The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to meditate on how Jesus' temptation in the desert alerts us to some motivations today that may lead us to lose the Love that is offered to all, Gentile and Jew.
St.Vladimir Orthodox Church (OCA) in Halifax, NS, Canada. Retrieved March 6, 2022, from https://www.halifaxorthodox.org/
The reading from the Book of Deuteronomy is a thanksgiving for the harvest.
* [26:5] Aramean: probably in reference to the origin of the patriarchs from Aram Naharaim (cf. Gn 24:10; 25:20; 28:5; 31:20, 24).1
Psalm 91, considered by some as the soldier’s psalm, is an assurance of God’s protection.
* [Psalm 91] A prayer of someone who has taken refuge in the Lord, possibly within the Temple (Ps 91:1–2). The psalmist is confident that God’s presence will protect the people in every dangerous situation (Ps 91:3–13). The final verses are an oracle of salvation promising salvation to those who trust in God (Ps 91:14–16).2
The reading from the Letter of Paul to the Romans calls us to confess Jesus as Lord.
* [10:9–11] To confess Jesus as Lord was frequently quite hazardous in the first century (cf. Mt 10:18; 1 Thes 2:2; 1 Pt 2:18–21; 3:14). For a Jew it could mean disruption of normal familial and other social relationships, including great economic sacrifice. In the face of penalties imposed by the secular world, Christians are assured that no one who believes in Jesus will be put to shame (Rom 10:11).3
The Gospel of Luke describes the temptation of Jesus prior to beginning His public ministry.
* [4:9] To Jerusalem: the Lucan order of the temptations concludes on the parapet of the temple in Jerusalem, the city of destiny in Luke-Acts. It is in Jerusalem that Jesus will ultimately face his destiny (Lk 9:51; 13:33).4
Larry Hopp shares that Lent is a time for us to focus upon our amazing God who loves us unconditionally, so much more than we could ever comprehend or truly appreciate. We need to carefully consider how indeed we are choosing to respond to that love and to ponder how we are actually living out every moment of our life.
Dear Heavenly Father, as we seek to draw closer to you throughout this season of Lent, open our hearts to you. Allow us to begin to grasp the enormity of your redeeming love. Help us to honestly evaluate how we are actually choosing to respond to our Lord and Savior’s calling.5
Don Schwager quotes “Jesus defeats Satan with the word of God,” by Ambrose of Milan (339-397 AD).
"So, look at the arms of Christ with which he conquered for you, not for himself. For he who showed that stones could, through his majesty, be changed into bread by the transformation into a different nature, teaches that you must do nothing at the devil's behalf nor for the purpose of manifesting virtue. At the same time, learn from the temptation itself the ingenious cunning of the devil. The devil tempts that he may test. He tests that he may tempt. In contrast, the Lord deceives that he may conquer. He conquers that he may deceive. For if he had changed nature, he would have betrayed its Creator. Thus he responded neutrally, saying, 'It is written, 'That man lives not by bread alone, but by every word of God.' You see what kind of arms he wields, to defend humanity, surrounded and protected against the inducements of appetite, against the assault of spiritual wickedness (Ephesians 6:12). For he does not wield power as God - for what good would that be to me? So, as man, he summons common help for himself, so that eager for the food of the divine Word, he neglects the body's hunger and obtains the nourishment of the heavenly Word. Eager for this, Moses did not desire bread (Exodus 24:18). Eager for this, Elijah did not feel the hunger of a long fast (1 Kings 19:4.) For he who follows the Word cannot desire earthly bread when he receives the essence of the heavenly Bread (John 6:32,50). There is no doubt that the divine surpasses the human, as the spiritual the physical. Therefore he who desires true life awaits that Bread which through its intangible substance strengthens human hearts (Psalm 103:17). At the same time, when he says, 'Man lives not by bread alone,' he shows that the man is tempted, that is, his acceptance of our flesh, not his divinity." (excerpt from the EXPOSITION OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 4.19-20)6
The Word Among Us Meditation on Romans 10:8-13 comments that in the second reading, St. Paul reminds us that God’s word isn’t beyond our grasp or too hard to understand. Quite the opposite. “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (Romans 10:8). Jesus drew strength and clarity from the word of God, trusted in it, and let it guide him. We all feel weak at times, and our sinfulness can easily lead us astray. Add to that the burdens of life and the enticements that swirl around us, and it’s no wonder we struggle at times. If Jesus relied on God’s word, how much more do we need the grace that flows from the Scriptures.
Lent is the perfect time to seek the Lord in Scripture each day. There, we will find the strength to overcome temptation, the grace to hear God’s voice, and the wisdom to guide our lives. And as we read, we can hear his voice telling us, “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (Romans 10:8). “Lord, strengthen me through your word this Lent.”7
Friar Jude Winkler shares how the history of our relationship with God is an essential part of a Covenant. Paul declares our peace with God rests on the trust we have as we follow Jesus' example of complete self giving. Friar Jude reminds us to examine our motivations as we consider Jesus' Love manifest on the Cross.
The Website of St.Vladimir Orthodox Church, in Halifax, NS, shares the history of the work of Saint Vladimir (Svyatoslavich), Baptizer of Russia (958-1015) and Grand Prince of Kiev. It is celebrated in a hymn.
Sitting in the throne of the God-protected Kiev,
thou wast like a merchant seeking goodly pearls, O Vladimir.
Thou didst search and send to the Imperial City
to know the Orthodox Faith.
Thou didst find Christ the Pearl of great price,
Who chose thee like Paul and enlightened thy blindness of flesh and spirit at the Font.
Thy people celebrate thy repose:
wherefore pray for Russia and all peoples,
that the Orthodox may be granted peace and great mercy.8
“Rivers of blood and tears are flowing in Ukraine. It is not merely a military operation, but a war, which sows death, destruction and misery,” Pope Francis said on Sunday. https://t.co/eSMgkXdpDJ pic.twitter.com/QUNN2EF3v4
— Michael J. O'Loughlin (@MikeOLoughlin) March 6, 2022
In The Wisdom Pattern, Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, summarizes five stages of change that have taken place historically in religious and cultural institutions. He calls these stages the “Five M’s”: human, movement, machine, monument, and memory.
It is easy just to step on board and worship at a monument without ever knowing why or longing for God ourselves. At this point, we have jumped over the human and movement stages and have become what authors Mark Gibbs and T. Ralph Morton called “God’s frozen people.” [1] There is no hint of knowing that we are beloved by God and invited to an inner journey. In this state, religion is merely an excuse to remain unconscious, holding on to a memory of something that must once have been a great adventure. Now religion is no longer life itself, but actually a substitute for life or, worse, an avoidance of life. The secret is to know how to keep in touch with the human and movement stages without being naïve about the necessity of some machines and the inevitability of those who love monuments. We must also be honest: all of us love monuments when they are monuments to our human, our movement, or our machine.9
The Spirit teaches that we are called to move beyond the temptations to personal aggrandizement in the movement to one humanity being fulfilled in the Covenant of Love of God.
References
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