First Sunday of Lent

To All the Lenten Pilgrims of Hope of the Epiphany 

The Triumph of Christ: Overcoming Temptation Through God’s Word 
The First Sunday of Lent: Luke 4: 1-13 (March 09, 2025) 

The Tempter seeks to divert Jesus from the Father’s plan, that is, from the Way of Sacrifice, of the Love that offers itself in Expiation, to make him take an easier path, one of success and power. The Duel between Jesus and Satan takes place through strong quotations from Sacred Scripture. The Devil, in fact, to divert Jesus from the way of the cross, sets before him false messianic hopes: economic well-being, indicated by the ability to turn stones into bread; a dramatic and miraculous style, with the idea of throwing himself down from the highest point of the Temple in Jerusalem and being saved by angels; and lastly, a shortcut to power and dominion, in exchange for an act of adoration to Satan. 

These are the Three Groups of Temptations: and we, too, know them well! The Time of Lent is a propitious occasion for us all to make a Journey of Conversion, by sincerely allowing ourselves to be confronted with this passage of the Gospel. (Pope Francis, Angelus, First Sunday of Lent, 2014) 

Dear friends, the Council of Nicaea (325 AD) established a 40-day fasting period for Lent, rooted in Biblical writings. God sent rain on the Earth for 40 days and 40 nights, when Noah and his family went into the Ark (Genesis 7:4). Moses sat atop Mount Sinai receiving instructions from God for 40 days (Exodus 24:18). Moses repented and fasted in response to the making of the Golden calf (Exodus 34:27-28). Elijah walked forty days and forty nights to the mountain of God, when he fled Jezebel’s wrath (1 Kings 19:8). The 40 days of Lent, however, are primarily identified with the time Jesus spent in the desert Fasting, Praying, and being Tempted (Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13, and Luke 4:1-13). 

Dear parishioners, the Gospel of the First Sunday of Lent tells the story of the temptation of Jesus by Satan. Over 40 days of fasting, the Devil entices Jesus with offers of comfort, power and prestige. At each opportunity, Jesus responds with Scripture and reaffirms his commitment to God’s will. The Temptation scene reminds us of our own struggles with temptation. Yet, through Jesus' victory, we learn how to rely on God’s Word and the Spirit’s power to overcome the trials of life. 

The Reality of Temptation 
The passage begins with Jesus being full of the Holy Spirit; (Luke 4:1), yet He is led into the wilderness to be tempted. This tells us that temptation is not a sign of weakness or failure; even Jesus faced it. The enemy tries to divert Jesus from His mission by offering comfort, power, and self-glory. Similarly, in our lives, we are tempted in ways that challenge our faith, our trust in God, and our purpose. 

The Power of God’s Word 
Jesus does not argue with the devil or rely on His own strength—He responds with Scripture. When tempted to turn stones into bread, He quotes Deuteronomy 8:3: “Man shall not live by bread alone.” When offered the kingdoms of the world, He responds with Deuteronomy 6:13: “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.” And when challenged to test God, He quotes Deuteronomy 6:16: “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.” This teaches us that God’s Word is our greatest defense. We must immerse ourselves in Scripture, so when trials come, we can stand firm. 

The Strength of the Holy Spirit 
At the end of the temptation, Jesus emerges “in the power of the Spirit” (Luke 4:14). His victory was not through physical strength but through spiritual reliance. As we face our own struggles, we, too, must rely on the Holy Spirit—through prayer, fasting, and faith—to remain steadfast. 

Saying “NO” to Temptation 
When we want to give in to any temptation, we will always find reasons, arguments and logic to support our desires. But when we need wisdom from God to challenge, question and walk over our temptations. Every year on the First Sunday of Lent we read the Gospel story of Jesus being tempted by Satan. The message of the Gospel is not just about saying “NO” to temptation but about challenging the temptation or the Tempter. 

The First Temptation is to turn stone into bread. Stones were in plenty around Jesus. If all the stones changed to bread, there would be enough food for a lifetime. The problem of poverty in the world is because so many people want to stack up and store money and material for a life-time. It is the feeling of insecurity. Jesus spoke of a parable of a man who wanted to pull down his barns and build larger ones but the Lord asked him ‘you fool. If your life would be demanded of you tonight, whose will all this be?’ Giving in to the first kind of temptation is like trying to accumulate for a life time when God wants us to live one day at a time. Giving in to this temptation will lead us to pillage, plunder, cheat, grab and snatch from others as much as we can. 

The Second Temptation is that Satan would give all the kingdoms of the world if Jesus will worship him. This temptation is all too evident from the growing power struggles seen in the world today and increase in violence and bloodshed; one religion trying to dominate another, nations trying to out-do another in economy and weaponry to become world- superpowers; cultures, communities and ethnic groups claiming superiority over another. This temptation for power begins at the individual level when we forget Jesus’ teaching ‘those who wish to be first must be the servant of all’ leading us to clamor for power, position and fame even at the cost and dignity of another. 

The Third Temptation is for Jesus to perform a spectacular act of falling from the pinnacle and not getting hurt. This temptation reveals itself in certain dangerously advancing technologies where man is trying to play God. Technology is good if it improves the quality of life, but dangerous when the creature wants to become creator. When we rely only on our own strengths and intelligence we will discount God. All our intelligence put together still cannot stop a tsunami, an earthquake or the raging waters of our flood. Paradoxically, it is our intelligence itself that has breached nature’s course and aggravated natural calamities. 

A Call to Spiritual Readiness 
Temptations are opportunities for our spiritual growth; the more we overcome temptation, the more we grow in spiritual strength. Jesus used his faith and knowledge of Scripture to hold fast to his convictions and not fall prey to the temptations the Devil laid out in front of him. 

We face temptations every day. We may feel the desire for a higher social status, prestige and recognition, satisfaction of the body or an appetite for power and financial wealth. Temptations lead to the desire for instant gratification. A lack of self-control can cause us to fall even deeper to the things that tempt us. It can lead to overspending, excess consumption and often greed. When this happens, unfair and unjust social dynamics emerge. Excess consumption of food and goods, for example, can cause wasteful practices resulting in negative ecological impacts on the Earth that we all share and call home. 

The story of Jesus’ temptations is not to be taken lightly. It’s a warning that we can ruin our lives if we stray from the path God wills for us. The first temptation was decisively important. On the surface it is a desire for something innocent and good: why not call on God power to satisfy our hunger. “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread,” the Tempter says to Jesus. His reply is surprising: “One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.” We must always seek God’s will above all. At every moment we must listen to God’s Word, seek God’s will. 

Dear parishioners, let us remember this: at the moment of temptation, of our temptations, there is no arguing with Satan, our defense must always be the Word of God! And this will save us. In his replies to Satan, the Lord, using the Word of God, reminds us above all that “man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Mathew 4:4; Deuteronomy 8:3); and this gives us the strength, sustains us in the struggle against a worldly mind-set that would lower man to the level of his primitive needs, causing him to lose hunger for what is true, good and beautiful, the hunger for God and for his love. 

May God accompany us in this Season of Lent to live for Him alone! 

Fraternally 
Fr. John Peter Lazaar SAC, Pastor