Pastor's Spiritual Reflections

By Fr. Leo Schneider (2/10/2008)

Dear People of Holy Name,

Jesus is tempted three times in the desert to assume power for his own use, first for material needs in the changing of the stones to bread. Secondly for a spectacular ‘sign’ of faith surely to attract people to his influence, and thirdly, Jesus is tempted to take on worldly power, to be a ruler of the people. In resisting these three temptations Jesus makes it clear that he came to proclaim a word that is life, a word that isn’t his own, but that of the Father given in the Holy Spirit.

While we expect Jesus to do the right thing in his temptations, the passage is aimed at the Church, who continues his mission to stay on track and not fall into the use of worldly power. For us it keeps our relationship with Jesus sound and our prayer appropriate. We don’t pray to get rich; we pray to become wise and filled with the spirit. We don’t expect God to intervene in some spectacular way to prove to us he is here. We believe in his presence as revealed in the love lived out in his saints.

Thirdly, we don’t ask for worldly power and fame. We pray to live a faith that believes in God whether things are going our way or not. It isn’t as if God is for one team more than for another and we fight to win. God is on the side of those whose gifts and talents are spent in service to others, not domination.

The traditional Lenten practices of prayer, fasting and almsgiving can help keep us from falling into temptation. Prayer is coming into the presence of God by taking on his way of being, while encompassing our thoughts and actions. Without prayer we cannot know God or ourselves. We each need time for quiet, to know our own hearts and to come to know the Lord.

Fasting is not feeding ourselves with those things that keep us from being whole and holy. Here we may make changes in our lives around diet and exercise, continuing education, time for ourselves, and for prayer and quality time with others. Fasting is finding a healthy balance for things in our lives and for making sure our ‘diet’ has the ‘foods’ we need.

Almsgiving is making sure we are becoming our best selves by being a person for others. Jesus came to serve and not to be served. Truly sacrificing and giving to others is a great source of grace known only to those who do so. It keeps us from being centered only in oneself, and connects us with others and the world at large, as we find ourselves as part of a whole, part of something bigger and larger than ourselves.

Lent is a wonderful opportunity to make the changes we need to make personally and communally, to live fuller lives. That’s the whole purpose of Lent and of Jesus’ coming among us, ‘that his joy may be ours and that our joy may be complete.’ May the Lord bless us in the Lenten season and may Easter find us living better and more fulfilled lives in the Lord.

In Christ's Peace, Fr. Leo