Temptation

                  1st Sunday of Lent

                  A cycle

 

 

Ever since the Second Vatican Council the Church has employed a three year cycle of readings in the Liturgy. The cycles are simply labeled A, B, and C. In the A cycle the gospel readings are usually taken from the gospel of St. Matthew. The B cycle features the gospel of St. Mark, and the C cycle the gospel of St. Luke. However, the Church has always used the account of the Temptation of Christ in the desert for the first Sunday in Lent. 

 

Today's first reading is also about temptation. It is the story from the Book of Genesis about the temptation of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. In this ancient reading we get a clear picture of the nature of temptation. It is clear that in the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve had everything they could have desired. The trees were "delightful to look at and good for food." It reminds us so much of our own society where we live in the richest country in the history of the world, and enjoy the highest standard of living of any people on the face of the earth. Still, it is not enough and so many of us seek "the forbidden fruit."

 

We don't need serpents to tell us that anything we want to do is ok, that everything is permitted and that nothing can harm us. I just remember the headlines in the newspaper about the young drug addict accused of the cold-blooded murder of two innocent jewelry store owners. His mother was also a heroin addict. Isn't it possible to imagine the scene years ago when she--only a teen age girl--was tempted by some snake to experiment with drugs. Did the tempter say, "your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods." Certainly, there have been plenty of songs and films saying pretty much the same thing over the past years.

 

It's not for nothing that the Church contrasts the story of the temptation of the first man and woman with the temptation of Christ. Matthew begins his account by noting that Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days, "to be tempted by the devil." This episode follows almost immediately upon the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan where a voice from Heaven had proclaimed, "Thou art my beloved Son, in Thee I am well pleased." 

 

Matthew says that Jesus fasted for 40 days and then the devil appeared to Him and presented Him with three different temptations. Lucky for us that we are such small fry or such easy marks that the devil doesn't have to personally bother with us. Our temptations are not so dramatic. C.S. Lewis, one of the greatest Christian authors of the last century, wrote a book entitled "The Screwtape Letters" in which he described how a petty bureaucrat from Hell tried to tempt a young man with the mundane, ordinary temptations that we all experience in our lives.

 

Nevertheless, the Devil tempts Jesus in ways that we all can understand. Please note however that despite all attempts today to glamorize the Devil, our tradition has always believed that he is a liar. In fact, just like all tempters he cannot help but lie or otherwise distort the Truth. Even when he quotes Scripture, as he does here, he twists the meaning. Our Lord is the Truth, the Devil represents the complete absence of Truth. 

 

The first temptation deals with our basic human needs. Of course, it's not just about food and hunger. It's about all the things that we think that we must have to sustain our standard of living. Maybe we don't all want to be millionaires but we all know how the frantic search for the things of this world can destroy our basic human relationships. As our Lord said, "One does not live on bread alone."

 

In the second temptation the devil takes our Lord to the top of the Temple in Jerusalem looking down over the parapet 450 feet straight down to the Kidron valley and urges Him to "throw yourself down."  Maybe we don't think that it's serious when temptation stares us in the face, but sometimes when it does we are on the brink of the precipice with the rest of our life on the line. Our Lord's words should be a guide to us all. "You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test. 

 

The third temptation deals with the search for "power and glory." Lying again, the Devil claims that all the kingdoms in the world have been given to him and that he will give them to Jesus "if you will prostrate yourself and worship me."  Every day in the newspapers we read about some politician, CEO, athlete or entertainer who is in trouble with the law. Most of us are not such big shots but we know of the power struggles that go on in our own families, our schoolyards, our workplaces and even in our churches. 

 

At the Jordan John the Baptist said that he must diminish so that the Lord could increase. It is just the opposite with the search for "power and glory." Once again, our Lord quotes from the Book of  Deuteronomy; "The Lord, your God, shall you worship and Him alone shall you serve."  Of course, the best way to worship is available to us at Mass each and every day during Lent. Let's try to take a half hour out of our hectic schedules during the week to humble ourselves before the Lord. 

 

Our Lord's words show us the way to true happiness. But as St. Paul points out in today's second reading something has gone horribly wrong. We were created to live in a beautiful paradise but when sin entered the world, pain and sorrow and even death were the result. Lent gives us an opportunity to get back on track. It gives us an opportunity to examine our lives and see how far we have succumbed to the temptations that constantly face us. There is hope if we follow the example of Jesus, for through His sacrifice, "acquittal and life came to all."

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Reading 1. Genesis 2: 7-9; 3: 1-7

Reading II. Romans 5: 12-19

Gospel. Matthew 4: 1-11 (Temptation in the Desert) 

Wisdom

                  6th Sunday in Ordinary Time

                  A cycle

 

 

 

In today’s readings we literally pick up where we left off last week. In the gospel we don’t even skip a verse in Matthew’s fifth chapter, and in the second reading we just continue reading from St. Paul’s famous letter to the Corinthians. Even though our first reading is from the book of Sirach, it just continues in the same vein as last week’s reading from Isaiah. 

 

Sirach introduces us to the idea of choice. 

 

      If you trust in God, you too shall live;

      He has set before you fire and water;

      To whichever you choose, stretch forth your hand.

      Before man are life and death, good and evil,

      Whichever he chooses shall be given him.

 

How do we make the choice? On what basis do we choose? So often scripture talks about wisdom and regards it as greater than silver or gold. What is wisdom. All of us know that the smartest or most educated people are not always the wisest. It is just as easy for PhDs to mess up their lives and make bad decisions as everyone else. I can honestly say that my immigrant grandparents, who never even completed grade school, were among the wisest people I have ever known. 

 

It can be said that the ability to make decisions is the mark of a wise person. In politics, business, or even sports we admire the decision makers. How often do we hear announcers say that the quarterback made a good or bad decision right before he was about to be crushed by onrushing linebackers? 

 

Whatever our age we are all going to face life’s decisions. Teenagers will sweat over which college to attend, or which career to pursue. Their parents will have to decide what steps they will take or what sacrifices to make to pay the expected costs. Many people today are facing very tough career choices, especially if they have been forced to change careers. The elderly might have to decide whether to stay in the old house or downsize.

 

Everyone will say that the wisdom to make the right decision comes more from life experience than from book learning. In films and literature the wise are often portrayed as elderly to indicate years of life experience. We often speak of “wise, old owls.” Nevertheless, we know that it is possible for even the experienced to make bad decisions, especially when they are personally involved.

 

Most of us need a mentor, a trusted advisor or counselor who can help with our decisions, especially the big ones. In today’s gospel Matthew presents Jesus in the role of advisor. It might sound like he is just issuing commands or orders, but throughout this long reading Jesus is urging us to avoid basing our lives on rigid adherence to a set of rules and regulations but to consider the spirit of the commandments.

 

This is what he meant by urging his followers to exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees who were known for their strict adherence to the letter of the Law. However, Jesus calls them hypocrites because they often evade the spirit of the Law. When Jesus speaks to the Pharisees , he speaks to us.

 

We know that it is wrong to kill but anger is just as bad. We know that we must love God but how can we if we are not on speaking terms with our brother or sister. We know that it is wrong to defraud our neighbor but why wait until we’re caught to make amends. We know that adultery is wrong but why lead ourselves into temptation. The wise will avoid what used to be called temptation or occasions of sin. 

 

      If your right eye causes you to sin,

      Tear it out and throw it away…

      And if your right hand causes you to sin,

      Cut if off and throw it away.

 

Jesus uses divorce as just another example. He says that just because a man (and he is talking about men here, since women had no legal rights in those days) can find a legal way to get rid of his wife, does not mean that he can evade his responsibility. Just because of a legal technicality a man is not free to discard his wife for someone else. His wife is not a slave.

 

Perhaps nowhere in modern society do we face such difficult choices as in the area of love and marriage. Today so many people find it so difficult to make the commitment necessary to enter into marriage. Moreover, the choices become even more difficult when a marriage goes bad. Even on St. Valentine’s day we know that so many marriages that began with undying professions of love, will end in anger and bitterness.

 

Jesus calls divorce a sin because it hurts all those involved--husband, wife, children, parents etc. Nevertheless, the cure for the hurt is not to turn from God. So many Catholics believe that divorce has excommunicated them from the love of God. Yet, St. Paul, a true Pharisee and a persecutor of the church, told us that nothing can separate us from the love of God. 

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Reading 1 Sirach 15: 15-20

Reading II. 1 Corinthians 2: 6-10

Gospel. Matthew 5:17-37 (But I say to you).

Salt of the Earth

                  5th Sunday in Ordinary Time

                  A cycle

 

Reading 1 Isaiah 58: 7-10

Reading II. 1 Corinthians 2: 1-5

Gospel. Matthew 5:13-16 (salt of the earth).

 

 

We are all familiar with our Lord’s "Sermon on the Mount." In today's first reading the prophet Isaiah preaches a similar sermon:

 

      Thus says the Lord:

      Share your bread with the hungry,

      shelter the oppressed and the homeless,

      clothe the naked when you see them,

      and do not turn your back on your own.

 

Isaiah says that for those who behave in this way,

 

      your light shall break forth like the dawn,

      and your wound shall quickly be healed.

 

Our Lord says the same thing in today's gospel account from St. Matthew. Today we have the conclusion to the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus tells his followers that,

 

      your light must shine before others,

      that they may see your good deeds

      and glorify your heavenly Father.

 

But our Lord warns us that our light can flicker and grow dim. Using another metaphor He calls us the salt of the earth, but cautions that "if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned?"

 

In the next few weeks we are going to learn just what it takes to be a “light” to the world or the ‘salt” of the earth. From now to the beginning of Lent we are going to see that the Sermon on the Mount was not just words, words, words. We are going to see that the Beatitudes require hard work on our part. To put it another way, if we really want to be happy in this life as well as in the next, we will have to work very hard at it. 

 

Why should this be so difficult to understand? Just consider today’s Super Bowl. Is it possible that the two teams in the game got to the Super Bowl without hard work and sacrifice? We know that the best teams must have regimented work schedules. They must practice daily whether they like it or not. There is no way that a player or team can sit back and just hope to achieve success.

 

Some people admire Jesus because he was a great teacher. They like his sayings, the parables, and the words of wisdom found in lessons like the Sermon on the Mount. But they often fail to understand that Jesus came to suffer and die for us—to give up his life for us. Often they fail to understand that he called his disciples, including us, to a life of sacrifice and self-denial. Only if we die to self, will we find true happiness.

 

In today’s second reading St. Paul shows that he understood the message of the cross of Christ. He tells the Corinthians that “I did not come with sublimity of words or of wisdom.” Instead, he says,

 

I resolved to know nothing while I was with you

Except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

 

 

Seven hundred years before the birth of Jesus, the prophet Isaiah issued a call to action that is as relevant today as it was then.

 

If you remove from your midst

Oppression, false accusation and malicious speech;

If you bestow your bread on the hungry

And satisfy the afflicted;

Then light shall rise for you in the darkness,

And the gloom shall become for you like midday.

 

We are well into the New Year and many of us have already forgotten our resolutions. Maybe they were trivial anyway. In the year to come we might want to do some hard work if we want to get to our own Super Bowl. 

 

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Search for Happiness

                   4^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

                  A cycle

 

 

One of the problems that the Church faces today is that we have lost the meaning of words, which were once perfectly clear. For example, I think that "salvation" is one of these words. I would bet that most people don't think of salvation as a goal. However, if we were to discover that salvation means "happiness," then it's a different story. Who wouldn't want to be happy, especially if the happiness was forever or eternal?

 

How many best sellers today deal with the search for happiness? How many TV programs are devoted to the same subject? Yet today, despite our advanced technology, our great wealth, and our educational achievements, there is still so much unhappiness in our world. 

. 

Happiness is the subject of today's readings from Scripture. It has been said that there are three steps on the stairway to happiness. First, we have to recognize that we can't achieve it on our own. We are finite or imperfect. We just are not equipped with the ability or the tools to do it on our own. In today’s first reading the prophet Zephaniah proclaims that the road to happiness is not the one we would think to take. He indicates that those who seek riches, power, and fame will not be happy.

 

      Seek the Lord, all you humble of the earth,

      Who have observed his law;

      Seek justice, seek humility,…

 

In other words, when we seek happiness through money or power or fame or sex or recognition we are bound to fail. Just read the newspapers every day. I knew someone who hated her job so much that it was literally making her physically and psychologically ill. Yet, she couldn’t bring herself to leave it because even though she was financially secure, she thought she needed even more money. She was so unhappy!

 

In last week’s gospel St, Matthew gave his account of the calling of the first disciples. Even though the Evangelist named only Peter, Andrew, James and John, we must understand that we have also been called to be disciples. What does that mean? What does it involve? In all the gospel readings from now to Lent, we are going to get the answer to those questions.

 

In the gospel today Matthew brings us the famous Sermon on the Mount. Right before today's reading our Lord had gone up to a mountain to pray. Afterwards he had called his disciples to him. That's where we begin today. Jesus had already gained a reputation as a healer but now he begins to teach.  

 

He preaches the "Beatitudes."  Beatitude, blessed, bliss: all mean happiness. The second step to happiness is to be open to the truth when we hear it. Whenever Jesus speaks to his disciples, we can be sure that He is speaking to us. 

 

      Blessed (or Happy) are the poor in spirit…

      Blessed (or Happy) are they who mourn…

      Blessed (or Happy) are the meek…

      Blessed (or Happy) are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness…

      Blessed (or Happy) are the merciful…

      Blessed (or Happy) are the clean of heart…

      Blessed (or Happy) are the peacemakers… 

      Blessed (or Happy) are they who are persecuted…

      Blessed (or Happy) are you when they insult you…

 

Scholars tell us that poor in spirit does not mean gloomy. It refers to those conscious of their need of God’s help in striking contrast to the proud who are supremely confident of their own ability. The greatest of all virtues, Humility, is here contrasted with Pride, the greatest of all vices. The rest of the beatitudes deal with the same idea. The proud, the arrogant, the self-righteous, the impure, the warlike, the persecutors will not find happiness. 

 

The road to happiness is not the popular road. Once we're open to the Truth we can then take the third step and apply it in our own lives. The man who marries must give up his own ambitions and dreams, his own life, for his wife: and she must do so also. Parents give up their lives for their children. Who ever said that would be easy? Priests and religious give up their lives in the service of others. St. Paul says that single people even have a greater responsibility or opportunity for self-sacrificing love.

 

So, the road to happiness is open to ordinary people who just lead ordinary lives. In today’s second reading from St. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians he makes the same point.

 

“Consider your own calling, brothers and sisters,

Not many of you were wise by human standards,

Not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.”

 

“Rather God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise,

And God chose the weak of the world to to shame the strong,

And God chose the lowly and despised of the world,…

To reduce to nothing those who are something…”

 

At the very outset of his public life Jesus began to teach and his teaching was all about humility. It’s not that we need to grovel in the dirt, we just have to understand who we are to achieve happiness.

 

“Whoever boasts, should boast in the Lord.”

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Reading 1. Zephaniah 2:3; 3: 12-13

Reading II. I Corinthians 1: 26-31

Gospel. Matthew 5: 1-12a (Beatitudes)