Overcoming the Ancient Trick

First Sunday of Lent

(Gen 2:7-9; 3:1-7, Ps 51, Rm 5:12-19, Mt 4:1-11)

Today we celebrate Jesus’ victory over temptation and sin—the defeat of the ancient serpent! In His triumph is our hope of overcoming the devil.

The first reading narrates the origin of sin. The ancient serpent tricked our first parents. How did he succeed? He did not command them to eat the forbidden fruit. But he subtly diverted their attention from God and made them turn to themselves. He presented himself as one who knows God, and he tried to make them see God as a liar and not caring enough for them. Now they should take their future into their hands and emancipate themselves outside of what God planned. The trick worked: Eve began to see the fruit from her own perspective other than that of God. She had to act as it appealed to her regardless of what God said. They chewed humanity out of grace! “Then their eyes were both opened, and...” they saw themselves.    

Unfortunately, there is only one “I am”, God who Himself. “I am He who is...This is my name for all time...” (Ex 3:14,15).The withdrawal of the self from God and turning to oneself becomes an exit road to death. Man discovers from his fallen state that God is true...

Jesus’ victory becomes our recipe for overcoming the tempter. “For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have grace of God and the free gift in the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abound for many”(Rm 5:17). He got this victory by rejecting the selfish proposals of the tempter. This He did by focusing on the will of God, and by refusing any suggestion for His own emancipation or clamour. The turning of stone to bread, the jumping from the pinnacle of the temple and the worship of Satan, were all targeted at pulling Him away from relying on God’s will and providence to immediate self actualization. There is only one I AM.

The greatest temptation might not be to commit any particular sin, but to sow the seed of sin—to dispose the will to sin. That is when the will is no more submissive to God; when the will is turned to self for its own emancipation. Here we become our own standard of life. Hence, the tools against self-indulgence are ready weapons against temptation and sin. These are prayer, fasting and Charity. These spiritual exercises help us to transfer our will power from our emotions to the will of God.  And they are links through which we arm ourselves with the victory of Jesus.

Fr Jude C. Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

MaterDomini Novitiate Community,

Enugu, Nigeria.

March 5, 2017.