Prayer is one of pillars in this Season of Lent. As we are called in this season to return to God, to mend our hearts and relationships with one another, prayer plays a vital role. We remind ourselves that prayer makes us more aware of God’s presence in our life. As we become aware of the Divine, then, it also allows us to recognize ourselves together with our faults and failures. Hence, to humble ourselves before God makes our prayer more effective.
This also tells us that prayer is indeed not limited with our memorized and devotional prayers. Moreso, it is allowing ourselves to be intimately connected with God. This is what Jesus revealed to us today.
In the Gospel of Matthew, the Lord teaches us how to pray. Jesus himself taught us how to approach the heart of God. this is expressed with a greater confidence to God whom we also call as our Father. Jesus directed the disciples on how to truly ask and seek the will of the Father by praying sincerely.
This is where we also find Jesus’ warning. The Lord exhorted us not to babble in our prayers that are only meant to impress people. Jesus was conscious how the pagans would use many words but merely babbling. This was influenced from the beliefs of the pagans to use many words in order to appease a violent and angry god.
Yet, our God is not violent neither angry not needed to be appeased. God, as Jesus introduced to us, is our Father. In fact, the Psalm acknowledges this, “the LORD is close to the brokenhearted; and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.”
By calling God as our father, this brings us into the affection that we have with God. God certainly loves being called as our Father, whose only desire is for us to grow in love.
This invites us now that our prayers and other forms of devotions are not meant to impress others. Do not pray to flatter or manipulate the Lord because of our long, wordy, high-falutin and unintelligible prayers. Instead, the Lord wants our sincere and humble heart that recognizes God as our Father.
The Lord’s Prayer brings us, indeed, into sincerity and humility because the prayers acknowledges first God, as our Father whose “divine will” takes priority than our own. Thus, we seek and recognize the will of God for us and not our wants. This brings us to be more aware of our needs of the present moment, of today, and not to be burdened by our past or to be anxious of tomorrow.
This is very important to remember that the prayer Jesus taught allows us to be more aware of our present moment, of our needs and graces of the here and now. This will make us more contented and confident in life for we shall see how God provides and works for us in the present moment.
Jesus invites us and teaches us on how to seek God’s desires because God knows what is best for us by praying the way he prays. May this simple but powerful prayer of our Lord gives us more confidence in the presence of God dwelling among us whose only desire is the best for us. Hinaut pa.
At that time when our Lord Jesus was walking with us on earth, many were not able to recognize that the Lord God was in Jesus. In fact, his disciples at the beginning thought he was just a great teacher. They believed he was a wise man. Some saw him as a healer or one of the prophets. Many even took offense when Jesus taught them and explained to them the sacred scriptures.
Jesus was too ordinary for many that they could not believe the divinity in him. Those who were familiar with him grew bitter and insecure. The learned, those who possessed influence and authority at the time even felt threatened. Yet, as the apostles later on told us through their personal accounts of the Gospels and letters, in and with Jesus, God-is-with-us.
This is what Jesus revealed in his words and teachings, in his actions and encounters with countless people. Yet, indeed, it would be difficulty to recognize the Lord and spot his presence when we are only after with spectacular and out-of-this-world revelations. God’s Divine-Self or Divine Presence is manifested in the ordinary and the simple especially among the weak and the vulnerable.
This is what Jesus taught us today in the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus said, “whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” Using a parable, Jesus tells us that his presence resides to those who are hungry and thirsty, the stranger and the naked, the sick and the imprisoned. By being able to do good for them and to help uplift their quality of life, then, we do it as well for the Lord.
Clearly, Jesus identified himself with the weak and the vulnerable. What the Lord calls us is to recognize him and his presence among the least of our brothers and sisters. Recognizing the Lord then, has also a call for moral responsibility from us.
This is what the decrees all about revealed in the Book of Leviticus. Those laws are meant for us to take of each other and protect one another. By being able to show our true concern, sincerity, honesty and love for each other then we fulfill the law of God.
And so, as we continue the journey in this Season of Lent, let this be an opportune time for us to express in concrete ways works of mercy. Let our good deeds bring life to others. In this way, we shall encounter the Lord Jesus through the faces of one another especially among the weak and vulnerable. Hinaut pa.
What kind of temptations that we find ourselves struggling from? There could be small and simple temptations that may come and easy for us to overcome. Some are quite difficult to avoid when such a temptation is what we also desire.
To name a few of common temptations may come in these forms. For example, students are tempted to watch their favorite TV series or play “Mobile Legends” with their friends rather than to study. As a consequence, a temptation to cheat during exams can be possible or super late submission of paper works. Workers or employees are sometimes tempted to steal from their company or employer, or place of work perhaps because of a need at home or because of a lavish lifestyle. This can also be true among business owners or employers who do not give just wages to their workers. Others would even treat their workers in an inhumane way. What they were after is merely profit.
Among our political leaders, because of the prevailing culture of dishonesty and corruption, they could easily fall in the corrupt system of politics that instead of serving their constituents, then, they seek to amass wealth and protect their business interests. And because it is not easy to be an honest, a counter-culture and self-sacrificing public servant, it is a temptation to just “go with the flow” and join the band of corrupt officials – because confronting the powerful will mean persecution and pressure from the political-powers-that-be.
On a personal level again, sometimes we are also tempted to be complacent, to stay in our “protected shells” or settle to what is only easy and comfortable because we do not want to be disturbed, we do not want to take an extra mile or refuse to take the risk. Sometimes we too are tempted to just go with the flow and to become passive in our relationships because we do not want to face our issues and refuse to admit what is wrong with us.
Husbands or wives succumbed to the temptation to engage in extra-marital relationships perhaps because their married life has become cold. We, as sons and daughters, may be tempted to escape from home and seek for what is fun and entertaining outside because the home has become a source of boredom for us. Or we may also seek more attention outside our home or seek love and acceptance from other people because home has become a source of despair, condemnation, of pain and trauma. Others also yielded to alcohol and drug abuse or worst to commit suicide to forget or end their overwhelming problems.
Until the very end of our life, we face temptations. And so, on this First Sunday of Lent, let us understand better our human tendency towards sin and how we can overcome temptations in life.
In the biblical understanding, temptation means a “test” – that is of putting a person to a test. Temptation is also the urge or desire to engage into something which may result to a long-term consequence. It also makes us inclined to commit sin and thus, being away from the grace of God.
If this is a test then, why would God bring us to the test? The common understanding in the bible is that, God tests His people to put them in situations that would reveal the quality and sincerity of their heart, faith and devotion. In trials, God strengthens our patience and hope, matures our faith and assures us of his love.
Though God allows trial and suffering but it is the devil who brings suffering and pain. The devil’s intention is to bring us into hopelessness so that we give up on God. The devil tries to crush a person by putting so much pain and suffering. The devil deceives us to choose what is easy and what is naturally appealing to us, to make short cuts, and more reasons for giving up. The devil will discredit God’s love and mercy when we are in so much pain and confusion.
This is what the Gospel brings us today. Jesus was alone in the desert but filled with the Spirit of God. Then, the devil came to tempt him in three different situations.
The first temptation was to turn the stone into bread. Jesus by that time was starving. He was weak and so the devil used the weakness of Jesus to tempt him. This temptation was an offer to give in to the basic “human need.” It was to respond immediately for one’s “self-satisfaction.” Yet, the Lord understood well that his mission is not to satisfy himself but to do the will of his Father. Thus, Jesus chose to be hungry so that He too will experience how to be hungry. Through his hunger, Jesus can fill our hunger not just for food but for love, for affection and for God.
The second temptation was to worship the devil instead of the Lord God in exchange for all the kingdoms of the world with their riches and power. Jesus was poor and had no influence. The devil knew this and that’s why the devil offered Jesus riches, power and dominance. However, Jesus chose not to worship Satan, not to worship riches and wealth, not power and dominance over others, not control and influence or independence from his Father in heaven. Jesus chose to be powerless and vulnerable like the poor, the sick, the dying and oppressed.
The third temptation was to test the goodness and fidelity of the Father to Jesus. Jesus was alone in the desert and had surely felt loneliness and abandonment. This experience was used by the devil to tempt Jesus to test his Father’s faithfulness. The devil knew that Jesus had become insecure of what lies ahead. Being human, the future is always uncertain. But then, Jesus did not give in to that temptation to make certain of his Father’s love. He showed the devil that there is no need for testing God’s goodness to be certain of it. He showed that true faith in the Lord God is to embrace trust and hope in the midst our uncertainties and doubts.
All those things that the devil offered were actually not necessarily negative or evil. Satisfying ourselves, having riches and material possessions, and being certain of what lies ahead in life, are good in themselves.
Yet, be aware of this. Such good things can become a trap of the devil to allure us and keep us preoccupied, anxious, doubtful, fearful and insecure. These good things may then, keep us away from the grace of peace that God gives us. That is why, when something preoccupies and makes us anxious other than loving God, then, it comes from the devil.
Hence, our own hunger for attention, love and intimacy can become a trap when these are only directed for self-gratification. It happens when we immediately choose what is only comfortable and beneficial for ourselves without considering others or even at the expense of others. This leads us away from God.
Something can also spring up from our desires to be self-sufficient, the desire to exercise power and dominance over others, or simply to be successful. However, when our possessions, gadgets, work, fame, career and ambition preoccupy our heart and mind, then, we allow the devil to work and control our life.
Indeed, it feels so good to be served, to be self-sufficient, to have anything we need and want immediately. It feels good to be praised and be recognized because of the good things we did. It feels good to be able to exercise influence and power over the inferior ones.
But, when all of these only serve the ego (self) and feed oneself, then, we begin to become corrupt. The desire to have more and gain more becomes addictive. We will tend to worship ourselves rather than God, the Giver of everything and the source of all riches.
Moreover, our anxiety to be certain at everything about life can also become a great temptation. This anxiety can be very strong because when it controls our mind and heart then we begin to lose our peace of mind and become doubtful of God’s goodness. We will lose our self-confidence because we become fearful in making mistakes and taking risks. The temptation lies in our tendency to be masters of our own lives, to be independent from God. This will not surely bring us closer to God but in fact, we choose to be isolated from the grace of God.
The Gospel tells us that Jesus was actually led by the Spirit of God into the desert to be tempted. And Jesus was victorious over the temptations because he chose life and hope not death. Jesus chose his Father in heaven rather than the devil. This is how Jesus chose us.
And so, as we will all face temptations, let us also allow the Holy Spirit to lead us into our own deserts, to face our own struggles and difficulties. We are called not to escape from life but to face them with courage and faith. In this Season of Lent, we may discover and reaffirm God’s tremendous love and forgiveness for us. Hinaut pa.
What is our attitude about temptations in life? How do we act in response to our experiences of temptations in life?
Consider this… three men and an elderly priest had once a discussion. The priest asked: “supposing a corrupt politician approaches you, gives you lots of money and promises to grant you more favors if you vote and support him in the coming election, what would you do?”
The first replied, “I will return him the bribe-money”. The priest told him, “You, stupid fool”. Then the second replied, “I will take the bribe-money. I will keep it in my pocket. Surely, I will not waste such fortune”. But the priest replied, “You, shrewd crook”. And the last man said, “I really don’t know what to do? Will I overcome my evil inclinations? Or will my evil inclinations overpower me to claim what is not mine and to do what should not be done? I really don’t know. But if God will bless me and strengthen me to go against all my evil inclinations, I will return the bribe-money back to the corrupt politician.” The priest then said, “You are right, and you are a wise man.”
Why? The priest called the first man “stupid fool” because he doesn’t know himself. He believes that he is too strong to resist temptations in life. No men, by himself, have ever overcome temptations in life except Jesus.
Usually, temptations overcome us not because we are weak but because we are too proud to think that we are strong enough to overcome temptations. The second man was a “shrewd crook” because he is willing to claim what he does not own, and to do wrongdoing, without any qualms whatsoever. For such kind of men, temptations are opportunities for them to take advantage of others for their own benefits.
The priest praised the third as “good and wise man” because he knows that like all of us, we are basically weak people. He hopes that in the midst of temptations, he will be strong enough to do what is right. But he also knows that he can only do this with God’s help and strength, and he is most willing to ask and pray for it. He knows that in dealing with life-temptations, there is always a struggle within as well as reliance and faith in God’s help.
Like the stupid fool, we could resist & reject temptations on our own… Or like the shrewd crook, we could give in to it…. Or like the wise man, we could struggle in faith with temptations & evils in life.
We can say the temptations Jesus experienced in our gospel are still very much present and true in own lives today. To live in humanistic and materialistic life, to strive for our own self-glorification and not for God’s glory, and to worship not God, but worldly power and honor are still very present and true in our lives today anywhere, both here at home and abroad.
Surely migrant workers and their family today can attest to the reality and experience of temptations, struggles and reliance on God within themselves and their own family. They know the better and the worst realities and effects of how to live within the context of a Christian migrant family.
Yes, our ability today to live and work abroad either as migrant worker presents us great opportunities to make and build up our lives. But it also presents us great temptations to break and destroy our lives. Wherever we are, whether we are at home or abroad, we confront the same temptations and struggles as well as we need to rely and trust on God’s strength and power.
Easy for us indeed to fall into temptations. The biggest problem in struggling with temptations is our lack of self-knowledge – our lack of recognizing and overcoming the evil within ourselves. We struggle with the evils of others and in our society but the toughest struggle is to acknowledge and overcome the evil within our own selves – the evil within our own hearts.
We were born with conflicting goodness and evil within. That is why we can be good and can do good… but not without difficulties, since there are always tensions and struggles within ourselves. Moreover, we can only withstand these difficulties, if we are wise enough like Jesus in our gospel today, to rely and have faith not only in our own strength but in God’s help and power.
Like the stupid fool, if we think we can overcome these life-temptations and evils only by and through own strength and power, we are surely wrong and are doomed to failure for we don’t have the power and capacity to resist temptations. But like the wise man & Jesus, if we are wise enough to acknowledge and ask for, and have faith on God’s help and strength, we surely can overcome evils and temptations in others as well as within ourselves; – hoping not to be a shrewd crook falling into temptations.
St. Augustine is wise enough to say, “Through temptations, we come to know ourselves. We cannot receive the crown of salvation if there is no victory. And there is no victory if there is no struggle. And there is no struggle if there are no enemies and the bearers of these temptations.”
Meaning, we can bring about our salvation through and as we struggle with life-temptations and we recognize that human as we are, we are weak, but in faith with God, we are strong enough.
With our faith in Lord in our struggle with our day-to-day life-temptations & trials, we pray “Father, Lead us not into temptations, but deliver us from all evil.”
So be it. Hinaut pa unta. Kabay pa. Siya Nawa. Amen.
Every sinner felt unloved, unwanted and condemned. This was the prevailing culture at that time. Pharisees, Scribes, and those who considered themselves righteous demanded that public sinners be separated from the community. Yet, this is not the case with Jesus. Jesus turned the condemning culture upside down. Jesus opposed the rigid, judgmental, and unforgiving righteous people. He rather surprised them with forgiveness, mercy, and love.
This is what we have received in today’s Gospel. Jesus called Levi, also known as Matthew, to follow him. Levi was a tax collector. Levi, since he worked for the Roman rulers and collected tax among his fellow Jews, was considered a public sinner. His fellow Jews despised and prohibited him to enter the synagogue and the temple and even to mingle with his fellow Jews. Matthew was condemned and excommunicated by the society.
For any righteous person, no one shall talk to him or touch him. Yet, Jesus did all these things. Jesus talked to Levi, touched him and even dined with him, made him a friend and called Matthew to be one of the disciples. This tells us how Jesus calls and brings many wonders in the life of a person who responds to his call.
Jesus proclaimed his message to everyone as he said, “Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do. I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners.” This tells us that God is a God of forgiveness, of many chances, of healing and freedom. Jesus understands the struggle of a sinner though he was not a sinner himself.
As Levi, the sinner was given the grace of forgiveness and acceptance, and so we are. The presence of God is the grace that liberates us from whatever burden, shame and guilt that we are suffering from.
As a response, Levi left everything behind and followed Jesus. The grace Levi received, though unworthy, changed him very much. It transformed his heart to be free, thus, leaving everything that prevented him to follow the Lord.
This is also the message we have heard in the first reading from the Book of Prophet Isaiah. “If you remove from your midst oppression, false accusation and malicious speech; If you bestow your bread on the hungry and satisfy the afflicted; Then light shall rise for you in the darkness, and the gloom shall become for you like midday…”
We are called to let go and leave everything that prevents us from being close to Jesus and with the rest of our community. We are called to humble ourselves by acknowledging our sinfulness. This moves us to recognize our need for God, need for forgiveness and healing.
Be careful then, when we feel the temptation to appear righteous and superior over others. In fact, when we feel too righteous, we become arrogant. Arrogance keeps us away from God and would make us deny God’s mercy. Something we also need to leave behind.
As we recognize God in our life, then, we also allow God to transform us, to change our lives, to call us and to touch us. May our heart be renewed in this Season of Lent. Hinaut pa.
A DOSE OF GOD TODAY 