Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday A (17 April 2011)

Fr James McTavish, FMVD

A love stronger than our contradictions

Today the Church celebrates what is known as Palm Sunday. Why is it called Palm Sunday? Today we commemorate the moment Jesus entered Jerusalem amidst much pomp and ceremony. St John notes that the people “took palm branches and went out to meet him, and cried out: "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” St Mark does not mention palms but instead leafy branches – “many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields” (Mark 11,8). St Matthew records that people “cut branches from the trees and strewed them on the road” (Matt 21, 8). Why did they greet him with palms, leafy branches and branches cut from the trees? Well today we tend to greet VIP’s with banners, streamers or even flags. After the wedding of William and Kate I am sure many well wishers will be waving banners and flags to wish them a happy married life together.

The palm is a Hebrew symbol of joy. The book of Leviticus records that branches of palm were used “to make merry in front of God” (Lev 23, 40). The palm was the symbol used to welcome a King. But Jesus will have none of it. He does not accede to popular demands – as the King of heaven and earth he could have entered in a magnificent chariot, guarded by the Archangels with cherubs flying around playing the harp, violin or even bagpipes. Instead he chooses another way. How does he enter? On a colt. This is in accord with the prophecy of Zechariah, “Rejoice heartily, O daughter Zion, shout for joy, O daughter Jerusalem! See, your king shall come to you; a just savior is he, Meek, and riding on an ass, on a colt, the foal of an ass” (Zechariah 9:9). Jesus chooses a humble way. It is exactly as St Paul tells us in the second reading of today about Jesus, “Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness” (See Phil 2:6-11). This self-emptying of Christ is known as the kenosis.

Sometimes when we are praised we easily revel in the glory. Supposedly when Mother Theresa was being accoladed by the crowds in Rome she commented that she did not what the fuss was for as she was just the donkey. It is quite a humorous idea of the donkey carrying Jesus taking all the glory. With the crowds cheering and waving perhaps the colt was tempted to respond “thank you, thank you!” When we are doing may things and achieving things it is important not to forget God’s grace. What do we have that we have not first received? As St Paul would say “I am what I am by the grace of God.”

Jesus does not root himself in the opinion of the crowds. His stability comes from his relationship with the Father. How often we are affected by what others say and do. We become like a small boat, tossed about on the ocean at the mercy of the prevailing tides of opinion of others. Jesus will live his whole Passion rooted not in the reaction of man but rooted in the love of God. On this Palm Sunday the crowd welcome him, shouting “Hosanna” (which is Hebrew for O Lord, grant salvation). But today we also read the Passion narrative. The crowd who once loved him are now shouting “Crucify him! Crucify him!” It seems that there is here a great contradiction.

A contradiction is when one goes against (contra) what one has said (diction). Another word is inconsistency. St Paul said “Each one must do as already determined.” It reminds us not to simply act on impulse but to try to be coherent or integrated in our thoughts, words and actions. One man I met recently expressed his perplexity over the contradictions in his life – he is an investment banker earning a lot of money. He is also sensitive to the poor. He gave a big charitable donation recently of $25,000 to an orphanage then later he found himself in a restaurant telling his friends about it as he ordered a bottle of wine for $250. But how often in front of the Lord we make resolutions and then don’t keep them – a resolution to fast, to pray more, to love him more. But in Jesus there is no contradiction. He comes to love us until the very end and to give his life out of love for us. He is the protagonist of the show not merely a passive victim. He declares that no one takes his life from him. Instead he gives it up of his own free will.

He will go to his Passion to be mocked, scourged and put to death and will bear it all meekly. As the first reading today tells us “I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; My face I did not shield from buffets and spitting. The Lord GOD is my help, therefore I am not disgraced; I have set my face like flint, knowing that I shall not be put to shame.” (See Isaiah 50:4-7) St. John Chrysostom said that there is nothing that gives greater edification to others, and draws souls more powerfully to God, than the meekness of the man who, when treated with derision, contempt, and insult, seeks not revenge, but bears all with a peaceful and placid countenance.

Let us ask the grace to walk with Jesus as we enter Holy Week. We can greet him today waving the palm of thanksgiving for all he has done and is doing in our lives. His grace is working powerfully in us. But may I also be aware of my contradictions, when I pass from my “Hosanna” to “crucify him!” Let us be repentant for the sufferings our contradictions cause to those around us. And may we not lose heart in our weakness but draw strength from Christ, who loved us and give his life for us. Amen.

REFLECTION Sunday´s Gospel

5^th Sunday Lent A (10 April 2011)

Fr James McTavish, FMVD

“Come out from the tomb!”

We continue our Lenten journey. On our way we have encountered the thirsty Samaritan woman, the blind man and today we will meet Lazarus who has been dead for four days. Jesus is the living water who can quench thirst, the Light who illuminates the blindness we have and today Jesus announces himself as the resurrection and the Life: “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" (See John 11, 1-45).

Lazarus has been lying in the tomb for 4 days and his sisters are concerned that by now he will be smelling badly. Sometimes when something in us is dead it can smell bad such as when we have a bad attitude towards someone – “the one who does not love remains in death” said St John in one of his letters. It reminds me of the world’s most famous perfume; the seven dwarves. A man wanted to impress his wife on their anniversary. He bought the most famous perfume in the world for $1000. When his wife put it on her eyes started to water from the overpowering stench. The husband ran back to the market ready to throttle the perfume seller. The perfume seller took the perfume and smelled it. “Yes,” he said “there is a problem with the seven dwarves...one of them died.” In our spiritual life sometimes relationships can die, we can cut a person off from the land of the living. Jesus comes to save us from spiritual death. Why do I say spiritual death? Because for sure we will all die physically one day, even if a miracle can extend life for a while, or for up to 70 years (80 for those who are strong says the psalmist).

To really believe that Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life can be shown in the way we live. Oftentimes we encounter men and women with a lively faith in God’s power and it shows in the way they live. Two examples come to mind – one is Oscar Romero and the other is Sophie Scholl. Oscar Romero was an Archbishop in El Salvador. He spoke out strongly against human rights abuses of his people. He received death threats but he stated “If I am killed I will rise up in the Salvadorean people.” He was assassinated while celebrating the Eucharist but his memory and courage lived on in the people. He believed in the words of Jesus “I am the Resurrection and the Life.”

Another example is a young German girl called Sophie Scholl. During World War II she was a college student in Nazi Germany. She opposed the regime, and detested the killing of mentally challenged children who were being euthanased by the Nazis. She also condemned the killing of Jews and the horrors of war. With her brother they were distributing anti-Nazi propaganda and were caught. She was interrogated but held firm to her convictions. Her life has been made into an excellent film called “The last days of Sophie Scholl.” She held on to her faith in God and put all her trust in him. It made me think about my own life – do I have courage to stand up for what I believe in? Even when I will be misunderstood, criticised and may have to die to my image in front of others. This type of death, although not physical, is actually very “painful”. To die to wanting to react back when someone criticises you, to die to the temptation to seek revenge, to die to the desire to cut that person off from my existence. Why am I so afraid of death if in fact I believe in the resurrection?

St Paul in the second reading of today (Romans 8, 8-11) reminds us that w are not to live in the flesh (which is to live in death) but instead we are to live in the Spirit, which is to be fully alive. As St Irenaeus said “the glory of God is many fully alive.” God will indeed bring us back to life. What hope do we have for those parts in our heart that are not fully alive like the dead dwarves, bad attitudes or the sinful habits? We are reassured “If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through his Spirit that dwells in you.” (Rom 8, 11) We must not be afraid to suffer as often it is here that God is working powerfully in us, changing our darkness into light and our death into life.

Jesus walks by our lives once again today and commands to each one of us “Lazarus, come out!” It can be to come out of our laziness, our self pity, our complaints – whatever causes death in us, whatever kills off our joy. It is healthy to ask “What is my tomb?” Where do we take refuge and close ourselves from life? It can be the tomb of the past, of previous failures, of harsh comments that we have put more trust in rather than seeking refuge in the love of God. We can be buried alive in a tomb of excuses, wrapped up in bandages of fear and anxiety. Jesus stands in front of our tomb today and announces “I am the Resurrection and the Life. Believe in me. Come out of your tomb.” Jesus in his love for us calls us back to life. We are called today to continue and persevere on this journey towards the fullness of life. We must not be afraid of our sin which kills us but place our trust in Jesus who is the Resurrection and the Life. Amen.

REFLECTION Sunday´s Gospel

4^th Sunday of Lent A (3 April 2011)

Fr James McTavish, FMVD

“Walk in the light”

This week we went to visit our community in Cebu because a religious brother was celebrating his perpetual vows. It was a joyful moment to see how the Lord has been faithful to hi over the years and inspiring to see also our brother committing himself to follow Christ in poverty, chastity and obedience. During the remainder of the week I also celebrated a baptism of a little child. After baptizing the child with water in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit comes the so called explanatory rites – anointing with chrism, clothing with white garment and finally the lighting of the candles. The candles are lit from the Easter candle which burns throughout the celebration. The priest says these words “Parents and godparents, this light is entrusted to you to be kept burning brightly. This child of yours has been enlightened by Christ. She is to walk always as a child of the light. May she keep the flame of faith alive in her heart. When the Lord comes, may she go out to meet him with all the saints in the heavenly kingdom.”

The symbol of light features prominently in today’s readings. In the second reading from St Paul we hear “Brothers and sisters: You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light, for light produces every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth. Try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the fruitless works of darkness; rather expose them, for it is shameful even to mention the things done by them in secret; but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore, it says: “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light” (Eph 5, 8-14). In baptism we receive the light of Christ, and we need his light to help us to grow as Christians. Think of a flower. It needs light to blossom. How can we receive light? I remember the psalmist when he says “your Word is a light unto my path and a lamp for my feet.” In the middle of darkness of personal confusion and perplexity it is comforting and encouraging to listen to the words of Jesus that fill us with light and strength. It helped me also to go on a Way of the Cross when I was visiting Cebu. It was at night and the stations of the cross are set on a hillside so the terrain is undulating and uneven in places. It was only possible to walk because of the torches, lanterns and candles we brought with us. It made me think of the exhortations of Jesus in the Gospel of John “The light will be among you only a little while. Walk while you have the light, so that darkness may not overcome you” (John 12:35). Light is an important theme in John’s gospel and especially in the account of Jesus healing the blind man (John 9, 1-41).

Jesus and his disciples are walking along and see a man blind from birth. The disciples wonder if this is a punishment for sin from God. Jesus teaches them that it is not the cause of sin, but rather a chance for God’s works to be shown through the man. Jesus spits on the ground, making mud with his saliva and puts it on the man’s eyes, telling him to go and wash in the pool of Siloam (which means sent). It is interesting that Jesus does not cure the man in one instant but also expects the collaboration of the blind man. The blind man does his part – he goes and washes and comes back able to see. We too are called to collaborate with God in his works. In Lent, God gives us three remedies – prayer, fasting and almsgiving and if we pursue these it will lead to inner healing. So the first lesson from the Gospel today is that God wants our participation in his redemptive work.

It is interesting that the story of the blind man's healing takes exactly two verses; the controversy surrounding the cure, 39 verses! This speaks volumes to us. If you want to be faithful to the Lord, expect some resistance. The man once blind sticks to his experience of faith. He is questioned and interrogated yet he holds firm – he put clay on my eyes and now I can see. The Pharisees attack him in many ways but he remains firm. They challenge the man saying that Jesus could not be from God because he performed this miracle on a Sabbath. They appeal to established religious convictions but the man declares that Jesus is a prophet. Like the Pharisees, am I fixed in my ideas about other people and blind to their goodness? Do I ask the Lord to enlighten the areas of darkness within me? Do I refuse to look at those areas of darkness within me?

The Pharisees don’t believe he was born blind so they question his parents. The parents are afraid and tell them to question their son themselves. Why were they afraid? Because if they acknowledged him as the Christ, they would be expelled from the synagogue. Sometimes it happens to us – we do not speak the truth in community because we are afraid of the other – they may ostracize us from the community, ex-communicate us by not talking to us! And sometimes we ex-communicate others too when we deem them not worthy! Is there someone you have excommunicated?

The blind man is so courageous. He challenges the Pharisees telling them that if Jesus was a sinner he would not have been able to cure him. So what happens? The Pharisees kick him out of the synagogue! But Jesus finds him immediately and reassures him that When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, he found him and said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" He answered and said, “Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, the one speaking with you is he.” He said “I do believe, Lord,” and he worshiped him. Maybe the man once blind worshipped him by singing that line from Amazing Grace – “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me, I once was lost but now I’m found, was blind but now I see.”

What lessons can we take home from the readings today? Walk while we have the light – to put into practice what the Lord is telling us. Not to change track when opposition comes! St Ignatius reminds us not to change plans in moments of desolation. Even when the Pharisees have the logic and reason it is important to turn to Jesus. Also the story today teaches us not to be like the Pharisees – blinded by pride and jealousy to the good works of God in the life of others.

Let us be joyful this day, and ask the Lord to open our eyes to see the light of his presence. Like the prayer for sight of Origen, an early Christian African scholar and theologian, and one of the most distinguished writers of the early Church “May the Lord Jesus touch our eyes, as he did those of the blind. Then we shall begin to see in visible things those which are invisible.” And may we walk while we have the light. Amen.

REFLECTION Sunday´s Gospel

3^rd Sunday of Lent A (27 March 2011)

Fr James McTavish, FMVD

The fountain of living water within us!

Recently in England I heard there was a Japanese flag hanging from a shop window, which had hands clasped in prayer and below were the words “Please pray for the people of Japan.” In these days are reports that the water is contaminated with radioactivity and is not safe for children to drink. We too pray for the country that it can harness inner strength in this trying time and work together for the good of all the people.

It makes me think that often in sufferings it is easy to lose faith in God. How can God be provident and allow such things to happen? Once a founder of a community said something very insightful in this regard. He said in front of suffering to ask God why may be the wrong question and there is a danger of impertinence. A better question than why is what. What can I do to help? What can I do to alleviate suffering?

One thing is for sure - trust is vital as we progress on our journey of Lent. The Sunday readings are light for our path and can help guide us. Today we encounter people who are thirsty after their sojourn in the desert. In the first reading (Exodus 17,1-7) the people of Israel start to complain as there is no water to drink. They start to complain and to lose trust. They ask Moses “Why did you ever make us leave Egypt?” Moses does not know what to do and asks God “What shall I do with this people?” The Lord tells Moses to strike the rock in Horeb – “Strike the rock, and the water will flow from it for the people to drink.” The image of the rock in Horeb is what is known as a type, it prefigures a future reality which St Paul understands thus “they all drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank from a spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was the Christ” (1 Cor. 10,4).

In the gospel, there is an encounter between two thirsty people (see John 4, 5-42)). It is the account of the episode of encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman. They meet at the well which is a biblical place of encounter – it was where Moses met his future wife. The Samaritan woman comes to draw water at noon –the hottest part of the day. Perhaps she went there at this time to avoid meeting other woman as she was ashamed of her situation. She had a live in lover and 5 previous husbands. Jesus “had” to pass that way. In fact he did not have to, as the Jews would avoid Samaria as there was a longstanding hostility between them, but Jesus chose to pass that way to encounter her. He was tired after the journey and asks her for a drink. She is surprised as Jews should not ask Samaritans for a drink – a Jew would never even share a drinking vessel with a Samaritan. Jesus is talking about living water but she does not grasp it at first. Jesus is patient and slowly his identity is revealed to her and to us. In fact you can follow a progressive revelation of who this man asking for water is - greater than Jacob (verse 12), Sir (v. 15), a prophet (v.19), the Messiah (v.29), I AM (v.26) and finally the Savior of the World (v.42).

Jesus promises living water which can become a spring of life giving water in us. Often like the Samaritan woman there are many wells which we frequent which only leave you thirsty afterwards. An interesting question for reflection is what wells do we drink from that never quench us? One can be the good opinion of others –it is hard work to always draw water from this source and it never fills as we are always worried about what will be said the next time. Other wells are money, success, alcohol...like drinking sea water – at first you may be satiated but later the thirst returns with a vengeance. Jesus desires that we come to him as our source. Later in John’s gospel he announces “Let anyone who thirsts come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as scripture says: 'Rivers of living water will flow from within him.'" (John 7:37-38)

Sometimes we come to Jesus and it does not seem as if his word satiates us. Why is that? Sometimes we are hard hearted! A stone in a river may have water flowing over and around it but if you crack it open even after years in the river it is still totally dry! That is why the psalmist exclaims “If today you hear his voice, harden not your heart.” What hope do we have when our heart is hardened like a rock? The Word itself can save us. The prophet Jeremiah explains that the word of God is also a hammer that can shatter rocks (Jer 23, 29). But if we keep going, keep digging we can strike gold! Once a mining engineer told me about the challenge of digging deep water wells. He said if you dig often you hit small pockets of water but the trick is not to stop there. You need to continue and then you will hit rock. Don’t stop but persevere, and after the rock layer and you will hit the water source as often it is below many layers of rock. This image helped me to understand why we have to persevere in we find to discover the fountain of living water.

We see this with the Samaritan woman – the patience of Jesus allows her to go deeper little by little. Her attitude changes and she starts to open her heart to Jesus. Eventually she leaves her water jug and runs back to tell the others in her town about the one who has told her everything she has done. The townsfolk are so inspired by her testimony that they come to Jesus. Listening to Jesus, the Samaritan woman becomes a missionary! The townspeople declare “we no longer believe because of your word; for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the savior of the world." (John 4:42)

How great if many could be drawn to Jesus by our simple testimony. So many are thirsty for words of comfort, direction, hope and peace. We can all be missionaries in our own little way just like the Samaritan woman. May we be attentive to recognize Christ sitting waiting for us at all the wells we frequent. May the dialogue with him open our hearts and release the fountains of living water held there within because the Holy Spirit has been poured into our hearts (Rom 5,5). Thank you Jesus because through your patient dialogue with us we can come to discover the fountain of living water within us and be a source of life for others. Amen.

REFLECTION Sunday´s Gospel

2nd Sunday of Lent

Fr James McTavish, FMVD

The Transfiguration

In the first reading, God invites Abram to set out on a journey. A journey is often associated with excitement but also some intrepidation – a journey into the unknown. In Lent Jesus journeyed for 40 days in the desert, the people of Israel journeyed for 40 years to pass over from slavery to freedom. Lent is a journey for us. The LORD said to Abram: “Go forth from the land of your kinsfolk and from your father’s house to a land that I will show you” (Gen 12, 1-4a). Sometimes on a journey we are not exactly sure where we are going! Once in Philippines I was on a jeepney (local small bus) and I was too shy to ask in tagalog where we were and I ended up lost. Abram is asked to leave behind the securities of his land, his comfort, his familiarity with the way things had always been done and to journey with only the security of what God was telling him. This requires faith and trust in what God is saying!

In 2002 in a mass with the Philippine community gathered in Rome Pope John Paul II commented “Because we live in a sinful world, Lent itself must become a kind of separation. We are called to leave behind our old ways of sin, which make our lives sterile and condemn us to spiritual death. Yet these sinful ways are often so deeply rooted in our lives that it is painful to leave them behind and set out for the land of blessing which God promises. This repentance is difficult; but it is the price that must be paid if we are to receive the blessing which the Father promises to those who listen to the voice of Jesus.” Lent can really be a challenge! As St Paul exhorts us “Bear your share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God” (See 2 Tim. 1, 8-10). The gospel provides various hardships – it is hard to love those we find difficult but it is even harder to live with rancour and hatred in our hearts.

But where is this journey lead us? Let us turn to the Gospel today for some enlightenment (see Matt 17, 1-9). It is the moment of transfiguration, when the three musketeers, James, John and Peter witness Christ in all his glory conversing with Elijah and Moses. Peter nearly spoils the moment as he wants to do all the talking! In that moment a bright cloud casts a shadow over them. What is the significance of the cloud? The cloud is a representation of the Holy Spirit and at times we do not know where he comes from or where he is going. Then the voice of the Father is heard “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” Commenting on this moment, Pope Benedict XVI in his Lenten message said that “it is the invitation to take a distance from the noisiness of everyday life in order to immerse oneself in God's presence. He desires to hand down to us, each day, a Word that penetrates the depths of our spirit, where we discern good from evil (cf. Hebrews 4:12], reinforcing our will to follow the Lord."

This moment is so awesome that the disciples collapse! They are like dead men. If only they had iPods and could listen to the lyrics of Waka waka “When you fall get up, Oh oh...And if you fall get up, Oh oh...”! But often that is not enough to rouse us from death, from failure, from those moments when you fall flat on your face. How beautiful the action of Jesus in that moment. He approaches them and touches them. Often Jesus will approach in us in that person who comes to help us, to give us advice, to encourage us to keep going. How great if we can be that encouraging presence of Jesus to others. Many words can put people down, how great to be a person whose words build up, resurrect and bring others back to life. Do my words slay or resurrect? Jesus then speaks “Get up, don’t be afraid.” We need to listen to those words of reassurance from the Lord in our struggles and challenges.

I am reminded of some words found on the wall of Mother Theresa’s home for children in Calcutta, India: “People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway. If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway. If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway. What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway. If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway. The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway. Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway. In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.”

May we never get tired of doing good on our journey. Lord help us to be sensitive to the moments of transfiguration – open the eyes of our heart (Cf. Eph 1, 18) to see them. Thank you because you never leave us face down in the dirt but approach us, dust us down and encourage us “Rise, do not be afraid” so we can continue our Lenten journey with you. Amen.

Lent I, REFLECTION Sunday´s Gospel

1st Sunday of Lent A

Fr James McTavish, FMVD

Desert warfare

In the military, the skills developed depend on the terrain to be fought on. For jungle warfare, green pattern camouflage is needed. Skills such as tracking and identifying which berries and other food you can eat are helpful. But change the scenario and other skills are needed. In the desert, beige camouflage is used and you need to learn how to drink water. When I say drink I mean really drink. How much fluid should an average person drink in one day? About 3 litres. In the desert that can easily become 10 litres! Imagine that. That is more or less one litre every hour of the working day. That is why soldiers have fixed moments to drink because they are simply not used to have to drink so much. I give this as an example not in any way to support some unjust wars that have occurred in the desert but to make the point that desert warfare is thirsty work and requires special skills.

How does this relate to our first Sunday of Lent? Well where does Jesus fight the devil and overcome him? In the desert of course. He spends 40 days and 40 nights there and becomes hungry. Why didn’t he instead eat a lot, to prepare himself for the battle? In some way, his fasting places him in an attitude of DEPENDANCY on God. To depend on the Father and this requires TRUST. When the tempter approaches, he tempts him with bread but Jesus shows his reliance on the Word from his Father’s mouth to sustain him when he says “Man cannot live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (See Matt 4, 1 -11).

How does the tempter work when he approaches? Saint Augustine taught that there are three distinct but related phases in each temptation: 1. Suggestion, which is the proposal of some evil; 2. Pleasure, which happens when after the moving towards the suggested evil, there is some attendant delight; 3. Consent, which is when the will delights in the pleasure, willingly enjoys it and yields to it. Sin occurs only when there is consent. Seeing as the first step is thought or suggestion one immediate conclusion is to kill the wild animal while it is still small! It is much easier to kill the thought than when it has taken hold of us. We have to ask for the grace to discern temptation especially in the level of thoughts where they begin.

It is very helpful also to not always blame others for the temptation we experience. It is like the man visiting a psychiatrist because he had an obsession with the faces of beautiful ladies. The psychiatrist decided to analyze him and drew two dots on the blackboard and asked the man to identify what he saw. The young man saw two beautiful eyes staring at him. The psychiatrist then proceeded to draw some wavy lines. For the young man this was obviously the long, wavy blond hair of the beautiful woman looking at him. The psychiatrist then draw one dot and a dash and the young man excitedly concluded that now the woman was winking at him. The psychiatrist challenged the young man telling him that he had an obsession with the faces of beautiful women. The young man reacted a little angrily saying “Actually I think it is you that has the problem! You are the one who keeps drawing their faces on the blackboard!”

We need sincerity and honesty! What will see us through the battle is not merely physical strength but to be spiritually strong. Is it not the case that sometimes moments when we feel helpless, we will be driven to pray! Prayer is when God can breathe new life into us (see first reading Gen 2, 7-9). Perhaps if it was not for the difficulty we would manage ourselves but then an incident happens and it reminds us, often painfully, that we are dust! As we heard on Ash Wednesday “Remember you are dust and to dust you will return.” Our dependency on God is radically highlighted in the first reading from Genesis where man is just a lump of dust until God blows the mysterious life giving spirit into his nostrils so that man becomes “a living being.” We need the Spirit so that we don’t just survive or exist but really live. In the garden of Eden, our first parents did not want to live this radical dependency on God. They wanted to become Gods themselves. We can ask ourselves “how can we grow in an attitude of dependency on God?”

For sure FASTING is essential. To fast from all false securities. The devil is the Father of lies and a master of disguise. He has many tricks for the unwary and often presents to us many false securities. Vigilance is required. He really is the destroyer and in the second temptation is basically telling our Lord to commit suicide by jumping off the temple. Only PRAYER can help us see behind the lies of the devil and prayer involves discernment at times to avoid making hasty and rash decisions and also the other extreme to avoid procrastinating when we already know the will of God. Prayer is another way of expressing dependency on God. How can I know if I am really dependant on God? Our life of prayer, or lack of it will reflect that dependency. St Alphonsus Liguori on the necessity of prayer to win against the tempter said “God knows how useful it is to be obliged to pray, in order to keep us humble, and to exercise our confidence; and he therefore permits us to be assaulted by enemies too mighty to be overcome by our own strength, that by prayer we may obtain from his mercy aid to resist them.”

In the third temptation Jesus clearly recognizes and names his opponent when he commands “get away from me Satan!” Sometimes I wonder if I can clearly recognize the enemy. In the military when an unknown person approaches they are challenged “Friend or foe?” It is very helpful to name the temptation. To identify temptation some helpful questions include; What is temptation for me? When am I most tempted? In what situations? How do I feel and what do I do when I am tempted?

Let us try to learn from Jesus as we enter into this period of Lent. He went to the desert for us and for our salvation. He was not simply tempted, but in every way, and he overcame. Let us ask for the grace of a radical dependency on God, to grow in trust, and for the strength to be vigilant in the Lenten battle in the desert. Amen.