Choosing wisely (First Sunday of Lent. Cycle A)

Lucas Cranach the Elder, Adam and Eve (1527), oil on canvas, 
Pushkin Museum (Moscú).

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The Genesis story we just heard in the first reading; the story of the Fall is not about fruit. It is about the temptation we all have to act as though we do not need God[1]. This is also at the heart of the three temptations the Lord endured in today’s Gospel[2]. Jesus was hungry.The devil didn’t tempt him to pray to His Father to provide food.  He tempted him to turn the rocks into bread, and use the power His Father had given Him for himself.  We are all tempted to selfishness.  We are tempted to hoard for ourselves the gifts the Lord has provided. The second temptation the Lord endured (throw yourself from the parapet of the Temple and expect your Father to catch you) was a temptation to show superiority to the Father, a temptation to demand that the Father go into action. We do this when we demand something from God. Sometimes we say that we pray but God does not never hear our prayers. That is wrong. God hears our prayers. Sometimes, though, He says, “No.” There are times and incidents in all our lives when we must thank God for unanswered prayers. The temptation to force God into action is seen even among some well-meaning but ill-informed people who believe that certain prayers will always produce the desired results. God is God, and we are not God, or gods. That third temptation the Lord endured is the temptation we all have to accumulate possessions and power as though these gifts from God will make our lives happy. Jesus did not fall for this lie as He stood on that mountain top and viewed all the Kingdoms of the world, all His if only He worshiped the devil. Many people in the world worship evil if it increases their fortunes or their status in life.  They even call it the way of the world. Interesting expression. The Way of the World is the Way of the Devil.  Think about the dark places in our society, the places of drugs, the places of the sex industry, the places where the powerful plot to destroy the weak, plot to take advantage of those who cannot protect themselves. Those misusing their positions and their possessions happily choose evil; choose to worship the devil, so that they might increase their own wealth. So, at the beginning of the holy season of Lent we are summoned to take a serious look at the conduct of our lives. Are we committing the original sin of pushing God aside? Is He a low priority in our lives and therefore no priority at all?  Lent invites us to examine how we are using His Gifts.  Are we selfish?  Do we take advantage of others?  Or do we recognize our dependence on God and do whatever we can to serve His presence in others? The number 40 is used throughout the Bible whenever the world is going to experience a major change.  There were 40 days of rain in Noah’s time when God gave man a new start[3]. Moses went onto Mt. Sinai for 40 days and received God’s Law for the people[4]. Elijah traveled for 40 days to that same mountain, in his time called Horeb, and restored the worship of Yahweh[5]. And Jesus spent 40 days in the desert before beginning the proclamation of the Gospel. We spend 40 days of Lent, not just to complete some tasks, not just to give up things. We spend 40 days preparing to transform our lives so that we might be an Easter People, full of joy and peace. Are we ready to start? • AE

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[1] Cfr. Gn 2:7-9; 3:1-7.

[2] Cfr. Mt 4:1-11.

[3] Cfr. Gn 6:9-9:17.

[4] Cfr. Ex 34:28

[5] 1 Kings 19.