First Sunday of Lent
26/02/10 16:44 Category: Homily
Thought:
.... Anyway back to fairy godmothers – they get us out of sticky situations with a wave of the wand. Magic. Why doesn’t God just wave a wand over our troubles and make them go away?
God works miracles not magic. And in today’s Gospel we have Jesus’ being tempted to use his power to escape the messiness of the world of which he has made himself part. He was hungry and vulnerable after forty days of fasting and penance. Hungry – make yourself some bread. Worship the devil – who is the father of lies – and you’ll become the greatest of the powers of the world; think of what you could do. Show your power for everyone to see – throw yourself off the precipice and let the angels catch you. These are all subtle temptations to use power in ways which circumvent faith, trust and service. Jesus refuses them – he will walk the way of faith in his heavenly Father – the way which will lead eventually to Gethsemane. The evangelist points to the tempting at Gethsemane when he writes that the devil left him until the appointed time. In Gethsemane Jesus will be confronted with the consequences of his path of faith, he will be tested anew as the Cross looms before him. Jesus will not use his power for himself or to escape his situation, he places all he has at the service of the Father who gave him being.
In this season of Lent we are invited to accept our creatureliness, our frail humanity. We can try to avoid it by seeking comfort and security in power, wealth, cruelty, domination, control many insidious ways. Or we can accept our frail humanity with Jesus, trust in the care of our Father in heaven and walk the ways of faith, hope and love. We can acknowledge that we are stewards called to use our gifts in the service of God. Lenten penance is a way of embracing our frailty, letting go and trusting in God. Jesus invites us to walk his way – which leads to Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday. It is the way of the Cross – no avoiding it, but it is also the way of life
In this season of Lent we are invited to accept our creatureliness, our frail humanity. We can try to avoid it by seeking comfort and security in power, wealth, cruelty, domination, control many insidious ways. Or we can accept our frail humanity with Jesus, trust in the care of our Father in heaven and walk the ways of faith, hope and love.
.... Anyway back to fairy godmothers – they get us out of sticky situations with a wave of the wand. Magic. Why doesn’t God just wave a wand over our troubles and make them go away?
God works miracles not magic. And in today’s Gospel we have Jesus’ being tempted to use his power to escape the messiness of the world of which he has made himself part. He was hungry and vulnerable after forty days of fasting and penance. Hungry – make yourself some bread. Worship the devil – who is the father of lies – and you’ll become the greatest of the powers of the world; think of what you could do. Show your power for everyone to see – throw yourself off the precipice and let the angels catch you. These are all subtle temptations to use power in ways which circumvent faith, trust and service. Jesus refuses them – he will walk the way of faith in his heavenly Father – the way which will lead eventually to Gethsemane. The evangelist points to the tempting at Gethsemane when he writes that the devil left him until the appointed time. In Gethsemane Jesus will be confronted with the consequences of his path of faith, he will be tested anew as the Cross looms before him. Jesus will not use his power for himself or to escape his situation, he places all he has at the service of the Father who gave him being.
In this season of Lent we are invited to accept our creatureliness, our frail humanity. We can try to avoid it by seeking comfort and security in power, wealth, cruelty, domination, control many insidious ways. Or we can accept our frail humanity with Jesus, trust in the care of our Father in heaven and walk the ways of faith, hope and love. We can acknowledge that we are stewards called to use our gifts in the service of God. Lenten penance is a way of embracing our frailty, letting go and trusting in God. Jesus invites us to walk his way – which leads to Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday. It is the way of the Cross – no avoiding it, but it is also the way of life
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