First Sunday of Lent - Cycle A

Sin is selfishly taking for yourself something that God does not freely give you. Adam and Eve had the perfect relationship with God, but they wanted something more. They wanted to be like God. The devil told them that they could be like God if they would do the one thing God told them not to do; eat from the tree of good and evil. This is what makes things like cohabitation, sex outside of marriage, artificial birth control, invitro fertilization, divorce and remarriage, and same-sex marriage all sinful in nature. All of these take for themselves something God does not freely give. The devil has the world convinced that these things are normal and perfectly ok. Sadly, the devil has many in the Church convinced these things should be ok too. 83% of Catholics want the Church to allow the use of artificial birth control. 60% believe that abortion should be allowed. 54% want the Church to accept same-sex marriage. Every Catholic who knows and understands Church teaching should vehemently oppose every one of these things. It’s not that Catholics don’t know what the Church teaches on these things, it’s that they believe that God is wrong on these things. You see, these aren’t Church created rules for our lives. These are rules that God has handed down to us through the Church. To disagree with them is not to disagree with the Church but with God himself.

In today’s gospel we see the temptation of Jesus just before he began his public ministry. Pay close attention to the answers Jesus gives the devil to each of his temptations. The Old Testament foreshadowed the New Testament where Jesus’ answers would be fully revealed to us. “One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.” We see in John 1 that Jesus is the Word and that the Word is God. “You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.” In John 12:44 Jesus tells us that those who trust in him trust also in the Father. “The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.” In Romans 14:11 that every knee will bend and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Jesus uses scripture that points to himself being God to counter each of the devil’s temptations.

Jesus is the answer to all temptation. He tells us that if we love him more than we love ourselves we would follow his commands. When the devil tempts us, we can counter by using the teachings of Christ, but to be able to use the teachings of Christ we first have to know and understand them. Church teaching is the teaching of Christ. To know and follow Church teaching is one of the best ways to avoid sin when temptation comes calling. Again, sin is selfishly taking for yourself something God does not freely give. When we disobey God by disobeying Church teaching, we take that which God has not given.

Today is the first Sunday of lent. Let the words of Ash Wednesday guide you through this Lenten season. Repent and believe the gospel. Follow the teachings of Christ handed down to us through the centuries through the Church he gave us.