Three Temptations Today
Who told this story? Remember Jesus separated Himself after His baptism from John and now was retreating to prepare for His Mission: to save many souls. Who was in that deserted spot besides Jesus? Only Satan. Either Satan tells the story or it is told by our Divine Lord. At issue today our world seeks to make Jesus a myth which puts the whole of the New Testament under the category of lies. But if our Lord entered this world to bring souls back to the Father then we must accept all the “canonized” works (Gospels and Epistles) as authentic and credible. We conclude that Jesus told this story and for good reason as we shall discover.
Recall that we are in a battlefield while we live in this world. We are being tested by the flesh, the world and the devil. If we fail the test then we lose our eternal soul. It is serious for the results are forever. For forty days our Lord in union with the Father and the Holy Ghost was preparing to go forth and save souls by His teaching and His suffering. After praying and fasting the time was ripe for the mission to begin and along comes the great tester, Satan. His tests will touch upon the three sources in order to draw out the divine plan.
First temptation deals with our senses and comes from the flesh. We all have instincts and hunger is one of those that will represent the whole gamut of the sensual field. Satan says to our Lord: “You are hungry just like everyone in this world is hungry if you want to save the masses I know what you can do. Turn these stones into loaves of bread. The people live for entitlements, freebies. Feed them and they will follow you, but don’t go to a bloody cross, there is no need.” Our Lord rebukes the evil one with the simple Word from God: “Not on bread alone does man live but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Our Lord will not accept that shortcut from the Cross.
In the second temptation the focus is on entertainment and it comes from the world. The world knows that people thrive on the unusual. Go to a circus to witness the acrobats, the clowns, the shows. Satan unites with the world to offer another short cut from the Cross. From top of the temple the evil one encourages our Lord that if He is the Son of God throw thyself down from this high spot and the angels will gather you up and not a toe will be hurt. When the people see that feat, they will cry out for more. Jesus will become a super star not a super scar. Our Lord dismisses the evil one and confirms the Father’s desire that He should become a super scar to save the souls from their sins.
Finally, the devil plays his last temptation, his ultimate card to persuade the good Lord to avoid the Cross. Upon a high mountain top Satan shows all the kingdoms of the world and the beauty contained therein. All these, he says, are in his power. If Jesus will but fall down and worship him then the world would be in his control. It would be a new world order in an instant. All Jesus had to do was worship the evil one. He could be a president, a king, an emperor; it really doesn’t matter just a little praise of the devil and He would have the masses. Our Lord’s response is immediate: “Be gone, Satan, God alone shall you serve and worship.” With that statement the tempter was defeated and our salvation was assured. It would be through divine suffering on a Cross.
Therefore the fall of man required a disobedient man, Adam; a deceived woman, Eve; and a tree. Now we have an obedient man, our Lord Jesus Christ; a humble maiden, Mary; and the tree of the Cross. The three temptations indicate to us the role of the Mystical Body in this world: suffering in order to gain the resurrection of our souls. Prayer, Penance and Almsgiving are the three means most useful against the flesh, the world and the devil. Lent has begun and our task now is to meditate and change our lives from the deceit that Satan has put upon us by means of a Conciliar Church to the tradition which calls upon us to endure this world and to keep our eyes of faith focused upon eternity. God help us one and all to realize the tricks of the devil and the love of God for us.
In the hearts of Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
Fr. Voigt, S.D.B.
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