by Msgr. Charles Pope

Today's Gospel about the temptation of Jesus in the desert by Satan evokes several questions. The answers I propose are not intended to be a theological treatise, but rather a pastoral reflection.

I. Why does God permit temptation?

God does not permit any evil or problem unless it can serve some greater good. In the case of temptation, He permits it because it summons us to love Him while giving us the freedom to reject or accept that call. God seeks sons and daughters who can love Him freely.

Of God's creatures, only angels and humans possess free will. We are summoned to love, but love requires the freedom to make choices. In giving us freedom, God permits alternatives to saying "yes" to Him. These alternatives present themselves as temptations.

Temptation existed even in Eden, in paradise; and prior to that, the angels had a sweeping choice for or against God. Scripture hints that one third of them fell to the earth and are what now called demons (see Rev 12:4). Our "yes" to God must be very precious indeed, because in granting this freedom He permits that some, indeed many, choose to reject Him.

A second reason God permits temptation is that it tests and strengthens us. An old saying reminds us, "Things do by opposition grow." Temptation is a kind of opposition we must learn to endure. In enduring, though, we become stronger. The spiritual life is like the physical life in that we grow stronger through repeated action. After lifting weights repeatedly, our physical strength increases and we can overcome increasingly more difficult physical challenges. It is the same with the spiritual life. An old gospel song says, "Yield not to temptation, for yielding is sin. Each victory will help you, some other to win." Scripture says, Resist the devil and he will flee (James 4:7). Resisting implies ongoing effort, standing up to the devil repeatedly. It's not a one-time battle, but an ongoing war in which each small victory makes us stronger and the devil more discouraged. As we grow stronger, the devil eventually stops wasting his time tempting us in certain areas. At times the battle may weary us, but in the long run, it strengthens us. Jesus illustrates this in his three-fold battle with Satan in the desert.

II. What are the sources of temptation?

There is a tendency to attribute temptation and struggles to the devil, but tradition speaks to two additional sources: the world and the flesh. (Note that the flesh is not merely our body; it is a term that describes our rebellious tendency to sin and be prideful.) Scripture affirms these different sources, for not only are there passages in which the devil directly tempts (e.g., Adam and Eve in the Garden, Jesus in the desert), but there are ones that speak to the temptations of the world and the flesh: For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world (1 John 2:16).

Frankly, many people do not need direct demonic temptation; they do a pretty good job of exposing themselves to temptation by indulging the flesh and embracing the world. The devil can pretty much leave them alone and monitor their self-destruction from a distance.

This is one reason those striving to convert and return to the Lord are often the target of demonic attacks. As long as they were traveling on the road to destruction and Hell, they barely noticed the devil, because he was walking right behind them. When they began to turn around, though, they ran right into him. While the devil can and does manipulate and influence both the flesh and the world, we do better to look first to these two sources before ascribing temptations directly to the devil himself.

The influence of the flesh and the world are more under our control and thus should be the main focus of our battle. We do well to limit our exposure to the world and to spend more time with heavenly influences such as Scripture, the liturgy, prayer, and healthy, godly relationships. We should also focus more attention on self-mastery, through frequent confession, practicing virtue, and keeping careful custody of our mind and heart. Thus we see that Jesus is in the desert engaged in deep prayer, mortifying the flesh, and stepping away from the world.

III. What is the chief weapon Jesus uses in refusing temptation and how can it help us?

Temptation is ultimately about influence and the battlefield is the mind. In the story of Jesus' temptations, he answers every sinful suggestion by the devil with Scripture.

It is written: One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.
Again it is written: You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.
It is written: The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.

To every foolish and sinful thought Jesus replies, "It is written …"

Because the battle in temptation is about influence, the following question arises: What most influences you: the world, the flesh, the devil, or God?

We must actively seek to be influenced by God, by godly thoughts and godly truth.

There is an old saying, "Sin makes you stupid." And indeed it does. Sin darkens our intellect and leads us to make convoluted justifications and rationalizations of attitudes and behaviors that any child can see are wrong and defy common sense. St. Paul describes sin-induced stupidity when writing about the people of his time who suppressed the truth about God; claiming to be wise, they became fools, and their senseless minds were darkened (see Rom 1:18-22). He also advises us, Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect (Rom 12:2). Nothing can so renew our minds as the very Word of God. By it we are called to see and judge all other things.

Thus, an essential antidote to temptation is to be deeply rooted in the truth of God. This does not mean merely mechanically quoting verses during an argument. Rather, it means being transformed by God's Word and watching how it performs in our life. I have been reading Scripture every day for the last thirty years. The Word of God has changed me and has been instrumental (along with sacraments, prayer, and godly fellowship) in putting down sin and resisting the temptations that precede it. Some things that used to tempt me no longer do; other temptations that were once strong are now weaker. Still other temptations remain, but the battle is engaged! Jesus is right: the Faith and the Word of God are a strong shield to protect against the fiery darts of the world, the flesh, and the devil.

Temptation is an ongoing battle for all of us until the day we die. All the more reason to permit the Lord to teach us its causes, the way it operates, and the ways to resist it.

Temptations are an ever present reality in our lives. They are not just temptations of the flesh, but also of injustice or dishonesty, e.g., unjustly paying our workers, overpricing, graft, discrimination against people with different beliefs, or different ethnic backgrounds, etc.

Today's Gospel message relates how Jesus underwent temptations in the desert and how He struggled to overcome them, thus setting for us an inspiring example.

How did Jesus handle the temptations and how do they relate to contemporary life?

1. First, the tempter was sweet-talking Jesus to use His powers for His own personal aggrandizement. "If You are the Son of God, command these stones to turn into loaves" (Luke 4:3). There is always the temptation for us to use selfishly whatever powers or talents God has given us. A person, for instance, may possess an innate ability to sing. She/he may "cash in on it," refusing to use it unless she/he is paid. There is no reason why she/he should not use it for pay, but there is no reason too why she/he should use it "only" for pay! This can apply to other gifts like intelligence, business acumen, artistic skill, etc.

But there is another side to this temptation. Jesus was God's Messiah, and He knew it. The question was: What "method" would He use for the task which God had given Him to do? One sure way to attract people to turn to God was to give them bread, to give material enticements. However, it would have been a serious mistake. For one thing that would have been bribing people to follow Him which, no doubt, would be the easy way. It would have made Him popular but it was not the right way. What Jesus offered was the hard way - the cross.

2. In the second temptation, Jesus was challenged by the devil to "throw Himself down (the parapet of the Temple) but would not get hurt since the angels would rescue you." In short, do something sensational. Make miracles. Most people have a penchant for the extraordinary and miraculous. Thus some people take great pains to travel to distant shrines like Medjugorje to boost their faith - in the process contribute to the thriving business of travel agencies!

The trouble is that we're so drawn to the extraordinary and miraculous that we overlook the many "miracles of faith" that are happening quietly in the day-to-day struggles of life. For instance, isn't it a miracle that strong, happy families survive in an environment of broken marriages? Or isn't it a divine wonder that not a few Christians keep their religious convictions, practice honesty, compassion, altruism despite an environment of dishonesty, injustice and greed?

3. The tempter's third avenue of assault was for Jesus to "fall down and worship me, and I will give You all the kingdoms of this world" (Luke 4:6). In short, "compromise". Don't demand too much. Wink just a little at evil and people will follow you. But Jesus slammed down the tempter's enticement. There can never be compromises with evil. Evil cannot be defeated by compromising with evil.

4. Finally, remember one very important thing. Temptation often comes not at our strongest, but at our weakest moments. That is, when we are at the limits of our patience or kindness, when we are under pressure. So be on guard. Our Lord's temptation began "after" 40 days of fasting.

We are in the season of Lent. Lent is a special occasion which calls us to deep decision-making. It challenges us to test our fidelity to God and to rise above our human weaknesses.

Short Prayer:

Heavenly Father, during this season of Lent, speak Your words of covenant love to us. By Your Spirit, help us to trust more fully in You so that, like Your Son Jesus, we would be heralds of Your Kingdom on earth. Amen.

by Jeff Cavins

Some people give in when confronted with temptation in their lives. Some just do the best they can. In today's Gospel reading, we have an inside look at how Jesus overcame temptation with God's word.

When Jesus came on the scene in Israel 2,000 years ago, the Romans were occupying the land and Israel was feeling the weight of that oppressive government. The Jews were expecting the Messiah to come at anytime to liberate them.

After all, great kings of Israel's past had all demonstrated their leadership by confronting the enemy and bringing about a great victory. David defeated Goliath, Hezekiah kept the Assyrian army at bay, and Judas Maccabees led a revolt against the evil Seleucid dynasty. There was speculation that Jesus would lead a revolt against Rome and return Israel to her glory days.

But was Rome the root cause of Israel's situation? How many times do we find ourselves in trouble, only to blame our situation on the wrong root cause? The root cause of Israel's dilemma was that she was still in spiritual exile as a result of years of sin and refusing to serve the one true God. Yes, sin is our problem.

The first thing Jesus did in his public ministry was to confront the real enemy of Israel, the devil. In this week's Gospel reading Jesus was led out into the wilderness where after 40 days he would withstand three temptations. In order to understand why Jesus faced these three particular temptations we need to understand that Jesus' entire life was in essence a reliving of the history of Israel in the Old Testament.

After escaping the bondage of Egypt, the children of Israel, during their 40 years in the wilderness, failed at three major temptations. Their first failure was refusing to trust God for their daily bread. They grumbled and blamed Moses for bringing them out from the "comfort" of their bondage in Egypt (Exodus 16). Their second failing involved their lack of trust to provide water for them (Exodus 17), and lastly the children of Israel broke their faith in God with the worship of the golden calf (Exodus 32). The story of these events are recapped in the book of Deuteronomy, the very book that Jesus quotes to the devil during his temptation in the wilderness.

Jesus, after 40 days and nights of fasting, was tempted by the devil to trust in himself rather than in his father in heaven. Instead of falling, like the children of Israel had, Jesus would be triumphant, pre-enacting what he would do for the world on the cross: conquer sin and defeat the enemy.

Jesus' first temptation was in the area of life's necessities - food - the same area in which the children of Israel showed their lack of trust. The enemy tests Jesus' identity by saying, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." Jesus responded, "It is written, 'Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'" Notice that the enemy focuses on Jesus' identity and relationship with God the Father by saying, "If you are the Son of God." Often our temptations will test our identity as sons and daughters of God. How often we think to ourselves, "If God really loved me, then I wouldn't be in this situation."

In the second temptation, the devil tries to trip up Jesus by getting him to tempt God by throwing himself off the pinnacle of the temple. Psalm 91 says, "He will give his angels charge of you, and on their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone." If Jesus would have jumped off of the temple, it would have been for the purpose of seeing if Psalm 91 were true. Jesus didn't have to jump to prove his trust in the Father; he demonstrated it by trusting in God's word. Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6:16, "You shall not tempt the Lord your God."

How many times do we test the Lord by saying, "Lord if you do so and so for me then I'll know that you love me."

In the third temptation the devil pulls out all stops to get Jesus to worship him. This corresponds to when Israel worshipped the golden calf in Exodus 32. Once again Jesus answers from Deuteronomy 6:13-14: "It is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve."

In the end, Jesus is triumphant over these three temptations and the devil flees. Contained in this week's Gospel reading is the secret to overcoming the various temptations we face. Knowing our identity as sons and daughters of God, we trust in him for all we need and rely on his word as assurance.

Activities

• Think about the areas of your life in which you experience temptation and commit those areas to Christ.

• Combat the vices in your life by praying for and developing virtue. The list below will help you as a guide.

Note: This article by Jeff Cavins originally appeared in Envoy Magazine and is used here with the permission of the author.