Three Tests

03-01-2020Weekly ReflectionFather Prince Raja

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Season of Lent. It is a season of penance, prayer and fasting which is our preparation for the Easter celebration of Jesus' resurrection. Excluding Sundays it is a season of forty days, in imitation of Jesus spending forty days in the desert. Jesus fasted in the desert, and overcame the devil's temptations. By observing the forty days of lent, the individual Christian imitates Jesus' withdrawal into the wilderness for forty days and at the same time contemplates on the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is an invitation to look into our hearts and make the ancient prayer our own: "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me."

Historically applying ashes on one's forehead during the Lenten Season goes back as far as the eight century. This was accompanied by different forms of fasting, prayer, sacrifices, and the practice of the acts of charity. During the Lenten Season the faithful were exhorted to abstain from certain food to fulfill with their fast of forty days.

The Gospel of today suggests that three things test us in life: scarcity, threats, and doubt. The first time that the devil tests Jesus, the issue is scarcity. Jesus is hungry and there is no bread. Scarcity can be a tremendous test for us because when something which is essential to our life is in short supply, we are indeed in need. This could be some material thing, such as the loss of employment or a crisis that devastates us financially. But, it also could be a personal issue such as a scarcity of love: questioning whether we will ever find someone with whom we can share our life, being afraid that the love in our marriage is dying, or grieving the loss of a loved one in death and wondering whether we will ever love again. Whether material scarcity or personal scarcity, when there is not enough, we are tested and we wonder how we will survive.

The second time that the devil tests Jesus, he places him in a threatening situation, on the parapet of the temple and asks him to hurl himself down. When evil approaches us in our life, we are threatened. It might be a physical evil such as sickness or depression. But it also could be an personal evil, such as a friend who betrays us or anger, jealousy, or discontent in our family. When such evil approaches us, our life is threatened and we are tested, wondering whether we will be able to face the future.

The third time that the devil tests Jesus concerns his relationship with God, because the devil asks Jesus to worship him. We can be tested in our own relationship to God through doubt. When something happens that we do not understand, when we expect God to be present and God seems to be absent, we ask: Why did this happen to me? Where is God when I need God? We can even begin to wonder whether God cares or whether God is real. Doubt can be a true test of our lives and a true test of our faith, wondering whether God is with us and will save us. Let us pray to our Father in Heaven to grant us such reward that we may be worthy of the grace and love through his gracious hands. We pray that our Lenten season may be a time to prepare ourselves to the death and resurrection of our lord.

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