Luke 4:1-13
1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished.
3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” 4 Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’”
5 Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And the devil said to him, “To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’”
9 Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10 for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,’ 11 and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” 12 Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
13 When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time."
Train yourself to be godly" 1 Timothy 4:7
This First Sunday in Lent opens with Jesus‘ Ministry starting in the desert. Witnessing to His victory through His obedience to the Holy Spirit, He is tempted by evil just after His Baptism in the River Jordan
Following Jesus’ model, we are invited to live this time of Lent as if we’re experiencing a time in the desert. It is a time of spiritual challenges as we focus more time to renew our inward way of life
In order to stay safe and healthy, people exercise in ways that are considered beneficial to the physical body. This time of Lent should be another way of restoring our internal being in four different dimensions:
1 - Our relation with God
Who is God for me today?
Do I have my created gods or do I believe in One God as is proclaimed in the Church Creed?
Where can I meet this God? Is it through abstract faith or in the person of my neighbor
How is He present in my life, thoughts and deeds? Am I aware that who I am and all I have are given to me by His Love?
How do I reciprocate His graces?
2 - Our relation with ourselves
“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am the worst." 1 Timothy 1:15
Matthew 5:13-16 summarized says “You are the salt of the earth and the light of the the world!”
"Do you not know that your bodies are Temples of the Holy Spirit who is in you?" 1 Corinthians 6:19
Am I really so? Do I think about how much Jesus trusts me and how I should then be?
3 - Our relation with our neighbor
"Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.” 1 John 4:20
Take time to think about and respond to the famous question, "Who is my neighbor!?" Luke 10:29
4 - Our relation to the Environment
God gave authority to humans over all his creation, as we read in Genesis 2:20,
“So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals.” Giving a name in Biblical context means to have authority over and responsibility for.
How do we relate to our physical environment, including natural resources and their use, according to God's will?
How do I relate to the infrastructure in my town, to the animals, birds, forests, rivers....
Lent is the time to recover our conscious awareness, and to renew our commitment to a responsible Christian life that is pleasing to God through Christ and the Holy Spirit.
Let us pray to the Lord to help us rediscover our Christian identity and to better train ourselves to be godly!