It was a place abounding with danger—inhabited by wild animals, snakes, and scorpions, and other creepy and crawly things all scrambling for survival. It was the refuge of bandits and the discarded of society. And it was believed to be the abode of demons. Not a friendly place. We imagine it as it is depicted in movies—where the sun is blazing; where it is oppressively hot and devoid of water; a place where people easily get lost and wander and die.
The Jews wandered in the desert for 40 years; a generation-long. It was where their faith and confidence in God was tested. It is where they gave up on God and turned away from Him. But God stayed with them, fed them and sustained them and eventually led them out.
It is where the Spirit drove Jesus to spend 40 days. It is there that he encountered Satan—“he did not avoid the devil nor did he underestimate him, but he contended with him and wrestled with him.” Jesus battled against evil. In that worst of places; in that harshest of environments; “among wild beasts.” He was not spared from the human situation, from temptation, from struggle. He confronted it all.
Lent, it began just days ago when ashes were smeared on our foreheads reminding us that “a death sentence awaits us in this life; that we will have an end.” Lent, it conjures up all kinds of images—giving up things, going without, “pushing away something you like,” and sacrifice. How about “repent?” It’s one of Jesus’ last words in today’s Gospel. That’s a good image for Lent—repent.
Every year around this time the Church brings us out to the desert; to the desert of our own hearts and consciences. This sojourn in the desert, like the Jews so long ago, can be difficult and painful as we confront our sense of distance from God. And it can also be for us, as it was for Jesus, a time of hard testing, when we wander and we struggle against evil. “The struggle with evil begins with the struggle within ourselves, and that struggle depends upon self-knowledge”—our limitations, our brokenness, our sinfulness, our need for forgiveness. We find evil just about everywhere we go in every aspect of our lives—driving back and forth to work, or traveling on business trips, doing homework assignments, meeting deadlines, coping with financial stress, at shopping malls, on the Internet, and in relationships with one another.
We were all once taught that sin was turning our backs on God. But it’s much more than that. Sin is like having a heated argument with someone we love and it gets out of control, and we end up slapping them across the face. That’s what happens when we sin—we slap God in the face, tell Him we don’t need Him, spin on our heel, and walk away from Him.
So here we are in the desert, and for now, and the 40-day stretch ahead of us, there is no better place to be. And there’s no better time to acknowledge the temptations that have become our sins. It’s not fun; it’s not easy, but we don’t have to do it on our own. We can bring it to the Lord in the Sacrament of Reconciliation—tell the whole truth about ourselves, end our wait, our feet-dragging and our excuse-making.
When was the last time we went to confession? When was the last time we said, “Bless me Father for I have sinned. It has been a year, five years, ten years, since my last confession.” Or, “Father, I don’t remember how long it’s been . . . the last time I went was the first time I went.” Some of us have been trying to change on our own for a long time. Isn’t now the time to hear those words, “may God give you pardon and peace, and I absolve from your sins in the name of Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit?”
We were once claimed for Christ at our baptisms. We have 40 days to decide if we want to take ownership of that claim and renew that claim to Christ. We do so assured that, despite our sin and our failures, God has not given up on us. This Easter, when those questions are asked of us—“Do you reject sin? Do you reject the glamour of evil? Do you reject Satan? Do you believe in God the Father, in Jesus Christ, his only Son, in the Holy Spirit?” will we be able to resoundingly proclaim at the top of our voices, with every ounce of conviction, with a complete resolve of faith, “I do!” and really mean it?
References and Resources:
Gomes, Peter J. Sermons, Biblical Wisdom for Daily Living, New York: William Morrow & Company, 1998.
Siciliano, Jude, OP. First Impressions. www.preacherexchange.org
Wallace, James A. with Robert P. Waznak and Guerric DeBona. Lift Up Your Hearts, Homilies and Reflections for the “B” Cycle. New York: Paulist Press, 2006.