First Sunday of Lent
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit,
returned from the Jordan
and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness
It is the second temptation that grabs my attention this year.
The first temptation, to win people over by supplying the needs of their stomachs, while exceedingly evident in our political banter, leads to arrogance where gratitude should be (Exodus 17:7). The people want more signs...and more signs. Let's see if we can manipulate God into doing our heavy lifting ALL the time.
The third temptation posits "a show" in place of a life of genuine religious and moral action. It is a short-cut without staying power...without roots.
The second temptation resonates with me today. Satan means the accuser. Diabolus means the one who tears things apart. The accuser is the one who points fingers, the one who sets up the triangle that always creates a scapegoat. It is a tearing apart. In the short term the other(s) feel bigger, stronger, more justified. But it doesn't last. Another scapegoat is needed. A fix. It is a vicious cycle.
This second temptation posits before me the perennial pattern of accusation and division. Jesus calls for a different pattern. Forgiving and reconciling is God's pattern. My test question: Can I imitate the forgiving and reconciling love of God?
Being attentive to these seductions is a start. Luke clues me in to how Jesus protected himself: Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit.
That my prayer, fasting, and almsgiving might lead to a fullness of that kind!
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