First Sunday – Lent Cycle C

Reflecting on Luke 4:1-3

Have you ever received a compliment in public, and secretly wondered what some of the people who know you best would say?  They’re the ones, after all, who know your secrets.  They’re the ones who saw all the stuff you threw into the closet before company arrived.  They may be keeping a straight face during the tribute, but what are they really thinking?

The Mount of Temptation

We find out today that the Tempter― who was no doubt listening in when Jesus was baptized and the voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love”― immediately led Jesus into the desert in order to torment him about that Voice.  You really believe you’re God’s Son?  Prove it.  Prove it. Prove it.

Talk about believing your own press!  Satan thinks that all the kingdoms of the world are his to give over!  Jesus knows to Whom they really belong, and he stands, in his hunger and his thirst, in authority over the author of lies.

Of course, Satan was listening in on the day of your baptism too.  Never, never listen when he tries to tell you that you must have misunderstood the part about being God’s child, forever beloved.

Sharing God’s Word at Home:

In what ways can you sense the Tempter trying to take away your experience of being loved by God?

Lent - Cycle C