Lent (Day Six): Truth and Temptations
Read Matthew 4:1-11
I found this short reflection in a Lenten devotion I am using this year:
That Jesus was tempted meant that he truly desired what the devil offered him. Of course he was hungry. His body desired what it needed. In what ways might the devil use my legitimate, real desires to lead me astray? Open my eyes, Lord, so that I can recognize temptation when it comes. (from Sacred Space for Lent 2017 by The Irish Jesuits)
A couple thoughts from my devotional time:
First, I believe it is so important to affirm and embrace that we all have legitimate, real desires: Hunger and thirst, intimacy and community, acceptance and security. We are created in the image of God and God has blessed all of creation as good.
Second, I am struck by how easily we allow these desires to be misused, distorted, and broken within us, within our relationships, and in the ways we choose to live in the world. While we might just shrug our shoulders and say that is part of the human condition, we know God desires to forgive us, heal us, and restore us. As Paul writes, So then, if anyone is in Christ, that person is part of the new creation. The old things have gone away, and look, new things have arrived! (2 Cor 5:17)
During Lent, we are invited to dig more deeply into self-reflection and confession, to be honest with ourselves and with God about the way we need healing and wholeness.
Jesus knew what John the Baptist knew before him and what the prophets knew before both of them: without truth, people cannot heal. If we ignore the root cause of our wounds, we will continue to be wounded, even if we heal some of the damage. We night fix what has been harmed. But if we continue doing what caused the harm in the first place, we will simply acquire (or inflict) new wounds because the core activity has not changed.
Lent is a good time to stop our activity long enough to look at it carefully, prayerfully, and to determine the specific truths of the situation. (Vinita Hampton Wright, Praying Freedom)
I found this short reflection in a Lenten devotion I am using this year:
That Jesus was tempted meant that he truly desired what the devil offered him. Of course he was hungry. His body desired what it needed. In what ways might the devil use my legitimate, real desires to lead me astray? Open my eyes, Lord, so that I can recognize temptation when it comes. (from Sacred Space for Lent 2017 by The Irish Jesuits)
A couple thoughts from my devotional time:
First, I believe it is so important to affirm and embrace that we all have legitimate, real desires: Hunger and thirst, intimacy and community, acceptance and security. We are created in the image of God and God has blessed all of creation as good.
Second, I am struck by how easily we allow these desires to be misused, distorted, and broken within us, within our relationships, and in the ways we choose to live in the world. While we might just shrug our shoulders and say that is part of the human condition, we know God desires to forgive us, heal us, and restore us. As Paul writes, So then, if anyone is in Christ, that person is part of the new creation. The old things have gone away, and look, new things have arrived! (2 Cor 5:17)
During Lent, we are invited to dig more deeply into self-reflection and confession, to be honest with ourselves and with God about the way we need healing and wholeness.
Jesus knew what John the Baptist knew before him and what the prophets knew before both of them: without truth, people cannot heal. If we ignore the root cause of our wounds, we will continue to be wounded, even if we heal some of the damage. We night fix what has been harmed. But if we continue doing what caused the harm in the first place, we will simply acquire (or inflict) new wounds because the core activity has not changed.
Lent is a good time to stop our activity long enough to look at it carefully, prayerfully, and to determine the specific truths of the situation. (Vinita Hampton Wright, Praying Freedom)
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