DOCTRINE AND FAITH(Deut 26,4-10; Romans 10, 8-13; Luke 4,1-13: First Sunday of Lent: Year C 2016)
We are thankful to God for giving us the privilege to begin the Lenten Season of this year, in order to prepare in faith for the celebration of the Paschal Mystery, that is the passion, the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. The paschal mystery constitutes the summit or the highest point of the liturgical year. The period of Lent is instituted to help us renew our spirit in preparation for this feast of feasts: Easter. The three readings of today give us good points to reflect upon and point out practical indications to follow in order that the grace of God, which is abundant in this Lenten season, will not be in vain in our regard.
First indication: God: the great benefactor of humanity (First Reading)
Every Passover the Jewish people of the Old Testament used to offer to God the first fruits of their harvest. This was a significant gesture by which they acknowledged that all they had, even the product of their fields, were gifts from God with whom they were in a covenant treaty. Besides, they wanted to show gratitude to God for all the favours which they were privileged to enjoy, especially his wonderful intervention by which he brought them out from their life situation of slavery in Egypt. The third reason for the offer of the first fruit was to show the necessity and the duty of the creature to prostrate before his creator, to adore him and acknowledge him as the Lord, unique, true God and supreme benefactor of humanity. This fundamental teaching and religious attitude of the spirit (exhibited by the Jewish people of OT) enjoins us believers of today to always acknowledge, and never to forget the favours we receive from God, be it on the natural or supernatural order. This will lead us to always show God our devotedness and recognition for all we have received from him, not so much the material gifts as the gifts of ourselves, our lives and works. If this attitude of prayerful recognition is normal in the life of a Christian, it should be lived in a more intense degree during this time of Lent.
Every Passover the Jewish people of the Old Testament used to offer to God the first fruits of their harvest. This was a significant gesture by which they acknowledged that all they had, even the product of their fields, were gifts from God with whom they were in a covenant treaty. Besides, they wanted to show gratitude to God for all the favours which they were privileged to enjoy, especially his wonderful intervention by which he brought them out from their life situation of slavery in Egypt. The third reason for the offer of the first fruit was to show the necessity and the duty of the creature to prostrate before his creator, to adore him and acknowledge him as the Lord, unique, true God and supreme benefactor of humanity. This fundamental teaching and religious attitude of the spirit (exhibited by the Jewish people of OT) enjoins us believers of today to always acknowledge, and never to forget the favours we receive from God, be it on the natural or supernatural order. This will lead us to always show God our devotedness and recognition for all we have received from him, not so much the material gifts as the gifts of ourselves, our lives and works. If this attitude of prayerful recognition is normal in the life of a Christian, it should be lived in a more intense degree during this time of Lent.
Second Indication: Faith in Christ-Salvation of Man (2nd Reading).
Discussing the salvation of man is to discuss Christ’s role in it. Paul declares that the fundamental truths to believe in order to be saved include the following: to believe that Jesus Christ is the Lord. This is to say, to believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ, in his sovereignty over all created things and in the salvation he achieved for all humanity. To be saved, we need also to believe that God raised Jesus Christ from the dead, which means, that Jesus is alive and influences events in the history of the world, in the lives of every individual and especially in his Church. But the faith Paul has in mind is not the profession of faith in Christ only with the lips; he means an attestation of faith that comes up from the depth of our hearts, that is followed with good deeds. Open and public profession of faith in order to show that we believe in Christ, without shying away from human respect, is always necessary and permitted. However, it is to be expected that such public profession in words should be anchored in the heart, mind, and will and be manifested in good works and life. Lent challenges and verifies the quality of our faith: Is it a faith shown only in words, that is evanescence and inconsistent or is it one that is concretized in works of love, to declare itself in front of people? Do we know how to be coherent in our faith in ordinary daily affairs, as well as in making important decisions of our life? What are the things that do not go well with the will of God in our comportment? Let us ask God for his graces for a strong faith in order to renew our lives this Lenten season.
Discussing the salvation of man is to discuss Christ’s role in it. Paul declares that the fundamental truths to believe in order to be saved include the following: to believe that Jesus Christ is the Lord. This is to say, to believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ, in his sovereignty over all created things and in the salvation he achieved for all humanity. To be saved, we need also to believe that God raised Jesus Christ from the dead, which means, that Jesus is alive and influences events in the history of the world, in the lives of every individual and especially in his Church. But the faith Paul has in mind is not the profession of faith in Christ only with the lips; he means an attestation of faith that comes up from the depth of our hearts, that is followed with good deeds. Open and public profession of faith in order to show that we believe in Christ, without shying away from human respect, is always necessary and permitted. However, it is to be expected that such public profession in words should be anchored in the heart, mind, and will and be manifested in good works and life. Lent challenges and verifies the quality of our faith: Is it a faith shown only in words, that is evanescence and inconsistent or is it one that is concretized in works of love, to declare itself in front of people? Do we know how to be coherent in our faith in ordinary daily affairs, as well as in making important decisions of our life? What are the things that do not go well with the will of God in our comportment? Let us ask God for his graces for a strong faith in order to renew our lives this Lenten season.
Third Indication: The temptation of Jesus is our temptation: It is not easy to adhere to Christ all through life and to be in perfect harmony with the will of God. This is because we are fragile, inclined to evil, and are subjects of temptation. Jesus Christ in so far as he was truly man, was tempted by the devil, as the gospel story of today narrates. This temptation took place during his forty days of fasting and prayer in the desert. He was further tempted during the rest of his life. In the desert the devil tempted Jesus on three issues. He was tempted to seek personal advantage on material satisfaction: Tell this stone to turn into a loaf. He was also tempted to be a powerful and triumphant Messiah: I will give you all this power and the glory of the kingdoms … Worship me and it will all be yours. He was tempted to seek success and personal prestige using spectacular means: If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here (from the pinnacle of the temple) … He will put his angels in charge of you to guard you. During his ministry and public life Jesus was tempted in other different ways. The most substantial of those temptations was the one not to follow the path which the Father has traced for the Messiah, that is the way of humility, suffering and apparent defeat.
We are also continually tempted to deviate from the path which God has indicated to us and pursued the mirage of possession of earthly wealth, or followed the desire to lord it over and dominate others, or carried away by ambition of prestige and success, and in our carrier pursuit have trampled others in order to arrive and remain on top. Other ways we are tempted are: to follow our instincts, selfishness, pride and presumption. As our weakness is so blatant, it should not be a surprise for us especially, when we reflect on the disorder we carry with us as a consequence of original sin. We are also to bear in mind that the devil is not an abstraction of the mind, but a reality, a personal being who wishes to drag us to himself, into the abyss of evil and destruction. Jesus, however, indicates to us the sure way not to succumb to devil’s insinuations. Underneath all the temptations of the devil was a distorted interpretation and application of the Sacred Scriptures. Jesus replied with precise and exact reference to the word of God, showing the expression of the will of God upon which he reposes all his confidence and to which he wishes to obey absolutely and fully. We have, thus, an indication that is very precise. We are, hereby, solicited to listen assiduously to the word of God and to feed ourselves daily with it, especially during this time of Lent in order to unmask the traps of the evil one and to realize our life according to the will of God. Happy Sunday! +John I. Okoye
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