Temptation in the Desert

                      1st Sunday of Lent

                      

 

 

The Temptation of Jesus in the Desert has traditionally been used as the gospel for the first Sunday in Lent. Nevertheless, it might seem odd that today’s first reading from the Book of Genesis is about Noah and the Flood. What does Noah have to do with the Temptation of Jesus in the desert by Satan? 

 

St. Peter provides the answer in today’s second reading. He says that the Flood prefigures or relates to Baptism. Just as the Ark saved Noah and his small family, St. Peter reminds the Christian community that Baptism saves us now. Moreover, he says that the cleansing waters of Baptism are not a “mere removal of dirt from the body but an appeal to God for a clear conscience.” The cleansing of our hearts and souls is also associated with the season of Lent. It is the real reason for Lent.

 

In today’s gospel, St. Mark only has the following to say about the Temptation.

 

The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert,

And he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan. 

 

In Mark’s gospel the forty days in the desert followed immediately after the Baptism of Jesus when the Spirit descended upon him at the river Jordan. Following his own Baptism, Jesus sees the need to prepare for his mission with prayer and fasting. It will not be easy and he will have to struggle against temptation.

 

Mark’s gospel does not go into detail about the kinds of temptation faced by Jesus. For that, we have to turn to the account in the gospel of Matthew who says that the devil presented Jesus 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 tempted Jesus in ways that we all can understand. Please note 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, 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 Jesus said, "One does not live on bread alone."

 

In the second temptation the devil takes Jesus 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. The words of Jesus should be a guide to us all. "You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.” He is saying that we should not ask God to intervene to help us when we could do it ourselves.

 

The third temptation deals with the search for "power and glory." Lying again, the Devil claimed that all the kingdoms in the world had 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, Jesus quoted 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. 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. In Saint Peter’s letter we read,

 

Christ suffered for sins once,

The righteous for the sake of the unrighteous,

That he might lead you to God.

 

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Reading 1. Genesis 9: 8-15

Reading II. 1 Peter 3: 18-22

Gospel. Mark 1: 12-15 (Temptation in the Desert) 

Jesus Heals the Leper

                            6th Sunday in Ordinary Time

                           

 

 

Leprosy was one of the most dreaded diseases of the ancient world. In the Gospels we have a clear picture of the lepers on the roads Palestine, who would hold out their dreadful fingerless hands to awaken the pity of those who passed by, but who would only succeed in terrifying them by the horrible "lion's mask" that the disease sets upon the sufferer's face. 

 

There was no cure for leprosy. The only remedy was to cast the leper out from society. The leper was to go bareheaded, wearing special clothes; he was to live far away from towns and villages, and whenever he came near a healthy person he was to call out in a loud voice, "unclean, unclean." It is no wonder that the disease was considered a spiritual as well as a physical malady.

 

Today’s first reading contains instructions from the Book of Leviticus on how to deal with lepers. The gospel follows up with the account of the cure of the leper from the first chapter of St. Mark’s gospel. Incredibly, this leper actually approaches Jesus and kneels down before him and begs, “If you wish, you can make me clean.”

 

Hearing this gospel, it is natural for us to wonder about who are today’s lepers. Who are today’s outcasts? Any number of different types of people will come to mind but maybe we should consider the question from another point of view. No sane person today would think that a dreaded disease like leprosy was the result of someone’s sins. However, there can be a kind of spiritual leprosy.

 

Whenever we read the gospels, we should always try to put ourselves in the picture. It’s a kind of unofficial sign of the divine inspiration of the gospels that we can usually see that they apply to us and not only to people who lived 2000 years ago. Today, instead of wondering who are the lepers in our society, it might be better to consider that we ourselves are lepers.

 

While our bodies show no sign of the dreaded disease, our souls could be disfigured. Just because our society no longer believes in the seven deadly sins, it does not mean that they have gone away or that their ugly sores do not disfigure our souls. Pride, anger, lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, and envy have not disappeared from our world. 

 

All we have to do is read the newspapers or watch TV to realize that these things are still among us at every level. Lust is so common that there is no point in even discussing it. Anyone watching Judge Judy knows that anger is all around us. Even children are not immune. When children want everything their friends have, that is envy and it disfigures their souls more than the worst case of acne. Sloth is spiritual laziness and it attracts us even at a young age. It leads all of us to avoid difficult tasks and shirk difficult assignments. 

 

Despite what some say, you don’t have to be rich to be greedy. Sure, the rich and famous build huge mega-mansions for themselves, but just watch ordinary people searching for homes on the Home network if you want to see greed. On one recent episode, a woman wouldn’t even consider a home unless it had granite countertops. Maybe, her attitude also showed the beginnings of pride. She had led a good life and had reached a modest level of success and now felt that she deserved her reward.

 

Pride is the worst of the sins since it can infect us even after we have managed to avoid or overcome the others. Seniors should be especially concerned since they are often prone to think they know it all. 

 

The whole point of today’s gospel is that we all need to be made clean, and fortunately Jesus has shown us the way. “I do will it. Be made clean.” Interestingly enough, after he had cured the leper, he told him to present himself to the priest and follow the rules prescribed in the Law of Moses. Jesus was telling him that he was now free to re-enter the community. He was no longer a spiritual outcast.

 

Today we live in the wealthiest society on the face of the earth. Even our poor have a standard of living that would be the envy of others living in other parts of the world. And yet there are disturbing signs. Who can deny that there is so much unhappiness in our country today? Millions of people are taking anti-depressant medication. Newspapers routinely carry stories about the increasing use of anti-depressant drugs and pain-killers among teenagers. 

 

Could it be that our unhappiness is related to the constant attacks on religion and morality today that are aimed at destroying the spiritual immune system that once protected us from sin and its consequences. Why do so many people feel like spiritual lepers, unloved and unwanted? Is it because self-indulgence has replaced self-sacrifice?

 

In today's second reading, St. Paul advises us to practice the virtues that are the opposite of the seven deadly sins. Humility, for example, is the great antidote to pride. No matter what we do we should do everything not for ourselves but for the benefit of others. 

 

The words that Jesus spoke to the leper were also spoken to us:

 

“I do will it. Be made clean.”

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Reading 1. Leviticus 13: 1-2, 44-46

Reading II. 1 Corinthians 10: 31—11: 1

Gospel. Mark 1: 40-45 (Be made clean)

Jesus Heals the Sick

                       5th Sunday in Ordinary Time

                      

 

 

Today’s first reading is from the Book of Job. Everyone has heard of Job. He is not a prophet or priest but an ordinary man who has lost everything: wife, family, and possessions. He is at the end of his rope. He says,

 

"I have been assigned months of misery, and troubled nights have been allotted to me. … My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle; they come to an end without hope. … I shall not see happiness again."

 

Anyone familiar with the story knows that Job’s suffering was not his own fault. It was not punishment for any sins or wrongdoing on his part. He was a genuinely good man. His story brings to mind a popular book of a few years ago entitled, “Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?” 

 

Job’s pain and suffering should remind us of the pain and suffering we all experience in our lives. Even before the pandemic, no one ever went through life without pain and suffering of one kind or another. What can we do about it?

 

Although Job never blamed God for his plight, many people from Job’s time to ours have blamed God for their pain and suffering. Today, it can still cause people to question or even lose their faith. They say, “how could God have allowed this tragedy to happen to me or my family?”

 

In today’s Gospel we see the reaction of Jesus to pain and suffering. He doesn’t wonder where it comes from or what causes it, he just heals. He is not just a teacher and a preacher, but mainly a healer.

 

In today’s gospel we are told that at the outset of his mission, “He cured many who were sick with various diseases, and he drove out many demons…” He even cured Simon Peter’s mother-in-law of a fever. 

 

Although there is no way of knowing, I suspect, given the fact that Peter’s wife is never mentioned in the gospels, that he was a widower, and that his wife’s mother continued to care for him after the death of her daughter.

 

I also suspect that Peter cared for his mother-in-law after the death of his wife. Despite mother-in-law jokes, this would not have been unusual in those days. In this respect the two remind me of many people I have known who are caregivers. 

 

I see men and women devoting themselves to the daily care of their children. I see husbands and wives still taking care of each other after many years of marriage. I see parents, often single, caring for special needs children despite having to work at the same time. I see an elderly single woman driving an even older gentleman to church every day. 

 

These people are not official caregivers like doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals but they do the work each and every day. I think they often do not even recognize that they are following the directions of the Lord to be good stewards. They just do it.

 

Jesus was in familiar surroundings when he began his public ministry. It was then that he made that very perceptive statement that a prophet is without honor in his own country. I believe that his words apply to ordinary people, and not just prophets.

 

How often do the caregivers among us go unrecognized or unappreciated by those closest to us? The job of a mother and father can be a very thankless one. Why is it so hard for children to see what their parents are doing for them? Why do they often make their lives more difficult, especially when it would be so easy to lend a hand?

 

The best marriages are those where the couple literally care for each other. It’s not just romance. They each share the burdens of marriage and work together to lift the load. 

 

Even senior citizens, who often require so much care and attention, can try to be less demanding on those who now must care for them. They should be especially considerate of the needs of their grown children who are busy with their own families.

 

In today’s second reading St. Paul refers to himself as a steward, that is, someone who does the work of his master even when the master is away. Throughout the gospels Jesus praises good stewards and condemns bad ones. 

 

In our own little way, we are all called to be good stewards of those who have been entrusted to our care. Maybe, we can’t work miracles, but a life devoted to the care of others is a kind of miracle in itself.

 

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Reading 1. Job 7: 1-4, 6-7

Reading II. I Corinthians 9: 16-19, 22-23

Gospel. Mark 1: 29-39 (he drove out many demons).

Teaching with Authority

                       4th Sunday in Ordinary Time

                     

 

In today’s first reading from the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses tells the people that the Lord will one day bring them a Messiah, a new Prophet,

 

       I will raise up for them a prophet like you…

       And will put my words into his mouth;

       He shall tell them all that I command him.

 

In other words this new Prophet will speak with the authority of God, Himself. Sure enough in today’s gospel we see Jesus, at the outset of his public life, impressing the people in the synagogue at Capernaum as one speaking with authority. This passage in Mark’s gospel comes right after last week’s account of the calling of the first Apostles. 

 

You may remember that last week Jesus called the brothers Andrew and Peter, and then James and John, the sons of the fisherman Zebedee. Jesus had met these fishermen on the shores of the Sea of Galilee and archaeologists have discovered ruins of an ancient synagogue at the seaside city of Capernaum.

 

What does it mean to speak with authority? Scholars tell us that it might refer to the methods used by the ancient scribes. Whenever they were asked for an opinion on some issue, it was their practice to search their books for the opinions of learned rabbis. Typically, there would be many opinions that had to be reconciled. Sometimes the opinions would even be contradictory. Sometimes this method could even provide loopholes that could allow any kind of behavior.

 

Doesn’t this sound terribly familiar to us today? Look at our cable talk shows. People literally screaming at each other-- some arguing that white is black, or black is white, or that their particular shade of gray is the only correct one.  We have come to expect “spin” from any political or social commentator. During our political campaigns didn’t we wait to hear the supporters of each candidate provide their spin immediately following each debate? 

 

What we see in the media reflects what goes on in society. In politics it seems that corruption has become the normal way of doing business. What authority can a governor or mayor have whose been caught with hands in the cookie jar of bribery or payoffs? Only a fool would listen to their words or be guided by them. In business it’s much the same. Even in sports and entertainment we should know better than to trust the words of celebrities whose words are often belied by their private lives.

 

There’s an old saying that “It’s not enough to talk the talk, you’ve got to walk the walk.” Some examples. I once heard of a business owner who developed a unique plan to save his company when it got into financial trouble. He cut his own salary and the salary of the top third of his employees by 15%. The middle third were cut 10% and the bottom third 5%. This action saved the company without anyone losing their job. This owner spoke with real authority. I knew a sales manager who would never ask his salespeople to do anything that he was reluctant to do himself. He led by example, not by words.

 

One of the greatest coaches of all time was John Wooden, the legendary basketball coach of UCLA when they won 4 national championships in a row. Never would you see him jumping off the bench yelling at his players as so many do. He must have realized that if his team was not prepared, it was his fault, not theirs.

 

In today’s gospel St. Mark says that the people were astounded at the teaching of Jesus for “he taught them as one having authority.” Nevertheless, there was someone there who questioned his authority as many do today,

 

       What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?

       Have you come to destroy us?

 

In our Missal we translate the answer of Jesus as, “Quiet,” but it literally means be “muzzled.” He then cures the man as He often did to show that His teaching had authority, an authority that sprang from who He was. He would not agree with those people today who say that their private lives can be separated from their public lives. If parents neglect their children, will they care for their clients? If politicians lie to their spouses, will they tell the truth to their constituents? People speak with authority if they possess real personal integrity. 

 

Certainly, the people of Corinth thought that St. Paul spoke with authority. Today, we have a somewhat difficult to understand excerpt from the seventh chapter of his famous letter to the Corinthians. If we read the whole chapter, we would see that he had been asked to advise them on some difficult matters of personal behavior. He admits that he can find no specific rule or commandment in most of these matters and only offers what he calls his own opinion.

 

In general, he urges the converts to remain in their current situation and work within to achieve the kingdom of God. It is not a question of whether your married or unmarried, circumcised or uncircumcised, slave or free, male or female. You can do the work of God in any station in life. That’s speaking with authority. For Paul, love transcends all.

 

       Love is patient, love is kind.

       It is not jealous, it is not pompous,

       it is not inflated, it is not rude,

       it does not seek its own interests,

       it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury,

       it does not rejoice over wrongdoing

       but rejoices with the truth.

       It bears all things, believes all things,

       hopes all things, endures all things.

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Reading 1. Deuteronomy 18: 15-20

Reading II. I Corinthians 7:32-35

Gospel. Mark 1: 21-28 (teaching with authority).