First Sunday of Lent
(A-cycle)  February 10, 2008

We need this Gospel; we who like Christ are tempted, sometimes besieged by temptations to be less than we are, certainly to be less than what God calls us to be. In the Old Testament, Satan is the name of the Great Accuser who catches us in the act and with great satisfaction reports our moral failures to God.

Think of the book of Job. In this work of fiction. Satan is portrayed as a member of the heavenly court. When God boasts of what a faithful servant Job is, Satan scoffs. Sure, he’s faithful now because everything is going his way. But take away what he has and see how faithful he remains. God permits Satan to test this theory, and Job loses everything. He is the most miserable of men. But Job, though he maintains his innocence, refuses to curse God. “The Lord gives; the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord,” is his mantra. Though Satan has caused him to lose his possessions, his loved ones and even his health, he cannot get to Job’s spirit. In the end, Satan fails.

 

In today’s Gospel he fails again. He is not all-powerful. Only God is. It’s important to remember that because sometimes we give the devil more than his due, more credit than he deserves. Just because he tempts us doesn’t mean we’re somehow tainted. That’s why we need this Gospel. Jesus was tempted; Jesus wasn’t tainted. He came through and was even more to be admired for that. We can be tempted to do all kinds of terrible, disgusting things, but if we resist through God’s grace, then we’re better for the experience.

 

The Devil’s trump card is discouragement. He wants us to feel like failures. He wants our attitude to be: if I can’t be perfect, then what’s the use? God has a higher trump card. It’s called unconditional love. Everybody talks about that, but God has a patent on it. St. Paul says, “God has loved us even in our sinfulness.” Do you really believe that? Or do you believe, “God only loves me when I’m good, but not when I’m bad.” The difference between Christ and ourselves is that we sometimes yield to temptation. We are defeated. We sin. Sure, we are sinners, but it’s important not to identify with our temptations and sins. We are more than that, better than that. “They may say a lot about ourselves, but they don’t tell the whole story.” St. John says, “Even though our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts.” 1 John 3:20. Especially in time of temptation and afterwards, we need to avoid attributing to God the reproach we direct at ourselves.” After we sin, we think of God as angry with us, as loathing us when it’s really self-loathing we are experiencing. Self-loathing is not a virtue, it is to be avoided. It is the work of the devil. God doesn’t loathe us, God loves us.

 

We need today’s Gospel because it is a story of victory when we might be tempted to defeatism and despair. Jesus was tested and won. And so can we. When we attach ourselves to Him, we can overcome any temptation the devil of discouragement plots for us. Temptation resisted, sin repented of---these are not marks against us. They are stepping stones on the way to heaven.

 

Quotes are from “Fully Human, Fully Divine: An Interactive Christology” by Michael Casey.