The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to live in thanksgiving for the grace and life we receive from God.
The reading from the Book of Deuteronomy urges 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). (Deuteronomy, CHAPTER 26 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 91 declares 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). (Psalms, PSALM 91 | USCCB, n.d.)
The reading from the Letter of Paul to the Romans identifies some hazards of following Christ.
* [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). (Romans, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB, n.d.)
The Gospel of Luke presents the Temptation of Jesus.
* [4:1] Filled with the holy Spirit: as a result of the descent of the Spirit upon him at his baptism (Lk 3:21–22), Jesus is now equipped to overcome the devil. Just as the Spirit is prominent at this early stage of Jesus’ ministry (Lk 4:1, 14, 18), so too it will be at the beginning of the period of the church in Acts (Acts 1:4; 2:4, 17).
* [4:2] For forty days: the mention of forty days recalls the forty years of the wilderness wanderings of the Israelites during the Exodus (Dt 8:2).
* [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).
* [4:13] For a time: the devil’s opportune time will occur before the passion and death of Jesus (Lk 22:3, 31–32, 53). (Luke, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB, n.d.)
Larry Hopp comments that 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. (Hopp, 2022)
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) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 4:1-13 comments that as tempting as all this must have been, Jesus could see through the devil’s twisted logic. Being the Son of God isn’t about special perks and privileges. It isn’t about never going hungry or never being able to walk out the front door without being met by admirers.
As the old saying goes, “Forewarned is forearmed.” So when you find yourself wanting to justify sin, recognize the voice of the tempter and stand firm. When you find yourself doubting God’s goodness, label those thoughts as coming from our enemy, the accuser. And run to Jesus for help. He knows exactly how to overcome the devil!
“Jesus, be my shield and strength in times of temptation!” (Meditation on Luke 4:1-13, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on the Covenant formula expressed in Deuteronomy that includes history and recognition of Gad as the source of all things. Justification is being at peace with God through faith and trust and salvation is realized when we know Jesus or on the last day by the Evangelists. Friar Jude suggests that the Stoic nature of Luke is expressed by obedience to God, even if it costs.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, insists that grace is the essence of who God is.
There’s no way that the Scriptures, rightly understood, present God as an eternal torturer. Yet many Christians seem to believe this, and many are held back from trusting God’s goodness because of this “angry parent in the sky” that we have created. The determined direction of the Scriptures, fully revealed in Jesus, is that God’s justice is not achieved by punishment, but by the divine initiative we call grace, which enables us to bring about internal rightness, harmony, balance, and realignment with what is.
The concept of grace is first called mercy, or hesed in Hebrew: the ever-faithful, covenant-bound, infinite and eternal love of God. All God’s power for renewal and resurrection proceeds from this source, never from punishment. Jesus punishes nobody! I would go so far as to call grace the primary revelation of the entire Bible. If we miss this message, all the rest is distorted and even destructive. I cannot emphasize this strongly enough. (Rohr, n.d.)
The Spirit reveals the nature of God through the love, mercy and compassion we witness and experience and in the support we accept to reject the temptation to self aggrandizement.
References
Deuteronomy, CHAPTER 26 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 9, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/deuteronomy/26?4
Hopp, L. (2022, March 6). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved March 9, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/Archive/2022/030622.html
Luke, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 9, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/4?1
Meditation on Luke 4:1-13. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved March 9, 2025, from https://wau.org/meditations/2025/03/09/1223441/
Psalms, PSALM 91 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 9, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/91?1
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Grace Is God’s Name. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved March 9, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/grace-is-gods-name/
Romans, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved March 9, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/romans/10?8
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Jesus Fasted Forty Days and Was Tempted by the Devil. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved March 9, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2025&date=mar9
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