Tests of Faith

1st Sunday of Lent
10 February 2008

First reading: Genesis 2:7 - 3:7
The Lord God fashioned man of dust from the soil. Then he breathed into his nostrils a breath of life, and thus man became a living being.
The Lord God planted a garden in Eden which is in the east, and there he put the man he had fashioned. The Lord God caused to spring up from the soil every kind of tree, enticing to look at and good to eat, with the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the middle of the garden.

Now the serpent was the most subtle of all the wild beasts that the Lord God had made. It asked the woman, ‘Did God really say you were not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?’ The woman answered the serpent, ‘We may eat the fruit of the trees in the garden. But of the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden God said, “You must not eat it, nor touch it, under pain of death”. ‘ Then the serpent said to the woman, ‘No! You will not die! God knows in fact that on the day you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods, knowing good and evil.’ The woman saw that the tree was good to eat and pleasing to the eye, and that it was desirable for the knowledge that it could give. So she took some of its fruit and ate it. She gave some also to her husband who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened and they realised that they were naked. So they sewed fig-leaves together to make themselves loin-cloths.

Second reading: Romans 5:12 - 19
Sin entered the world through one man, and through sin death, and thus death has spread through the whole human race because everyone has sinned. Sin existed in the world long before the Law was given. There was no law and so no one could be accused of the sin of ‘law-breaking’, yet death reigned over all from Adam to Moses, even though their sin, unlike that of Adam, was not a matter of breaking a law.

Adam prefigured the One to come, but the gift itself considerably outweighed the fall. If it is certain that through one man’s fall so many died, it is even more certain that divine grace, coming through the one man, Jesus Christ, came to so many as an abundant free gift. The results of the gift also outweigh the results of one man’s sin: for after one single fall came judgement with a verdict of condemnation, now after many falls comes grace with its verdict of acquittal. If it is certain that death reigned over everyone as the consequence of one man’s fall, it is even more certain that one man, Jesus Christ, will cause everyone to reign in life who receives the free gift that he does not deserve, of being made righteous. Again, as one man’s fall brought condemnation on everyone, so the good act of one man brings everyone life and makes them justified. As by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by one man’s obedience many will be made righteous.

Gospel: Matthew 4:1 - 11
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit out into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, after which he was very hungry, and the tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to turn into loaves’. But he replied, ‘Scripture says:
Man does not live on bread alone
but on every word that comes from the mouth of God’.

The devil then took him to the holy city and made him stand on the parapet of the Temple. ‘If you are the Son of God’ he said ‘throw yourself down; for scripture says:
He will put you in his angels’ charge,
and they will support you on their hands
in case you hurt your foot against a stone’.

Jesus said to him, ‘Scripture also says:
You must not put the Lord your God to the test’.

Next, taking him to a very high mountain, the devil showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour. ‘I will give you all these’ he said, ‘if you fall at my feet and worship me.’ Then Jesus replied, ‘Be off, Satan! For scripture says:
You must worship the Lord your God, and serve him alone.’

Then the devil left him, and angels appeared and looked after him.

Reflection
By Anabelle Payod-Balla

I went through "forced" labor for more than 10 hours before I underwent the D&C procedure. It was a very traumatic experience compared to my previous deliveries. And the saddest as well given that I needed to go through all those pains with no baby to look forward to hug. I was badly shaken and was asking God why it should happen to me. I was so positive that it is meant to be and that this time we have a baby boy as I prayed for it for so long now and I have even claimed it the moment I found out I was pregnant. I experienced a moment of darkness, doubt. I was tempted to be angry, bitter, and to indulge myself in self-pity. It seems more comfortable to react that way than trying to be cool and appear OK. It was a test of faith, if I trust God’s plans for me and our family. Fortunately, that moment of darkness did not last long. And I thank God for keeping me close to Him everyday, it helped me a great deal to recover faster.

Jesus’ temptation is this Sunday’s Gospel is so strong. He was weary and hungry as He has not eaten for forty days and night. The devil’s offer for food is so tempting along with his other promises to give Jesus the world. But Jesus is so close to the Father. He knows the Father’s will and has made the decision to follow every bit of it until the end. He is clear about His mission and who He should follow so it was easy for Him to resist the temptation of the devil. He successfully overcame the test of faith! In the end, He was transformed to His purest form and has gone up to Heaven to join the Father.


Most of us have surely gone through some tests of faith already. For the times we’ve succeeded to resist them, give thanks and celebrate it with God. For the times we’ve let the temptations rule like what happened to Adam and Eve in the First Reading, let’s seek God’s mercy and ask Him to bring us back on track. Let us not try to defer or set aside these temptations as well. Let’s meet it head on and make that decision right away to resist it. To have the courage and the discipline to overcome temptation, stay close to God, and develop stronger relationship with Him. The closer we are to Him, the louder and clearer we hear and feel His guidance and protection against these temptations.

Father, please forgive us for the times we were weak to resist temptations. Please hold us close to You and never let go even if we want to so we will clearly hear Your Voice and follow Your will. Amen.

When faced with temptations, seek God and He will surely lead you to what’s best for you.