He was tempted by the devil

First Sunday of Lent

L-Ewwel Ħadd tar-Randan          

Messalin C 144 

Reading 1                      Deuteronomy 26:4-10

Moses spoke to the people, saying: “The priest shall receive the basket from you  and shall set it in front of the altar of the LORD, your God. Then you shall declare before the Lord, your God,  ‘My father was a wandering Aramean who went down to  Egypt with a small household  and lived there as an alien. But there he became a nation great, strong, and numerous. When the Egyptians maltreated and oppressed us,  imposing hard labor upon us,  we cried to the LORD, the God of our fathers,  and he heard our cry and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. He brought us out of Egypt with his strong hand and outstretched arm, with terrifying power, with signs and wonders; and bringing us into this country, he gave us this land flowing with milk and honey. Therefore, I have now brought you the firstfruits of the products of the soil  which you, O LORD, have given me.’ And having set them before the Lord, your God,  you shall bow down in his presence.” This is the Word of The Lord.

 L-Ewwel Qari   -    mill-Ktieb tad-Dewteronomju 26, 4-10

Mose' kellem lill-poplu u qal:  "Il-qassis imbagħad jilqa' minn idejk il-qoffa, u  jqegħedha quddiem l-artal tal-Mulej, Alla tiegħek.    Inti mbagħad tgħid hekk quddiem il-Mulej, Alla tiegħek. "Missieri kien minn Aram, jiġġerra minn post għal ieħor; imbagħad niżel l-Eġittu u għammar hemm.   Żgħir kien l-għadd ta'  niesu, iżda hemmhekk sar poplu kbir,  qawwi u  kotran.    L-Eġizzjani ħaqruna, għakksuna,  għabbewna b'xogħol iebes; imma aħna għajjatna lill-Mulej Alla  ta' missirijietna, u l-Mulej sama' l-għajta tagħna, ra t-tgħakkis u  t-tbatija u d-dwejjaq tagħna, u ħariġna l-Mulej mill-Eġittu,  b'id qawwija, bi driegħ merfugħ, b'biża kbir, b'sinjali u  b'għeġubijiet, u daħħalna f'dan il-post,  tana din l-art, art tnixxi  ħalib u għasel.  U issa, ara, jiena ġibt l-ewwel frott tal-art li  tajtni int, Mulej."  U int tqiegħdu quddiem il-Mulej Alla tiegħek, u tadura lill-Mulej Alla tiegħek.     Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm     PSALM 91:1-2, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15

R. (cf. 15b)      Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.

You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High,
who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,
say to the LORD, “My refuge and fortress,
my God in whom I trust.”                                            R/

No evil shall befall you,
nor shall affliction come near your tent,
For to his angels he has given command about you,
that they guard you in all your ways.                           R/

Upon their hands they shall bear you up,
lest you dash your foot against a stone.
You shall tread upon the asp and the viper;
you shall trample down the lion and the dragon.        R/

Because he clings to me, I will deliver him;
I will set him on high because he acknowledges my name.
He shall call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in distress;
I will deliver him and glorify him.                                 R/

 Salm Responsorjali                       SALM 90 (91)

            R/    Kun miegħi, Mulej, fid-dwejjaq.

Int li tgħix għall-kenn ta' l-Għoli,

li tgħammar għad-dell ta' dak li  jista' kollox,

għid lill-Mulej: "Kenn tiegħi u qawwa tiegħi int,

Alla tiegħi, jien fik nittama.                                           R/

Ebda deni  ma jiġrilek,

ebda ħsara ma tersaq lejn darek.

Għax l-anġli tiegħu hu jibgħatlek,

u jħarsuk fi triqatek kollha.                                           R/

Fuq idejhom jefgħuk,

li ma taħbatx ma' xi ġebla riġlek.

Fuq l-iljun u l-lifgħa int timxi,

ferħ ta' ljun u serp int tirfes.                                         R/

La tħabbeb miegħi, jien neħilsu;

la għaraf ismi, jiena nħarsu.

Hu jsejjaħli, u jiena nwieġbu;

miegħu nkun fid-dwejjaq tiegħu,

neħilsu u nerfagħlu ġieħu.                                           R/

Reading 2                      Romans 10:8-13

Brothers and sisters: What does Scripture say? The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart —that is, the word of faith that we preach—,  for, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord  and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,  you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified,  and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. For 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, enriching all who call upon him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” This is the Word of The Lord.

 It-Tieni Qari   -    mill-Ittra lir-Rumani 10, 8-13

Ħuti, xi tgħid l-Iskrittura?  "Il-kelma qiegħda ħdejk, f'fommok u qalbek";  jiġifieri, il-kelma tal-fidi li aħna nxandru.   Għax  jekk  inti tistqarr b'fommok, "Ġesu' hu l-Mulej!"  u temmen b'qalbek li  Alla qajmu mill-imwiet,inti ssalva.  Wieħed jemmen f'qalbu biex  ikollu l-ġustizzja u jistqarr b'xufftejh biex ikollu s-salvazzjoni. L-Iskrittua tgħid:  "Kull min jemmen fih ma jintilifx." Ma hemmx għażla bejn Lhudi u Grieg, hu s-Sid ta' kulħadd u  għani ma' dawk kollha li jsejħulu.Għax:  "Kull min isejjaħ isem il-Mulej isalva." Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel                 Luke 4:1-13

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.  This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Evanġelju   -    skont San Luqa  4, 1-13

F'dak iż-żmien, Ġesu', mimli bl-Ispirtu s-Santu, raġa' lura mill-Ġordan u l-Ispirtu ħadu fid-deżert. Hemm għal erbgħin jum Ġesu' kien imġarrab mix-Xitan. Matul dawk il-jiem ma kiel xejn; u mbagħad, meta għaddew  dawk il-jiem, ħadu l-ġuħ.  U x-Xitan qallu: "Jekk inti Bin  Alla, għid lil din l-ġebla ssir ħobż."  Wieġbu Ġesu': "Hemm miktub, "Il-bniedem mhux bil-ħobż biss jgħix." Imbagħad ix-Xitan ħadu fl-għoli u wrieh is-saltniet tad-dinja  kollha f'daqqa.   Qallu x-Xitan:  "Nagħtik is-setgħa fuq dawn kollha,  bil-glorja tagħhom ukoll għax hija ngħatat lili,  u jiena nagħtiha lil min  irrid.  Jekk tinxteħet quddiemi tagħtini qima, kollha tiegħek tkun." Ġesu' wieġbu u qallu: "Hemm miktub:  "Lill-Mulej, Alla tiegħek, tadura, u lilu biss taqdi." Imbagħad ix-Xitan ħadu Ġerusalemm,  qiegħdu fuq il-quċċata tat-tempju, u qallu: "Jekk inti Bin Alla,  inxteħet minn hawn għal isfel. Għax hemm miktub:  "Lill-anġli tiegħu jordnalhom biex jieħdu  ħsiebek sewwa," u li:  "fuq idejhom jerfgħuk, ħalli ma taħbatx  riġlek  ma' xi ġebla." Wieġbu Ġesu' u qallu:  "Jingħad:  "Iġġarrabx lill-Mulej  Alla tiegħek." Imbagħad ix-Xitan meta temm dan it-tiġrib kollu, telaq minn ħdejh sa  ma wasal il-waqt. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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Father Raniero Cantalamessa ofm cap on EVIL:   

He was tempted by the devil

The Gospel of Luke, which we read this coming Sunday was written, as he says in the introduction, so that the believing reader would be able to “know the truth concerning the things of which you have been informed.” This purpose is quite relevant today. Faced as we are with attacks on the historical veracity of the Gospels from every quarter and with the continual manipulation of the figure of Christ, it is more important than ever that the Christian and the honest reader of the Gospel know the truth of the teachings and reports that the Gospel contains.

I have decided to use my commentaries on the Gospels from the beginning of Lent to the Sunday after Easter for this purpose. Taking each Sunday Gospel as our point of departure, we will consider different aspects of the person and the teaching of Christ to determine who Jesus truly is, whether he is a simple prophet and great man, or something more and different than these.

I have decided to use my commentaries on the Gospels from the beginning of Lent to the Sunday after Easter for this purpose. Taking each Sunday Gospel as our point of departure, we will consider different aspects of the person and the teaching of Christ to determine who Jesus truly is, whether he is a simple prophet and great man, or something more and different than these.

In other words, we will be doing some religious education. Such phenomena as Dan Brown’s “Da Vinci Code,” with the imitators and discussions it has given rise to, have shown to us the alarming religious ignorance that reigns in our society. This ignorance provides ideal terrain for every sort of unscrupulous commercial venture. Sunday’s Gospel, for the first Sunday of Lent, treats of Jesus’ temptation in the desert. Following the plan I have announced, I would like to begin from this Gospel and expand the discussion to focus on the general question of Jesus’ attitude toward demonic forces and those people possessed by demons.

It is one of the most historically certain and undeniable facts that Jesus freed many people from the destructive power of Satan. We do not have the time here to refer to each of these episodes. We will limit ourselves to throwing light on two things: The first is the explanation that Jesus gave about his power over demons; the second is what this power tells us about Jesus and his person.

Faced with the clamorous liberation of one possessed person which Jesus had performed, his enemies, unable to deny the fact, say: “He casts out demons in the name of Beelzebul, the prince of demons” (Luke 11:15). Jesus shows that this explanation is absurd. If Satan were divided against himself, his reign would have ended long ago, but instead it continues to prosper. The true explanation is rather that Jesus casts out demons by the finger of God, that is, by the Holy Spirit, and this shows that the kingdom of God has arrived on earth.

Satan was “the strong man” who had mankind in his power, but now one “stronger than him” has come and is taking his power away from him. This tells us something quite important about the person of Christ. With his coming there has begun a new era for humanity, a regime change. Such a thing could not be the work of a mere man, nor can it be the work of a great prophet.

It is essential to note the name or the power by which Jesus casts out demons. The usual formula with which the exorcist turns to the demon is: “I charge you by…,” or “in the name of … I order you to leave this person.” He calls on a higher authority, generally God, and for Christians, Jesus. But this is not the case for Jesus himself: His words are a dry “I order you.”

I order you! Jesus does not need to call upon a higher authority; he is himself the higher authority.  The defeat of the power of evil and of the demons was an integral part of the definitive salvation (eschatological) proclaimed by the prophets. Jesus invites his adversaries to draw the conclusions of what they see with their eyes. There is nothing more to wait on, to look forward to; the kingdom and salvation is in their midst.

The much discussed blasphemy against the Holy Spirit has its explanation here. To attribute to the spirit of evil, to Beelzebul, or to magic that which is so manifestly the work of the Spirit of God meant to stubbornly close one’s eyes to the truth, to oppose oneself to God himself, and therefore to deprive oneself of the possibility of forgiveness.

The historical approach that I wish to take in these commentaries during Lent should not keep us from seeing also the practical importance of the Gospel we are treating. Evil is still terribly present to us today. We witness manifestations of evil that often exceed our ability to understand; we are deeply disturbed and speechless when faced with certain events reported by the news. The consoling message that flows from the reflections we have made thus far is that there is in our midst one who is “stronger” than evil.

Some people experience in their lives or in their homes the presence of evil that seems to be diabolical in origin. Sometimes it certainly is — we know of the spread of satanic sects and rites in our society, especially among young people — but it is difficult in particular cases to determine whether we are truly dealing with Satan or with pathological disturbances. Fortunately, we do not have to be certain of the causes. The thing to do is to cling to Christ in faith, to call on his name, and to participate in the sacraments.

Sunday’s Gospel suggests a means to us that is important to cultivate especially during the season of Lent. Jesus did not go into the desert to be tempted; his intention was to go into the desert to pray and listen to the voice of the Father.  Throughout history there have been many men and women who have chosen to imitate Jesus as he withdraws into the desert. But the invitation to follow Jesus into the desert is not made only to monks and hermits. In a different form it is made to everyone.

The monks and hermits have chosen a place of desert. We have chosen a desert time. To pass time in the desert means to create a little emptiness and silence around us, to rediscover the road to our heart, to remove ourselves from the noise and external distractions, to enter into contact with the deepest source of our being and our faith. 

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