Mar 10 2019 Reflection

Sunday 10 March 2019

First Reading: DT 26:4-10
Responsorial Psalm:
Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.
PS 91:1-2, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15
Second Reading: ROM 10:8-13
Gospel Reading: LK 4:1-13

Today’s Note: First Sunday of Lent

Gospel Reading:

Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan 
and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days, 
to be tempted by the devil.
He ate nothing during those days, 
and when they were over he was hungry.
The devil said to him,
“If you are the Son of God, 
command this stone to become bread.”
Jesus answered him, 
“It is written, One does not live on bread alone.”
Then he took him up and showed him
all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant.
The devil said to him,
“I shall give to you all this power and glory; 
for it has been handed over to me, 
and I may give it to whomever I wish.
All this will be yours, if you worship me.”
Jesus said to him in reply,
“It is written:
You shall worship the Lord, your God,
and him alone shall you serve.”
Then he led him to Jerusalem, 
made him stand on the parapet 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 command his angels concerning you, to guard you,
and:
With their hands they will support you,
lest you dash your foot against a stone.”
Jesus said to him in reply,
“It also says,
You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.”
When the devil had finished every temptation, 
he departed from him for a time.

Reflection:

You will be saved. (Romans 10:9)

In today’s second reading, St. Paul tells us that confessing that Jesus is Lord and believing in his resurrection will bring us to the ultimate goal of our lives: heaven itself. But this is one of those “gospel truths” that comes with an asterisk attached.

We recite the Nicene Creed at every Sunday Mass. It’s another version of Paul’s confession of faith. So if we say it with faith, isn’t that all we need to do to get to heaven? Not exactly. Remember, even the devil believes that Jesus is the “son of the Most high God” (Luke 8:28). Remember too that Jesus warns us, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 7:21). 

Clearly, there must be more to this than simply reciting the truths of our faith. Something has to happen inside of us as well. Something has to come into us to change us and make us become more and more worthy of the gift of eternal life. And that something is faith.

Faith in Jesus sanctifies our hearts. It directs the affections of our hearts toward Jesus. It moves us to say no to sin. The devil’s “belief” didn’t sanctify his heart. It didn’t move him to have any affection for Jesus. If anything, it made him hate Jesus all the more. That’s because he didn’t put his faith in Jesus.

Every day this Lent, the Holy Spirit wants to move you toward a deeper faith, a faith that strengthens your love for Jesus and other people.

Think of it this way. Married couples know that love involves much more than saying and believing the words “I love you.” They know it means staying united, serving each other, working out differences, and putting each other above themselves. Likewise, confessing Jesus as Lord and believing it in your heart is much more than accepting a fact and saying it. Confessing and believing is a way of faith. It’s a way of life.

“Jesus, I believe that you are the Savior of the world. Let this faith continue to sanctify my heart.”