Gen. 2:7-9; 3:1-7, Psalm 51, Rom. 5:12-19, Matt. 4:1-11

Look at the enemy’s three-fold lies in today’s Gospel reading. If you are the Son of God, prove it.  Again, if you are the Son of God, prove it. And, if you call me Father, I will give you the whole world. Are they not the same lies told to Adam and Eve in the garden in today’s Old Testament reading? Our first parents, who were created in the image and likeness of God, were deceived into thinking they would be “like gods” if they disobeyed His command. They were tempted to think there was something better awaiting them if they could become “like gods”, as if the Father were withholding something from them. The enemy tempts Jesus in the same way, casting doubt on His identity as the Son of God and offering Him “the whole world” if Jesus would only bow down to him, thus calling him father. But unlike our first parents, Jesus triumphs over temptation by holding fast to His identity as Son of God and proclaiming God’s truth in sacred scripture.  In so doing, Jesus triumphed over temptation and made a way for us to triumph as well.

            Jesus shows us that the first key to overcoming temptation is holding fast to our identity as children of God. If you spend any time with Fr. Adam, you will soon hear him refer to you or others as “child of God.” He constantly affirms and reminds us that our deepest and truest selves are found in our identity as beloved children of our heavenly Father. Just as the enemy tempted Jesus to prove His identity as God’s son, how often are we tempted to prove ourselves? How often do we hear the enemy whisper that we are not good enough, not successful enough, not beautiful enough, not smart enough, not powerful enough, not rich enough, and on and on? How often does the enemy tempt us into thinking that if only we were more successful, more pious, more beautiful, more whatever, we would be “like gods,” possessing some key to happiness that we did not yet have? In so doing, the enemy tempts us to doubt our God given identity and seek an identity rooted in the world, of which he is the ruler. If he can trick us into trading our identity in God for a worldly identity, as he did our first parents, he succeeds in tempting us to bow down and worship him. As today’s second reading affirms, through His death on the cross, Jesus once and for all reconciled us to the Father, sealing our identity as children of God. When faced with the temptation to doubt who we are, just as Jesus in the desert, we must stand firm and remember we are God’s beloved children.

            The second key to overcoming temptation is remaining rooted and grounded in sacred scripture. You will note in today’s Gospel that each time the enemy tempts Jesus, He counters it with God’s living word. A pastor once stood up to preach the homily, took his bible, and said, “Today, I am going to preach on the entire bible.” He then said, “LOVE,” and sat back down. The bible is God’s great love story for humankind. God’s word speaks His love to us from all eternity and invites us to respond back with faith and love. We do not sin by being tempted. We sin by our response to temptation. We see from today’s Gospel that the enemy invites us to respond to temptation by denying the truth of who we are and choosing what is in the world. Jesus shows us that when faced with temptation we are invited to respond with faith and love in our Father in Heaven as pronounced in His Word. What is so liberating about this is that we do not need to come up with any clever response to temptation. All we need to do is remember, as Fr. Adam likes to tell us, that we are God’s children and reply, “my Father said….”

           In the daily meditations this week, we will hear from our brothers and sisters in Christ about their own struggles with temptation. You will see examples of real people meeting Christ and finding strength in Him as they deal with real life situations. As you journey through the week, we pray that you gain greater awareness of how the enemy tempts you to deny your identity in Christ and choose what is in the world over what God promises. We pray that you learn to ground yourself in the truth that you are God’s beloved child. We pray that you learn to counter the enemy’s lies with God’s truth. We pray that this Lent you find true freedom in Christ who in His infinite love has redeemed you, showed you how to fight temptation, and made a way for your return to the Father.

The Reflection Team is continuing to pray for you! We hope that you are enjoying these messages and that you are becoming more aware each day of how much Jesus wants to meet you where you are. May you gain strength this week to fight whatever temptations the enemy tries to throw you way. "A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me." Psalm 51Cl