S ALWAYS WHAT
TEMPTATION IS ABOUT.
HENRI NOUWEN, THE GREAT
SPIRITUAL WRITER, SAID THIS: “ … THE
GREATEST TRAP IN OUR LIFE IS NOT SUCCESS, POPULARITY, OR POWER, BUT
SELF-REJECTION. SUCCESS, POPULARITY, AND POWER CAN INDEED PRESENT A
GREAT TEMPTATION, BUT THEIR SEDUCTIVE QUALITY OFTEN COMES FROM THE
WAY THEY ARE PART OF THE MUCH LARGER TEMPTATION TO SELF-REJECTION.
WHEN WE HAVE COME TO BELIEVE IN THE VOICES THAT CALL US WORTHLESS AND
UNLOVABLE, THEN SUCCESS, POPULARITY, AND POWER ARE EASILY PERCEIVED
AS ATTRACTIVE SOLUTIONS. [BUT} … AS SOON AS SOMEONE ACCUSES ME OR
CRITICIZES ME, AS SOON AS I AM REJECTED, LEFT ALONE, OR ABANDONED, I
FIND MYSELF THINKING, "WELL, THAT PROVES ONCE AGAIN THAT I AM A
NOBODY." ... I AM NO GOOD... I DESERVE TO BE PUSHED ASIDE,
FORGOTTEN, REJECTED, AND ABANDONED. SELF-REJECTION IS THE GREATEST
ENEMY OF THE SPIRITUAL LIFE BECAUSE IT CONTRADICTS THE SACRED VOICE
THAT CALLS US THE "BELOVED." BEING THE BELOVED CONSTITUTES
THE CORE TRUTH OF OUR EXISTENCE.” THAT'S THE SECRET JESUS KNEW IN
THE FACE OF TEMPTATION; HE HAD HEARD “THIS IS MY BELOVED” AT HIS
BAPTISM.
WHEN
I PASSED OUT ASHES TO THE PATIENTS IN THE NURSING HOME, AFTER I TOLD
THEM TO REMEMBER THAT THEY WERE DUST, AND WOULD RETURN TO DUST, I
FOUND MYSELF SAYING “GOD LOVES YOU” OR “GOD BLESS YOU.”
BECAUSE EVEN THE ONES WHO HAVE LOST THE USE OF THEIR BODIES OR THEIR
MINDS NEED TO BE REMINDED THAT WHILE WE MAY INDEED BE DESTINED TO
BECOME DUST; WE ARE STILL THE BELOVED SONS OR DAUGHTERS OF THE
FATHER.
SO
PLEASE TAKE LENT SERIOUSLY. DO SOMETHING EVERY DAY. AND YOU WILL
BEGIN TO HEAR YOURSELF BEING CALLED “BELOVED” BY THE FATHER. AND
THERE ISN'T ANYTHING BETTER THAN THAT.
