LENT 1 [C] : Dt: 26: 4-10, Rom 10:8-13, Lk 4: 1-13

Lent begins with a reflection on the Temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. The Church assigns temptation stories to the beginning of Lent because temptations come to everybody, not only to Jesus, and we seem almost genetically programmed to yield to them.  Bible scholars interpret the graphic temptations of Jesus as a pictorial and dramatic representation of the inner struggle against a temptation that Jesus experienced throughout his public life.

In the gospel today, the Devil proposes three ways to put something else before God. 

1.Comfort-Seeking. Jesus has been fasting for 40 days. He’s probably a little bit hungry by now…  The Devil tempts Jesus to turn stones into bread, putting his comfort ahead of the Father’s will. Food is good, but it won’t fill our hearts.

2.Pride. The Devil takes Jesus to a mountaintop and shows him the whole world. He tells him “I’ll give you all of this – I’ll give you power and control – if you bow down and worship me.” Success is good, but it won’t fill our hearts.

3.Vanity.  The Devil suggests that Jesus throw himself off the temple, because the angels will save him. Imagine how much this would impress the onlookers. The esteem of others is good, but it won’t fill our hearts.

We can certainly overcome these temptations. This is the lesson that Jesus wanted everyone to learn when he allowed himself to be tempted. That Jesus is tempted is thus a sign and measure of his full solidarity with our human condition. 'For we have not a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sinning' (Heb. 4:15).

'Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.’ These are fitting words to end the Lord’s Prayer. They summarize of all our petitions, for the basic prayer we make is, ‘Save us!’

The power of all temptation is the prospect that it will make me happier." There are two equally damning lies Satan wants us to believe: 1) Just once won't hurt. 2) Now that you have ruined your life, you are beyond God's use, and might as well enjoy sinning.

An ancient rabbi said, “Sin begins as a spider’s web and becomes a ship’s rope.” You and I add those strands that change the spider’s web into a rope; but because we add just one strand at a time, and because each one is usually so small, we don’t realize what we’re constructing. Sometimes, on the other hand, the growth seems to happen almost of its own accord. It is as if we planted a seed in the soil of the soul by some small act of sin and, without our seeming to attend it or care for it, it develops into a full-grown tree. Sometimes, verily, a forest!

It's important to discover our root sin.  Each of us should know where we are most vulnerable to temptation.  Otherwise the devil can blindside us. One of the most effective ways to advance on the path of this self-knowledge is by going to confession regularly. Frequent, regular confession forces us to take stock of our sins and failings, to look honestly at all the manifestations of our selfishness, not just the big ones.

Self-examination gradually allows us to get at the roots of what is holding us back. It's like a good football coach. The Monday after every game, he sits down with the other coaches and the team and they watch the films from the game. They analyze where they were vulnerable, where they were strong. They are then able to make adjustments, to improve, to become the best they can be. Confession every 15 days is like that.  It helps us to discover our root sin, and constantly hack away at it.  And there's no better way to do that than by making the commitment to come regularly to confession.

Often, we try to follow Christ more faithfully, but we don't do so intelligently. We keep trying to cut off the branches of impatience, or greed, or lust, or dishonesty, but the roots are still intact, so the branches just keep growing back. If we can identify which is our main root sin, we can direct our spiritual work more intelligently, and really start making progress as Christians. For that we need strong determination to do away with temptations.

Jim Grant in Reader's Digest told about someone else who faced temptation. An overweight businessman decided it was time to shed some excess pounds. He took his new diet seriously, even changing his driving route to avoid his favorite bakery. One morning, however, he showed up at work with a gigantic coffee cake.

Everyone in the office scolded him, but his smile remained nonetheless. "This is a special coffee cake," he explained. "I accidentally drove by the bakery this morning and there in the window was a host of goodies. I felt it was no accident, so I prayed, 'Lord, if you want me to have one of those delicious coffee cakes, let there be a parking spot open right in front.' And sure enough, the eighth time around the block, there it was!"

Jesus sets a model for conquering temptations through prayer, penance and the effective use of the ‘‘word of God.” Jesus’ prayer for forty days in the desert helped him to defeat the devil. In the silence of the desert, we come face to face with both the good and the bad inside each one of us. Most of us can’t go off and spend weeks alone in a literal desert. But Lent is like the desert. The Church gives us this time to listen more closely to God, and to grow in our relationship with him – and that means putting God first.  

Temptations make us true warriors of God by strengthening our minds and hearts. We are never tempted beyond our power. In his first letter, St. John assures us: "The One Who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). Hence, during Lent, let us confront our evil tendencies with prayer (especially by participating in the Holy Mass), penance and the meditative reading of the Bible. Knowledge of the Bible prepares us for the moment of temptation by enabling us "to know Jesus more clearly, to love him more dearly and to follow him more nearly, day by day," as William Barclay puts it.

 Lent is a time for us to remember and to celebrate the mercies of the Lord, and to really work on Lenten prayer and penance in our lives.