On Wednesday last we began our forty-day journey into yet another Lent. Our minds may still be full of ideas of what to do for Lent—or what to give up? Are we going to volunteer at the 'Food bank' or give up chocolate? Today's readings present a theme that we are all very familiar with: temptation. Whether it is resisting the urge to eat a full pack of 'Pringles', or not punching your least favourite politician in the face when they pontificate on television once again, temptation is a reality in our lives. For Eve and Adam, in the garden of perfection, it came in the opportunity to gain total knowledge of good and evil—to be like God. For Jesus, the perfect one, it was an encounter with the evil one. In the beautiful tale from Genesis, their giving in to temptation destroys innocence, and their world is thrown into turmoil. In Matthew's account, Jesus stands up to all kinds of attractive enticements. For Adam and Eve, their life is idyllic until they allow themselves to be tempted—the serpent does make a very convincing case! Jesus, on the other hand, willingly enters the wilderness, and spends his forty days in fasting and prayer. Nothing can stop him taking that difficult road of total dedication to the will of the Father. Daily we pray, 'thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven!' Perhaps this experience of Lent 2023 could help us to allow the reign of God to shine in our lives. In our gospel today, Jesus shows that this is a call in good times and bad. It would be all too easy for Jesus to heed the advice (or temptation) of Simon Peter who begs him not to go to Jerusalem to face suffering and death. It would be much safer and easier had Jesus returned to Galilee, and to the carpenter's shop in Nazareth. However, Jesus opts for neither safety nor an easy life! He must follow his true path, with all its glory—and pain. Evil does not come to us under the guise of a bearded man with horns and a tail, holding a large fork! In my experience, evil and hurt comes under a much more acceptable appearance, sometimes from people we trust and respect.

Some of us may well use part of this Lent to take part in fasting, or to devote more time to prayer. You might take the opportunity to go on a Retreat experience—perhaps your parish might offer Lenten reflections, or scripture study. These all help to deepen our personal relationship with God, and should, in my opinion, be embraced. In this part of the world, we are so lucky: even with recession and austerity, most of us know that we will have food on the table and a place to sleep tonight. The tragedy is that millions do not share that certainty—even in our own nation. In offering Jesus bread, the devil reveals the temptation to give people what they want rather than what they need. Bread might fill an immediate need and satisfy hunger in the stomach, but there are other hungers too. As Christians, we need to hunger and thirst for justice and peace. We need to hunger for equality and the end to any type of discrimination. We can think of situations of seemingly wealthy people who 'have it all' yet are desperately unhappy. Jesus is asking us to address our deepest hungers today so that we can bring joy and happiness not only in our own lives, but in the lives of others too. Jesus stands up to the forces of evil and shows us a new way through adversity.

Jesus shows us that we do not need spectacular events, like throwing yourself off the Temple, to ease the hunger of our world. In the solitude of the desert, Jesus has never been closer to humanity. Perhaps these past three years have been that desert experience that we all need. In the heart of lockdown, we were told to keep away from others—even our weekly Eucharist could become a super-spreader, and we saw our church buildings closed. In that loneliness, I certainly saw my need for community and companionship. I suspect that all of us have had to draw on reservoirs of strength that we might not have realised. Let us never use our sense of compassion and care, even though the temptation to be harsh and hard can sometimes be easier. In his pandemic encyclical 'Fratelli Tutti', Pope Francis reminds us that we cannot sit on the fence. Caring for others has to come at a personal cost, as the Gospel reminds us so often. This wake-up call of Pope Francis is a call to empathy and understanding. We can only move forward if our Church does not become a bystander. Like the Good Samaritan of Luke's parable, our call, especially this Lent is to be involvedand not pass by when we see injustice, prejudice and wrong. The Good Samaritan's love is not bound by his cultural differences with the Judean man to whom he ministers. Nor does he use inconvenience as an excuse not to provide aid, as the Levite and the priest do, or to expect some kind of reward for his generosity. Instead of focusing on whether the man he encounters is good enough to be his neighbour, the Samaritan is an example of waking up to see the reality of true Christian living, as 'Fratelli Tutti' reminds us:

The Samaritan became a neighbour to the wounded Judean. By approaching and making himself present, he crossed all cultural and historical barriers. Jesus concludes the parable by saying: "Go and do likewise" (Lk 10:37). In other words, he challenges us to put aside all differences and, in the face of suffering, to draw near to others with no questions asked. I should no longer say that 'I have neighbours to help, but that I must myself be a neighbour to others.' (FT 8)

In the final part of today's dramatic encounter, angels come to support and help Jesus. Who were these angels? Were they Gabriel or Raphael? Were they Mary of Magdala or John? Who are the angels who support you through your trials and tribulations? It is essential to remember that you too can be that Angel of mercy to those friends of yours desperately clinging on to life itself—often tempted to just give up. You could be the one to make a difference this week!

Author: Fr Gerry O'Shaughnessy SDB
Photo by Luke Stackpoole on Unsplash