Calling and Sending: Reflections on Readings for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time
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If you haven’t already read the readings you can find them here.
Genesis 2:7-9, 3:1-7
Psalm 51
Romans 5:12-19
Matthew 4:1-11
As Lent reflects the 40 days of Jesus’ temptation by the devil in the desert, that is also where our Lent begins, in the wasteland, the cultural desert of our world. One definition of “desert” notes that it refers to a place lacking something. And too much of our world and our nation is lacking respect for God and trust and belief in Him. And this is what we should be learning about ourselves—what are we lacking in our respect for God, and our trust and belief in Him and His only begotten Son, Jesus.
Lack of trust in God is one of the issues brought out in the first reading. It is the story of the fall of our parents who succumbed to the deceit and temptation of the devil through the serpent, who we learn was the most cunning of the animals.
It begins briefly with one of the descriptions of man’s creation and then jumps to chapter 3 and Adam and Eve’s failure to resist the devil’s twisting of God’s instructions to them. “Presenting you an evil as if it were a good is the supreme art of the tempter.” (Fr. Livio Fanzaga, The Deceiver) It is worthwhile to read the whole of chapter 2 to review the creation of Adam’s mate, the first man and wife, and the instructions God gave them about the garden.
Dealing with the devil is difficult. He is smarter than we are and that is why exorcists have to be commissioned and trained to deal with him. And so our first parents, created in innocence, were no match for the evil one. They should never have engaged in conversation with him, nor should we. The Vatican II document, Gaudium et Spes (Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World) describes this encounter as follows: “Although he was made by God in a state of holiness, from the very onset of his history man abused his liberty, at the urging of the Evil One. Man set himself against God and sought to attain his goal apart from God. Although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, but their senseless minds were darkened and they served the creature rather than the Creator.” (GS 13) The devil was created by God and therefore is a creature like us.
In chapter 2 of Genesis our parents were naked but not ashamed. Now, after their encounter with the devil and going against God, “they realized that they were naked;so they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.” In other words they were ashamed of their nakedness and, having now distanced themselves from God, by wearing “clothes” they instituted a barrier between each other.
Lent is a time for acknowledging our sinfulness. Sin is a barrier between us and God. And so the responsorial psalm appropriately asks, “Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.” The key phrase here is, “For I acknowledge my offense.” Too often we try to hide our sinfulness even from ourselves. We make excuses for our actions and failings rather than facing them and working to correct them. Wisely the psalmist asks for God’s help as without Him we can do nothing (see John 15:5). And, like all of us, we need the help of the Holy Spirit to sustain our conversion. And as all sin is an act of the will, the psalmist asks God for a willing spirit. This is similar to our focus for Lent, strengthening our spirits to resist evil and get closer to the Lord.
In the second reading, Saint Paul refers to the passage in Genesis when he says, “Through one man sin entered the world.” As a result, “death came to all men.” We all suffer with sinfulness, “after the pattern of the trespass of Adam.” The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible (ICSB) notes regarding this passage, “The Council of Trent appealed to Romans 5:12 when it defined the doctrine of Original Sin in 1546 (Sess. 5). The doctrine holds that all descendants of Adam are born into the world in a state of spiritual death and in desperate need of salvation.”
However, the gift of Jesus Christ from God is sent to restore grace. Note the emphasis on “gift.” Grace is not something that is earned, it is a gift from God. Through Jesus we can become righteous. Again, from the ICSB referring to St. John Chrysostom, “Just as all who descend from Adam inherit death, though they do not eat from the tree themselves, so all who are joined to Christ inherit righteousness, though they do nothing to produce it themselves.”
The gospel reading describes Jesus’ resisting the devil’s temptations in the desert. His success in defeating the devil is one of the reasons we sometimes refer to Him as the “new Adam” in opposition to the failure of our first parents. As Lent is a preparation for us to strengthen our spiritual lives, Jesus’ time in the desert prepares Him for His public ministry which follows soon after. (See Matthew 4:12-17.)
We are mired in the desert of the secular world. The temptations of evil surround us daily. It takes great effort to resist them, and especially to take action against them. But we are called upon to do this in the way we live our lives, including our activities in the public square (e.g., our responsibility to properly form our consciences and to vote in accordance with Catholic teaching).
Both Jesus and the devil resort to Scripture in their battle, but Jesus’ has the trump card, “The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.”
Scripture is an important tool in spiritual warfare and in rebuilding our spiritual muscles to resist the evil of the world and stand against it. Important activities during Lent involve prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. One type of prayer involves reading and meditating on Scripture. Most Lenten aids include appropriate Scripture passages for Lenten meditation. Don’t have one or don’t know where to start? The psalms have always been an important part of the Church’s prayer life. The penitential psalms (6, 31, 37, 50, 101, 129, & 142) are particularly appropriate for this important liturgical season.
Other Scripture based devotions are also worthwhile. Just about every Catholic Church goes through the Stations of the Cross on Fridays during Lent. Even if you are not Catholic, this devotion is valuable for any Christian as it makes present the depth of Christ’s suffering and death for our salvation. “The Council of Trent emphasizes the unique character of Christ’s sacrifice as ‘the source of eternal salvation’ and teaches that ‘His most holy Passion on the Cross merited justification for us.’” (Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) 617)
Lent is preparation for the glorious Resurrection of our Lord on Easter. “’If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and our faith is in vain.’ The Resurrection above all constitutes the confirmation of all Christ’s works and teaching.” (CCC 651)
“Teachers change men by their lives, Our Blessed Lord would change men by His death.” Fulton Sheen, Life of Christ
Mr. Klocek is a retired Naval Officer, systems engineer, and physical scientist with over 30 years involvement in Catholic teaching in various parishes and a Fourth Degree Knight of Columbus and a member of St. Stephen Martyr Catholic Church in Chesapeake, VA. Visit his website: actuallycatholic.com
