20200301
OVERCOMING
THE FORCES OF EVIL
01 March, 2020,
Sunday, 1st Week of Lent
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Violet.
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First reading
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Genesis 2:7-9,3:1-7 ©
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The Creation, and the sin of our first parents
The Lord God
fashioned man of dust from the soil. Then he breathed into his nostrils a
breath of life, and thus man became a living being.
The
Lord God planted a garden in Eden which is in the east, and there he put the
man he had fashioned. The Lord God caused to spring up from the soil every kind
of tree, enticing to look at and good to eat, with the tree of life and the
tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the middle of the garden.
Now
the serpent was the most subtle of all the wild beasts that the Lord God had
made. It asked the woman, ‘Did God really say you were not to eat from any of
the trees in the garden?’ The woman answered the serpent, ‘We may eat the fruit
of the trees in the garden. But of the fruit of the tree in the middle of the
garden God said, “You must not eat it, nor touch it, under pain of death.”’
Then the serpent said to the woman, ‘No! You will not die! God knows in fact
that on the day you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods,
knowing good and evil.’ The woman saw that the tree was good to eat and
pleasing to the eye, and that it was desirable for the knowledge that it could
give. So she took some of its fruit and ate it. She gave some also to her
husband who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were
opened and they realised that they were naked. So they sewed fig-leaves
together to make themselves loin-cloths.
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Responsorial
Psalm
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Psalm 50(51):3-6,12-14,17 ©
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Have
mercy on us, O Lord, for we have sinned.
Have
mercy on me, God, in your kindness.
In
your compassion blot out my offence.
O
wash me more and more from my guilt
and
cleanse me from my sin.
Have
mercy on us, O Lord, for we have sinned.
My
offences truly I know them;
my
sin is always before me
Against
you, you alone, have I sinned;
what
is evil in your sight I have done.
Have
mercy on us, O Lord, for we have sinned.
A
pure heart create for me, O God,
put
a steadfast spirit within me.
Do
not cast me away from your presence,
nor
deprive me of your holy spirit.
Have
mercy on us, O Lord, for we have sinned.
Give
me again the joy of your help;
with
a spirit of fervour sustain me,
O
Lord, open my lips
and
my mouth shall declare your praise.
Have
mercy on us, O Lord, for we have sinned.
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Second reading
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Romans 5:12-19 ©
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However great the number of sins committed, grace was even greater
Sin entered the
world through one man, and through sin death, and thus death has spread through
the whole human race because everyone has sinned. Sin existed in the world long
before the Law was given. There was no law and so no one could be accused of the
sin of ‘law-breaking’, yet death reigned over all from Adam to Moses, even
though their sin, unlike that of Adam, was not a matter of breaking a law.
Adam
prefigured the One to come, but the gift itself considerably outweighed the
fall. If it is certain that through one man’s fall so many died, it is even
more certain that divine grace, coming through the one man, Jesus Christ, came
to so many as an abundant free gift. The results of the gift also outweigh the
results of one man’s sin: for after one single fall came judgement with a
verdict of condemnation, now after many falls comes grace with its verdict of
acquittal. If it is certain that death reigned over everyone as the consequence
of one man’s fall, it is even more certain that one man, Jesus Christ, will
cause everyone to reign in life who receives the free gift that he does not
deserve, of being made righteous. Again, as one man’s fall brought condemnation
on everyone, so the good act of one man brings everyone life and makes them
justified. As by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by one man’s
obedience many will be made righteous.
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Gospel
Acclamation
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Mt4:4
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Praise
to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!
Man
does not live on bread alone,
but
on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Praise
to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!
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Gospel
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Matthew 4:1-11 ©
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The temptation in the wilderness
Jesus was led by
the Spirit out into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for
forty days and forty nights, after which he was very hungry, and the tempter
came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to turn
into loaves.’ But he replied, ‘Scripture says:
Man
does not live on bread alone
but
on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’
The devil then
took him to the holy city and made him stand on the parapet of the Temple. ‘If
you are the Son of God’ he said ‘throw yourself down; for scripture says:
He
will put you in his angels’ charge,
and
they will support you on their hands
in
case you hurt your foot against a stone.’
Jesus
said to him, ‘Scripture also says:
You
must not put the Lord your God to the test.’
Next, taking him
to a very high mountain, the devil showed him all the kingdoms of the world and
their splendour. ‘I will give you all these’ he said, ‘if you fall at my feet
and worship me.’ Then Jesus replied, ‘Be off, Satan! For scripture says:
You
must worship the Lord your God,
and
serve him alone.’
Then the devil
left him, and angels appeared and looked after him.
OVERCOMING THE
FORCES OF EVIL
Today, on this First
Sunday of Lent, the Church invites us all, catechumens and baptized Catholics,
to prepare ourselves for the celebration of the Paschal Mystery, the passion, death and resurrection of
our Lord at the Easter Triduum. Easter, of course, is the celebration of
life. What is it that causes death in this world? St Paul made it
clear. “Sin entered the world through one man, and through sin death, and
thus death has spread through the whole human race because everyone has
sinned.” Consequently, Lent is a season when we seek to fight
against Satan, temptation and sin which bring death to the world, and we are
not just speaking of physical death but spiritual death.
Unfortunately, the world
and humanity are ignorant. In
a world of science and technology, Satan, Evil Spirits, temptation and sin are
dismissed as something that belong to the mythological world; intelligent
people do not believe in spirits or sin. Secularism tells us that God and
spirit do not exist; only the material world exists. Moral relativism, an
off-shoot of secularism, tells us there is no such thing as sin because it is a
matter of preference. The world, so enchanted by knowledge, believes that
science and technology will be the savior of the world. That is why many
of us fall into the sin of Adam and Eve. They, too, wanted to have
knowledge without God. The serpent said to the woman, “your eyes will be
opened and you will be like gods, knowing good and evil.” Humanity wants
absolute power and independence from God.
However, the scriptures
today proclaim the truth that Satan, Temptation and Sin are real. It is recorded in the scriptures and Jesus
Himself was confronted by the Devil when He began His ministry and throughout
His ministry. In recent times, from Pope Paul VI to Pope Francis, the
Church has constantly warned us about the reality of the Evil One which the
world dismisses as superstition. The advancement of science
proposes that there is no such thing as the Evil One but merely a disturbed
conscience that comes from a disordered mind. Science and
technology which deal with the empirical world cannot explain the spiritual
world. When we are dealing with Evil Spirits, we are dealing with
spiritual realities which empirical science cannot test and verify.
Hence, science rejects the spirit world, including angels and demons and the
spiritual nature of the human person.
This is the strategy of
the Evil One. Satan wants the world to believe that he does not exist so
that we will not be on the alert or be on the defensive. The devil is in our midst, in
society and in the world. He is working subtly to change the Christian
values of the world, by redefining gender, marriage and family. He
promotes the culture of death through abortion, euthanasia, terrorism,
senseless wars and the abuse of the ecological system. The Devil incites
religious leaders to go against our Lord by living a double life; and confusing
humanity with moral relativism and normalizing evil as good.
The fundamental
instrument he uses is to make us confused about our identity, not just our
sexual identity but our personal identity; who we really are. Three times in the gospel, Jesus was
asked by Satan, “If you are the Son of God …” The devil wanted to unsettle Jesus
about His identity as the Son of God. Are we better than animals that
eat, work, sleep, procreate and then disappear from the face of this
earth? Or are we truly created in the image and likeness of God, called
to share in the fullness of life with Him? Because if we have only one
life to live, then it is better to live selfishly since we only live
once. But if our life continues beyond death, then we must live
selflessly and meaningfully because life continues hereafter.
Ironically, at the other
end of the spectrum, there are those who reject God but subscribe to the
worship of Satan and his spirits.
There is an increasing interest in New Age theology, occult, spirits, magic,
fortune telling. It is unbelievable that some countries and public institutions
even sanction satanic cults as a religion but marginalize the established
religions. A repentant Catholic who dabbled in the occult recently sent
me a set of books on the occult, charms and black magic. Realizing the
dangers of such occult activities, he begged me to warn all those who are
involved in them to turn back to the Lord.
But not all evil comes
from Satan alone. Temptations from the world or from the flesh are also
real. We see how Satan
deceived Eve. The Devil is very subtle in tempting us to sin, the way he
tempted Adam and Eve to disobey God. Through suggestion, creating delight
in us, he tempts us to satisfy the desires of the flesh and exploits the
insecurity of our ego. The Devil comes to tempt us where we are most vulnerable,
not where we are strong. He lays siege to the weakest part of the
fortress, like a general attacking a castle.
Satan sought to tempt
Jesus away from His mission. He wanted Jesus to take the easy way to
fulfilling His mission. He tempted Jesus to change stones into bread to
satisfy His hunger.
He wanted Jesus to abuse the power given to Him for the service of
others. This is also our temptation as well. Instead of using our
gifts, our talents and resources for the service of humanity, we use them all
for ourselves, our pleasure and comfort. The Devil tried to tempt Jesus
to put God to the test by jumping off the pinnacle of the Temple to demonstrate
His power. We too are tempted to use our power for display and glory
rather than for the humble service of others. When power is used to
control others and manipulate the lives of others, we are abusing the authority
given to us by God. Finally, the Lord was tempted to worship Satan so
that He could receive all the earthly glory and fame. Indeed, there are
many of us who like to flash our wealth and glory for the world to see so that
we can be admired and honoured.
How can we fight against
Satan and the temptations that come from him, the flesh and the world? To
overcome the sin of the flesh, the Church offers us fasting and prayer. The forty days of fasting in the
desert by our Lord reminds us of the 40 years when Israel, the Chosen People,
were wandering in the desert, being tested by the Lord. Unfortunately,
they failed miserably, as they were always complaining and lamenting. In
contrast, Jesus was decisive in rejecting Satan’s temptation. Fasting
therefore is paramount in strengthening us spiritually. It prepares us
for prayer and meditation. It helps us to turn to God instead of being
distracted by the pleasures and illusions of the world.
Secondly, we must
strengthen ourselves by reading and praying the Word of God. It is significant that the Lord did
not reply to the devil using His own words but instead cited from the
scriptures. To the first temptation, the Lord said, “Scripture says: Man
does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of
God.” To the second temptation, the Lord said, “Scripture also says: You
must not put the Lord your God to the test.” And for the final
temptation, the Lord in no uncertain terms said, “Be off, Satan! For scripture
says: You must worship the Lord your God, and serve him alone.” Indeed,
if we make time to read the Word of God, spending time to reflect on His word
and keeping them in our hearts, we will be able to respond to every situation
and trial in life with the Word of God. From God’s words, we draw
strength, enlightenment, consolation, and inspiration to carry the crosses of
life and overcome the trials of the world.
Finally, the most
important assurance in today’s scripture readings is that God will triumph in
the end. The
last word would not be sin and death but holiness and new life. This is
what St Paul assures us in the second reading. “If it is certain that
through one man’s fall so many died, it is even more certain that divine grace,
coming through the one man, Jesus Christ, came to so many as an abundant free
gift. The results of the gift also outweigh the results of one man’s sin: for
after one single fall came judgement with a verdict of condemnation, now after
many falls comes grace with its verdict of acquittal.” The Devil exists
and man has fallen, but Christ has defeated Satan by His obedience to God’s
will and died to death, giving us new life. This is the assurance of the
Church as we begin our Lenten journey toward Easter. We will be
victorious at the end in spite of the gloom and doom we see in the Church and
in the world today. We will triumph with Christ and in Him and through
Him.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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