God Tests Us
We all sense that Lent is a special time of grace from God… but we might think that giving up a few little things for 40 days or so is all that it takes to get in spiritual shape and ready for Easter.
Lent is perhaps the most intensely spiritual time of the year but must be so for a more comprehensive and radical reason; one that covers all aspects of life. It is our fundamental choice to be unconditionally faithful to God and trusting in him alone as our Father.
Knowing well our weakened human nature, God has always tested the mettle of his people. In the Garden of Eden, God tested the obedience and trust of Adam and Eve. He put Abraham to the test in a seemingly cruel way by asking him to sacrifice his only son Isaac. He let Satan test the faithfulness of Job with all sorts of misfortunes and losses. For 40 years, the Lord Yahweh put his people to the test in the desert. That is almost the span of two generations!
He tested his people also in the Promised Land by making them choose him and his ways over the idols and the ways of their neighboring pagan nations. The Book of Wisdom tells us that he puts the righteous to the test to evaluate their faithfulness and integrity (Wisdom 3:5-6).
Those who are familiar with the Father’s intent of making us his children, his New Israel, are not surprised to learn from Luke (4:1-13) that Jesus, God’s only begotten Son and their Leader, was led into the desert by the Spirit to be tested by Satan. Thus, what we hear on this First Sunday of Lent is not an idle recollection of Jesus’ victory over Satan’s guiles, but powerful evidence of the Father’s love in providing us with the only successful “strategy” for coming out victorious whenever our faithfulness and trust in him are tested.
Jesus’ temptations were not limited to the outset of his public ministry, but were vividly present throughout his public ministry, especially as he became famous and successful while, by contrast, the Father’s plan loomed filled with obstacles, rejection and pain.
Since we are one with Jesus Christ through the sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion, we must keep in mind that Satan hates and envies our being the Father’s cherished sons and daughters and he is always trying to fool us so that we fail to keep trusting in our heavenly Father. For this reason, reliving the three temptations endured by Jesus, we must decode them while examining our inner attitude to see if we react to them the way he, the beloved Son of God did or, repeatedly, as the Father’s easily fooled sons and daughters.
Satan suggests: “If you are truly a son or a daughter of God, command this stone to become bread.”
Our reply should sound something like this: “My heavenly Father has such a detailed care of me that, he alone, keeps the accurate count of every strand of hair on my head. He gives me my daily bread and I am certain that he will never fail me.”
“Whenever I need more energy to withstand the challenges of life, I feed on his words of life.”
“Thus, I accept the laws that he placed in his Creation. Baking bread is always a painful long process: it requires good soil, hard work, quality seeds, patience, harvesting, grinding, kneading and, finally, baking…”
Whenever we face financial straits, serious difficulties or envy the rich and famous, as children of the Father, we should not yield to the lures of this world and place our trust in what could never fill the void in our hearts. Instead, we should renew our loyalty and faithfulness to our heavenly Father; praise him around the clock; thank him unceasingly; and work with dedication for his Kingdom to be established all over the world. Furthermore, as true sons and daughters of God, we shall store up treasures in heaven where moth or decay cannot destroy, and thieves cannot steal. (Mt. 6:20)
Satan insists:“If you are truly a son or a daughter of God, force his hand by placing yourself in mortal danger to see if he comes to your rescue.”
Whenever the cross on our shoulders is heavier than usual, it is almost natural for us to find Satan’s suggestions reasonable and logical. If our Daddy is so caring and so powerful, shouldn’t we hope for a miracle, for something sensational that would dazzle many and fix our problem quickly and painlessly? Anticipating this warped way of reasoning, Luke concludes today’s gospel passage by adding: When the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him for a time. (Luke 4:13) That time was presaged in the Garden of Gethsemane when, foreseeing the horrors of his passion, Jesus begged the Father in this way: “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; still, not my will but yours be done.”(Luke 22:42)
And, at his weakest moment, while on the cross, Satan tried one last time: “If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” (Matthew 27:40)
My dear brothers and sisters of Christ Jesus, let us be clear about this fact: our mettle as sons and daughters of the Father is not tested only during Lent. Satan’s insidious suggestions are relentless. But looking at his threefold failure in tempting Jesus, we discover a striking similarity: all three temptations suggest detours, bypasses of the cross!
Let us not fear; the Holy Spirit, who led Jesus into the desert to be tempted by the devil, will assist us to face the heaviest crosses in full obedience to the will of the Father, with unshakeable trust in his love for us, and sustained by sure hope in a share in his Resurrection.
