Tempted

First Reading: Deuteronomy 26:4-10

Then the priest shall take the basket from your hand, and set it down before the altar of the LORD your God. "And you shall make response before the LORD your God, `A wandering Aramean was my father; and he went down into Egypt and sojourned there, few in number; and there he became a nation, great, mighty, and populous. And the Egyptians treated us harshly, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage. Then we cried to the LORD the God of our fathers, and the LORD heard our voice, and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression; and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror, with signs and wonders; and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. And behold, now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground, which thou, O LORD, hast given me.' And you shall set it down before the LORD your God, and worship before the LORD your God;

Psalm: Psalm 91:1-2, 10-15

Second Reading: Romans 10:8-13

But what does it say? The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart (that is, the word of faith which we preach); because, if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For man believes with his heart and so is justified, and he confesses with his lips and so is saved. The scripture says, "No one who believes in him will be put to shame." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and bestows his riches upon all who call upon him. For, "every one who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved."

Gospel: Luke 4:1-13

And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was led by the Spirit for forty days in the wilderness, tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing in those days; and when they were ended, he was hungry. The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread." And Jesus answered him, "It is written, `Man shall not live by bread alone." And the devil took him up, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, "To you I will give all this authority and their glory; for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it shall all be yours."

And Jesus answered him, "It is written, `You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.'" And he took him to Jerusalem, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here; for it is written, `He will give his angels charge of you, to guard you,' and `On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.'" And Jesus answered him, "It is said, `You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'" And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.

Reflection
By Grace Madriñan

“You know the reason why you have not found a man for yourself? It’s because you are spending too much time inside the church!”


A friend of mine once told me this straight to my face. I was caught off-guard, and for a second, I did not know how to respond. At first minute, I thought maybe he is right. But at the second minute, I knew he is wrong. So I responded, “How can my service to the church be a hindrance to my love life? Most probably, it could be very well that my close proximity to the church has saved me from meeting the wrong kind of man.”

I sort of distanced from this friend after that. This happened more than a year ago at the time when I was travelling alone in a foreign country. Being a single in a foreign country, some people would expect me to ‘mingle’, including this friend of mine. I did socialize, I go out and meet new friends and enjoy good conversations. I do admit that there are times when I thought of going beyond what my moral values dictate. Just to go with the flow, so they say.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus secluded Himself for forty days in the desert and was tempted. At first, I wondered why Jesus had to undergo such ordeal. We all know that Jesus will definitely pass with flying colors. Besides, He is God! But I realized later on, that aside from the need to experience it all in order to prepare Him for the great task ahead, He is also showing to us a model of how to face and win over temptations.

Like Jesus, I myself have my own taste of temptations. Maybe not as extensive as what Jesus had to go through, but I felt every inch of spiritual struggle. I do not regret having to experience such because it made me learn more about myself, my weaknesses as well as the grace that is bestowed upon me in these times of trouble. I learned that as much as there are temptations lurking around to snatch me, God supplied me with all the necessary resources to overcome the like. During that same time, I met new friends who happens to be Christians. They have kept me company through the rest of my stay. Not only did I have my moral values intact but they enriched my spirituality as well. Truly, it is a showcase of God’s protection over me.

Prayer

Father, danger is ever present in our everyday life. But we need only know how to tap into Your grace and Your protection is ever present, carrying us to safety. Amen.