"the joy of the Lord must be your strength"

As we do each year on the First Sunday of Lent, today we hear about Jesus' three temptations during his time of fasting and prayer in the desert. It's significant that in the Synoptics (i.e., Matthew, Mark, and Luke) this happens immediately after his baptism:

1) Turn stones into bread- make it all about you, become self-focused

2) Worshipping power- forcibly make others do your bidding instead of selflessly serving them

3) Testing God- instead of trusting God; undermining trust in God is the work of the evil one

12th Century Mosaic, Saint Mark's Cathedral, Venice

These temptations are perennial and common to all human beings in every age. That Jesus was tempted like this is a sure sign of his actual humanity. He was tempted in every way that we are tempted, but, unlike us, he did not yield to temptation (Hebrews 4:15). I don't know about you, but I can resist anything but temptation. This is what makes our Responsorial today to so very meaningful: Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble. When am I not in trouble?

In terms of Jesus not giving in to temptation, there is always the "What if,..." In this regard, never loose sight of the fact that God is a risk-taker. If creating was a risk, then why wouldn't redemption be a risk as well?

In rides Saint Paul with an important reminder, especially during Lent, that you are not saved by your own good works, by your ability to resist temptation, by your determination not to live by bread alone. Rather, you are saved by believing in your heart (even if, maybe particularly if, your head finds this incredible) that Jesus is Lord because he rose from the dead and by confessing this with your mouth. Each Sunday, in the context of Mass, you confess with your mouth that on "On the third day he rose again from the dead." It is obvious that there is an irresolvable tension between resisting temptation (avoiding evil and doing good) and not being able to save yourself. Like all such tensions inherent to Christian faith, it is imprudent to try definitively resolving it.

Even during Lent, Sundays are always a celebration of Christ's resurrection. So, today we can heed the words from the Book of Nehemiah that constitute the Church's reading for Morning Prayer on this First Sunday of Lent:

Today is holy to the Lord your God. Do not be sad, and do not weep;
for today is holy to our Lord. Do not be saddened this day, for rejoicing in the Lord must be your strength! (Neh 8:9-10)