Chaste Poor Humble First Sunday Lent Year A

Genesis 2:7-9, 3:1-7; Psalm 51; Romans 5:12-19; Matthew 4:1-11

            The first reading from Genesis describes Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Earlier, God had told Adam that “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.” (Genesis 2:17)

         After God created Eve and presented her to Adam to be his wife, she was also not permitted to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. However, after being tempted by the serpent, while Adam her husband remained silent, Eve looked at the fruit of this tree and saw that the tree’s fruit looked good to eat, was delightful to look at, take, and possess, and that if she and Adam ate the fruit of the tree, they might become wise as God. (Genesis 2:6-7)

         The Gospel passage similarly presents Jesus being tempted in three ways by the devil. The devil tempts Jesus by offering Jesus bread that looks good to eat, by showing Jesus “all the kingdoms of the world” that looked delightful to look at, take, and possess, and by tempting Jesus to vainly, and proudly to throw himself from the top of the temple so that those looking on would applaud him for his great power as he lands unharmed on the ground the below.

         The three temptations that Adam, Eve, and Jesus faced are essentially the temptations to experience excessive pleasure, to greed (seizing and possessing what delights us), and to pride.

         Adam and Eve experienced excessive pleasure by eating the forbidden fruit and enjoying its taste. In contrast, Jesus rejected excessive pleasure, since when he was offered bread by the devil during the time Jesus had been led into the desert “by the Spirit” to fast, Jesus refused to eat the bread (Matthew 4:1) 

         Adam and Eve greedily seized the forbidden fruit to possess it. In contrast, Jesus refused to worship the devil in order to possess all the kingdoms of the world that the devil showed him.

         Adam and Eve proudly strove to be wise like God on their own terms. In contrast, Jesus refused to save the world as a mighty, powerful Messiah who performs great signs and wonders to inspire awe. Instead, Jesus remained humble and faithful to his Heavenly Father’s will by seeking to save the world as a suffering servant Messiah who demonstrates his infinite love for us by dying on the Cross and rising from the dead.

         During his forty days in the desert, Jesus defeated all three temptations of the devil by remaining chaste, poor, and humble.

         During our forty days in Lent, the Church encourages us in three ways so that we, with Jesus and in Jesus, grow in chastity, poverty, and humility. First, we are to fast. Fasting helps to heal our desire to experience excessive pleasure. Second, we are to give alms. Almsgiving helps to heal our desire to greedily possess more than we need. Third, we are to pray. Genuine prayer, by which we submit our wills to God’s will, helps to heal our proud desire to become like God on our own terms.

          During this season of Lent, Lord Jesus, may we increase our fasting, our almsgiving, and prayer so that we can become more like you, who, as the divine lover, are perfectly chaste, poor, and humbly obedient.  

         May God Bless You All