"Lead us not to the test" is an alternative translation for "Lead us not into temptation." It makes sense given the roots of the word temptation. I'm not ready to change my mode of praying the Our Father, but it is good to keep the alternative meanings or roots of the temptation in mind while praying.
Gn 2:7-9; 3:1-7
Ps 51:3-4,5-6,12-13,17
Rom 5:12-19
Mt 4:1-11
“Come let us worship
the Lord who for our sake endured temptation and suffering.” Every morning during Lent the Divine Office begins with these words. Temptation and
suffering. Two words that help define what it
means to be human. Two words that
characterize the human condition. The
two things in which Jesus was like us and also unlike us.
Though the word temptation generally suggests a negative
context its Latin, Hebrew, and Greek
roots are neutral and suggest “trying” “testing” or “proving.” That is what we heard in today’s Gospel. The evil one tested Jesus' fidelity to the
Father. Temptation tests our own
fidelity to God and His law.
The first reading, one of the most familiar of all Old
Testament stories, recounts the fall.
Adam and Eve were put to the test.
Did they trust God or did they not?
The apple, as the fruit in the garden is frequently depicted
or described, is a good symbol for sin. It is a metaphor that
explains the ease with which we sin, impulsively, casually, and quickly. Think about it. Unlike an orange, a banana, a mango, or most
other fruits that one might find in a garden, an apple is quick, easy and
convenient. No need to peel, cut, or
anything else. No one just bites into a
pineapple. But . . . .grab an apple and
feast. When done toss the core into a
bush.
The real kicker in this story of Adam and Eve is that they
weren’t even hungry. Their sin was so
banal as to almost make it laughable.
Except it wasn’t laughable. Most
of our sins are committed under equally banal circumstances. But they are no laughing matter.
Some sins require planning.
An adulterous affair. Robbing a
Bank of America branch. Selling crystal
meth. How often, however, do we sin
simply because the opportunity is there?
Because we want it? Because, as
the unfortunate 60’s motto went, If it feels good do it? It wasn’t an apple that did us in. It was human freedom. Adam and
Eve couldn't handle it. We can't handle
it.
The last verses tell us of the personal cost of sin: shame
and embarrassment, particularly if we’re caught. Being caught in sin is never pleasant. The shame tells us what it means to a responsible
adult. The embarrassment hammers home
the realization that we are sinners. We
are sinners because we are free. Free to
choose and free to act on that choice.
Adam and Eve were free, a state which is unique to human beings. Among all creatures only humans are
free. Only humans are gifted with
insight. The ability to plan far into the future, and knowledge of potential
outcomes is for humans only. How we
manage that freedom is tested on a daily basis.
Human freedom is generally misunderstood. It is not freedom from restrictions, rules,
and responsibility—but rather freedom
for. Freedom is not the opportunity to choose
anything whatsoever in the manner of a BC freshman in the dorm.
Freedom is not the ability to adopt an individual or
idiosyncratic attitude towards this or that.
Human freedom is the freedom of self-understanding. Human freedom is the possibility of saying
yes or no to oneself. It is the possibility of deciding for or against oneself. Human freedom is the opportunity to choose or
to reject sin and to act on that choice.
Adam and Eve chose and acted. Wrongly
it turns out but they were and remained free.
We have the same freedom. Jesus
had that same freedom. This is where he was both like and unlike us. Like us in being tempted but unlike us in not
sinning.
Each of the temptations satan presented to Jesus were tests
of his willingness to rely on God. Each
of the temptations tested Jesus’ obedience to his Father. Unlike Adam who was disobedient to God’s
command Jesus was obedient to his Father’s will; obedient even to accepting death on the cross.
The temptations
satan dangled in front of Jesus, who was hungry from fasting, tired from
prayer, and disoriented from being in the desert are the same temptations that
dance in front of our eyes when we are hungry, tired, and disoriented, when we
are dissatisfied with the status quo.
In the first test
satan tempts a hungry Jesus with bread.
“C’mon, take care of yourself.
You can be self-sufficient. Just
do it.” It's more than bread here. The
temptation to self-sufficiency, to
taking care of number one, and only number one, looms large in our lives.
The second
temptation is to put God to the test.
“Hey Jesus, it’s a quid pro quo.
You jump and the Father saves you.
If not . . . welllllll.” God is
not a marionetteer who pulls our strings to make us dance. Nor is God a marionette that we control. “If this or that happens I will no longer
believe in God.” That is the type of
thought process characteristic of a three year-old, a very immature three year-old.
The third temptation
is the classic Faustian bargain. Sell
your soul. Worship me and look at the
power I will give you. Power. Prestige.
Money. Control. You too can have the most toys when you die.
These idols have replaced God in too many lives.
With His replies to
satan, all of which are direct quotes from the Book of Deuteronomy, Jesus chose to be faithful and obedient to
God the Father. And in so doing made it
possible for us to imitate Him.
The responsorial
psalm is Psalm 51, the great penitential psalm known as the Miserere that is recited every Friday in
the Divine Office. Read it at home. It is short.
Let the words sink in. Let it
speak to you.
"I acknowledge
my offenses."
"A clean heart
create for me O God."
"Give me back
the joy of your salvation."
"O Lord, open
my lips, and my mouth shall proclaim your praise."
“Come let us worship the Lord who for our sake endured
temptation and suffering.”
___________________________________________
It was sunny and reasonably warm today. Celebrated the 6:30 AM Mass in the community and then puttered about my room. Lousy sleep last night so I had no desire to go out with the camera. Tomorrow I have the 7:30 AM Mass at St. Joseph in Lincoln, MA, about 3 miles away. Of course my body will think it is the 6:30 AM Mass due to the onset of EDST. My mom loved the day the clocks switched. I am of the opposite opinion. All week I will feel like a minor case of jet lag.
The photos are from the chapel here at Campion. The first is looking from the door of the sacristy on the right toward the back of the chapel.
This is a detail at the top of the altar.
The right sacristy is something of a storage area. It was actually a disaster area. Ignatius worked very hard to straighten it out for me. Unlike me he has the ability to look at a mess a see a California Closet type of arrangement. And then he did it. These were a few leftovers.
One of the most amazing things he did was to get all the wax off all the candelabras and candle holders. And arrange the chaos of candles. It turns out we have a lot more than we expected. These look terrific
The left sacristy is the vesting sacristy. It is also where the sacred vessels are kept, the hosts, the wine, the vestments and so on. It is also where I pronounced simple vows after the final vows Mass in October. It is Our custom to pronounce those vows and sign the vow documents in the sacristy rather than the altar.
+Fr. Jack, SJ, MD
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