Do Not Let The Devil Win!

 (Homily for the 1^st Sunday of Lent Yr. A)

          

         The readings of this first Sunday of Lent present the miserable condition of man caused by the fall of our first parents and on the other hand, our redemption in Christ. They present Adam’s weakness before the temptation of the serpent and Christ’s resistance and strength before the temptations of Satan, from the first, sin and death gained entrance into the world, while from the later, life and freedom. No doubt, the themes of our reflection today therefore revolve around fall and obedience, death and life, fallen humanity and redeemed humanity. The messages of the three readings are somewhat intertwined, for the Genesis story of Adam and Eve can be related to the Gospel narrative of the victory of Jesus over temptations, through the analogy that St. Paul made in the second reading between Adam and Christ. A profound perusal into the readings of this Sunday places the old Adam and the New Adam side by side. And the hymn of Newman reveals very well the aforementioned analogy and thus helps us to go in-depth:

O loving wisdom of our God!

When all was seen and shame,

A second Adam to the fight

And to the rescue came.

 

O wisest love! That flesh and blood,

Which did in Adam fail,

Should strive afresh against the foe

Should strive and should prevail.

Truly, it is through the prevailing of the New Adam that we can stand our ground in resisting the temptations of the evil one, but most importantly through that we can make a spiritual retrospection in recognition of our failings and the courage to ask God for pardon. It is on that note that the words of the responsorial Psalm introduce us not only to the spiritual climate of Lent but also to the reality of our fallen nature redeemed by Christ, “Have mercy on me, O God…for we have sinned. For I am well aware of my offences, my sin is constantly in mind. Against you, you alone I have sinned, I have done what you see to be wrong” (Ps. 51:1.4). Just like the first Adam we have fallen, we are sinners but redeemed in Christ. Thus, in today’s readings we see the synthesis of the whole history of salvation, all our history: creation- sin – redemption.

        The first reading from the book of Genesis (Gen. 2:7-9; 3:1-7) in a way points to the future of Christ’s event, for if we want to grasp the saving significance of Christ’s death and resurrection, we cannot but make a journey in retrospect, remembering that man is God’s creation, yet a fallen creature. Indeed, something went wrong somewhere, for man has become what God intended him not to be. These two great theological truths: creation and fall are expressed in the book of Genesis in chapters 2 and 3. In the passage of our first reading, we see the story of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden and their eating of the forbidden fruit at the serpent’s deception. Not only that, there is another creation account in the first chapter of the book of Genesis that is more theological, for therein there is an assertion that God created man in his image and likeness. In this later account, man is the culmination of all God’s creation. The second chapter places man more at the center of creation, therein, God made man and put him in the garden and surrounded him with all that he needed. However, in both cases, the theological import is the same: that is the fact that man occupies a unique place in God’s creation. The account of the fall of Adam and Eve and the temptation by the devil replicates the consequences of disobedience. They disobeyed God and obeyed Satan by eating the forbidden fruit. Maybe we may begin to imagine a garden with so many trees and at the center, there is the tree it’s fruits are forbidden. Rather this stands as a symbol for a limit that should never be crossed. They sinned against God, and what is sin? Sin is a free act of man against God’s project. The result of sin is curse. When we do not listen to God’s word we go astray and the result is tragic (cf. Dt. 30: 15-20). The essence of the original sin consists in man’s pretense to realize himself without God. In disobeying God and taking independence from him, man discovered that he is naked, that he has lost his dignity. But God did not abandon man in his disobedience. Human experience confirms the fact that whenever we sin we forget who we are and what God has done for us.

          This ancient story of creation and fall in the book of Genesis reveals a profound theological insight. The overriding message is that man cannot blame God or any evil fate for his plight and condition; instead man is directly responsible for his actions, because man has made wrong choices that were not in accordance with his destiny as God created him. However, these choices and their consequences do not deprive man his responsibility. As we were taught in Catechism, the original sin, the sin of Adam and Eve was transmitted to us through our conception and together with it is concupiscence and disorder that pushes us to evil. We do not sin because someone has sinned before us, but we sin freely, imitating Adam on our own. And by extension, we can say that when one sins he or she is for those who come after him or her, what Adam was for that person, through my actions I can condition those who come after me, to be slaves or free. Sin in its profound intension is the attempt to eliminate God, to negate him, in other to put oneself in His place, as the absolute value. The serpent deceived them: “You will be like God”. The desire to be like God, to assume His place and to be the absolute master of one’s destiny and freedom, is the hidden intension in sin. This is hidden from our spirit, but not hidden from God, for God himself has said: “I shall climb high above the clouds, I shall rival the Most High. Now you have been flung down to Sheol, into the depths of the abyss” (Is. 14:14-15). In fact, St. Paul puts it in a more emblematic manner thus: “Who made you so important? What have you got that was not given to you? And if it is given to you, why are you boasting as though it were your own” (1Cor. 4:7). This is why God reacts to sin, because it is lie in essence.

          The second reading (Rm. 5: 12-19) could be seen as the continuation of Adam’s ordeal in the first reading, but also it complements it, for it balances the fall of Adam with the restoration of man in Christ. St. Paul speaks of the contrast between Adam and Jesus. He advances the argument that the sin of Adam and its consequent death is analogous to the sin of all men and thus the consequent spread of death to all. But more than that, St. Paul makes an analogy between Adam and Christ, for he posited that Adam began a history of fallen mankind that was characterized by sin and death, while Christ began a new history of mankind characterized rather by liberation, life and righteousness. However, in his analogy, Christ surpasses Adam, little wonder the apostle says: “If Adam…how much more Christ”. Be that as it may, Christ’s achievement is far greater than Adam’s, for we could say that while Adam introduced sin and death, Christ inaugurated freedom, life and righteousness. Death is negative, for its dominion enslaved man, but life is positive, for the dominion of Christ sets free. Christ is our Saviour and through him we gained back what we lost in Adam: our dignity as children of God, he makes us sons and daughters of God. It is the “yes” of the second Adam that rectifies the “no” of the first Adam. Indeed, the analogy between Adam and Christ here serves as bridge between the first reading and the Gospel periscope.

        Furthermore, St. Paul meditated on these two events and he offers us an amazing synthesis, “One man’s offence brought condemnation on all humanity, and one man’s good act has brought justification and life to all humanity. Just as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by one man’s obedience are many to be made upright” (vv. 18-19). St. Paul revealed something of a great importance, and that is the fact that Adam did not fall only for himself and Christ did not win only for himself. The disobedience of one implicated others in sin, while the obedience of the other introduced all to grace. And till today, man is caught up between these two poles of attraction: with Adam or with Christ, with sin or with salvation.  The first (sin) is consummated in a garden of delight, between euphoria and pleasure, but it exposes one immediately in the midst of thorns and thistles. The second (salvation) instead is realized in fatigue and suffering, but introduces one in the garden of joy, where angels come to serve winners.

          The passage of the Gospel (Mt. 4:1-4) is the presentation of the temptation of Jesus by the evil one. This account is found both in Mathew and in Luke (4:1-13), although there is a little difference in their manner of presentation of the temptations, while Mathew has bread-temple-mountain, Luke has bread-mountain-temple. It does appear that Mathew’s intention was to bring together the two questions pertaining to Jesus as Son of God. As such, for Mathew the temptations of Jesus are messianic in character. On the other hand, Luke’s ordering is suggestive of his desire to emphasize that Jesus is the new Adam, the antitype of the first Adam, who fell when tempted by the serpent. As a matter of fact, given that we are reading the Matthean version with the second and third chapters of the book of Genesis and the fifth chapter of the letter of St. Paul to the Romans, we are going to thread the line of St. Luke, therefore, seeing Jesus’ temptation as the temptation of the new Adam.

          The three temptations condense the three fundamental relations of man:

●Towards oneself (stone or bread) - Concupiscence of the body

●Towards God (God at my disposition) - Concupiscence of the eyes

●Towards others (power) - Concupiscence of power

         The first temptation was the demand of the Devil to Jesus to change stone to bread. Even though it is true that bread is good, but the word of God is best. It is also true that we need “bread” to survive, but what keeps us in being is the word of God. His “word are spirit and they are life” (Jn. 6:63), so also man “lives of every word that comes out of the mouth of the Lord” (Mt. 4:4). This is the temptation to use his power to His material and personal advantage, to satisfy his hunger, after 40 days of fasting, but the real word that satisfies is the word of God. Till today we are still faced with the temptation of turning everything to “bread” just for personal satisfaction. Little wonder, greed, selfishness and insatiable desires for material things is erupting the foundation of our world.

        The second temptation was the devil’s attempt to put Jesus to his disposition. He took Jesus up the pinnacle of the temple, and challenged Him: “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here; for it is written, ‘He will give his angels charge over you, to guard you…” And Jesus to the devil, “You shall not tempt the Lord your God.” Here, the devil asks Jesus for a miracle. The devil used the written word of God to tempt the Incarnate Word of God. Peter made a similar request to Jesus at the episode when he saw Jesus walking on water. “Lord, he said, if it is you tell me to come to you across the water” (Mt.14:28), and Jesus allowed him, but after three steps, he became afraid and started to sink. Indeed, miracles are not necessary for one to have faith. We remember Jesus performed so many miracles in Galilee and Samaria, yet his people wanted to throw Him down from the hill in Nazareth (cf. Lk. 4: 22-30). It is not miracle that gives faith, it is a supernatural gift. This is the temptation to make God succumb to the devil’s will, sometimes also we are like the devil, when we want to bend God’s will to our will, when we want and command God for miracles because we want them, not because He willed them. Some of us tempt God with: Give me, do that, resolve this problem etc.

          The third temptation was the Devil’s open challenge to Jesus. He took Jesus up to a very high mountain and showed Him all the Kingdoms of the world and their splendor, and then the Devil tells Jesus (God) to worship him. The devil invited Jesus to succumb to his logic, for him to have everything. What an irony! Here we see the logic of the devil: “I give you, you give me”. This is the temptation for power (to have power over others). This temptation for power has dealt with our present world. This indeed is the exact contrary of God. God in His logic loves us first and gratuitously too. He loves and gives without asking for anything in return. The devil’s logic is “nothing goes for nothing” and God’s logic is “something goes for nothing”.

          Jesus in the threefold temptations teaches us to always put God first in our life. The responses (Man shall not live by bread alone; you shall not put the Lord, your God to the test; you shall worship the Lord, your God, and Him alone shall you serve) of Jesus to the devil manifest that Jesus put God first in everything. Who is first in your life? These three temptations are the three ways through which man deserts the way of God: ●temptation of idolizing material things (selfishness), ●temptation to desire for success and personal prestige, ●temptation to grab power for the sake of domination. We too, are constantly tempted to deviate from God, but Jesus indicates to us through his experience a major road in order not to fall into temptation. We should avoid a type of an accommodating Christianity that tends to please man, rather than God.

          Jesus was led into the desert by the Spirit, and he was tempted. He felt that there is an obscure power in the world he has to wage war against. And at the end of the temptation the devil left him, but St. Luke added: “the devil left him, until the opportune moment” (Lk. 4:13). And truly he did return, when instead of the pinnacle of the temple he took him (Jesus) to the pinnacle of the Cross and says to him: “if you are the son of God come down from the cross” (Mt. 27:40). In the episode of today’s passage Jesus started his fight against sin and against Satan the Instigator. Through his victory over Satan He created a new possibility for us: that is the possibility of overcoming temptation and sin. He is the antithesis of Adam. He (Adam), man wanted to be like God; but Jesus even though God became man to save man from his evil inclination and desire. St. Paul says of him: “Who, being in the form of God, did not count equality with God…But he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, becoming as human beings are; and being in every way like a human being, he was humbler yet, even to accepting death, death on a cross” (Phil. 2:6-8). The temptation of Eden has not ended, for there are still many serpents who continue to lead man astray and make him deviate from the divine will, but Jesus has opened a new possibility for us, he won Satan and his temptations in the desert, we too can win him in the desert of our human existences.

          As we reflect on the episode where the Devil tempted Jesus for three good times, the tempter had a sort of a formula: “if you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread” (v.3); “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down” (v.6); “I will give you all these, if you fall at my feet and do me homage” (v.9). The “if question” was something recurrent in the life and mission of Jesus, indeed, the part of the struggle he had to contend with was that of doubt and challenge, even upon the cross: “If you are the Son of God come down from the cross” (Mt. 27:40). Peter was caught up with the same question, upon seeing Jesus walk on water, “Lord, he said, if it is you tell me to come to you across the water” (Mt.14:28). The same question was addressed to him regarding his identity at the beginning of his public ministry. In our own experiences today, despite our human frailty and sins, we are invited to put the “if question” into the hands of God, and allow Him to fill us with the assurance of his presence and divine grace. In all, Christ and Adam show the two opposite reactions in face of temptation: Adam, archetype of sinful, evasive, self-seeking humanity and Christ, archetype of the new God-seeking man, resists temptation even repeatedly. We are indeed invited to follow the way of Christ in dealing with temptations and the tempter. Remember do not let the Devil win! We pray earnestly in this season of Lent that we may experience more deeply God’s mercy, goodness and love! Amen!!

(Fr. Vitus M.C. Unegbu, SC)