Gospel – Luke 4:1-13
1 Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert 2 for forty days, to be tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days and when they were over he was hungry. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” 4 Jesus answered him, “It is written, One does not live on bread alone.”5 Then he took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant. 6 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. 7 All this will be yours, if you worship me.” 8 Jesus said to him in reply, “It is written: You shall worship the Lord, your God, and him alone shall you serve.” 9 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, 10 for it is written: He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you, 11 and: With their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.” 12 Jesus said to him in reply, “It also says, You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.” 13 When the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him for a time.
Points of Reflection:
Observance of the Lenten Season is here and now. Good Friday is the day of Divine mercy for the redemption of all sinners. Now is the right time for us to repent and be prepared on the day by avoiding the tendencies of committing sin. The gospel (Luke 4:1-13) taught us how to respond to the different ways by which man could be tempted. According to this gospel reading, man-like Jesus- could be tempted in three different ways, first is the temptation of biological pleasure where the devil in Luke 4:3, urged Jesus to turn stone into bread to satisfy his hunger. Jesus answered, “It is written, One does not live on bread alone”. This implies that man’s satisfaction does not depend solely on the physical being but includes as well our spiritual needs which God alone could satisfy. Second is the temptation of power and worldly positions where the devil offered Jesus the splendor of the world trading Divine authority unto him. But Jesus replied “It is written: You shall worship the Lord, your God, and him alone shall you serve”. This response verse simply told us to know the hierarchy of personal priorities that is putting God first above all others. It is man’s duty and obligation to worship God with all his might. The third is the temptation of spiritual power where the devil challenged Jesus to throw himself down unto the rocks below the parapet of the temple just to prove that Jesus is the son of the living and powerful God. Jesus simply replied not to put God into the test. For us humans, we do not need to give due regards to the tough times of life which somehow lead to questioning God’s ways and presence in us. We need to acknowledge the fact that God is preparing the best for all of us in His chosen time.
Prayer
Father God we praise and glorify your mighty and holy name. We thank you for all your Divine goodness keeping us in this life even in the toughest moment. Father God as we continue to live this gift of life, we ask your guidance and discernment of this life to fully understand its meaning and purpose. This we ask in your holy name amen.
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Doctor in Development Education ( Dev. Ed. D.), an all time educator as School Head and HEI Instructor.
