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Sacred Scriptures/Liturgy- Commentary on Sunday's Readings |
He was tempted by the devil
First Sunday of Lent
Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, OFMCap, Pontifical Household Preacher
www.zenit.org
Deuteronomy 26:4-10; Romans 10:8-13;
Luke 4:1-13
The Gospel of Luke, which we read this year, was written, as he says
in the introduction, so that the believing reader would be able to
"know the truth concerning the things of which you have been
informed." This purpose is quite relevant today.
Faced as we are with attacks on the historical veracity of the
Gospels from every quarter and with the continual manipulation of
the figure of Christ, it is more important than ever that the
Christian and the honest reader of the Gospel know the truth of the
teachings and reports that the Gospel contains.
I have decided to use my commentaries on the Gospels from the
beginning of Lent to the Sunday after Easter for this purpose.
Taking each Sunday Gospel as our point of departure, we will
consider different aspects of the person and the teaching of Christ
to determine who Jesus truly is, whether he is a simple prophet and
great man, or something more and different than these.
In other words, we will be doing some religious education. Such
phenomena as Dan Brown's "Da Vinci Code," with the imitators and
discussions it has given rise to, have shown to us the alarming
religious ignorance that reigns in our society. This ignorance
provides ideal terrain for every sort of unscrupulous commercial
venture.
Tomorrow's Gospel, for the first Sunday of Lent, treats of Jesus'
temptation in the desert. Following the plan I have announced, I
would like to begin from this Gospel and expand the discussion to
focus on the general question of Jesus' attitude toward demonic
forces and those people possessed by demons.
It is one of the most historically certain and undeniable facts that
Jesus freed many people from the destructive power of Satan. We do
not have the time here to refer to each of these episodes. We will
limit ourselves to throwing light on two things: The first is the
explanation that Jesus gave about his power over demons; the second
is what this power tells us about Jesus and his person.
Faced with the clamorous liberation of one possessed person which
Jesus had performed, his enemies, unable to deny the fact, say: "He
casts out demons in the name of Beelzebul, the prince of demons"
(Luke 11:15). Jesus shows that this explanation is absurd. If Satan
were divided against himself, his reign would have ended long ago,
but instead it continues to prosper. The true explanation is rather
that Jesus casts out demons by the finger of God, that is, by the
Holy Spirit, and this shows that the kingdom of God has arrived on
earth.
Satan was "the strong man" who had mankind in his power, but now one
"stronger than him" has come and is taking his power away from him.
This tells us something quite important about the person of Christ.
With his coming there has begun a new era for humanity, a regime
change. Such a thing could not be the work of a mere man, nor can it
be the work of a great prophet.
It is essential to note the name or the power by which Jesus casts
out demons. The usual formula with which the exorcist turns to the
demon is: "I charge you by...," or "in the name of ... I order you
to leave this person." He calls on a higher authority, generally
God, and for Christians, Jesus. But this is not the case for Jesus
himself: His words are a dry "I order you."
I order you! Jesus does not need to call upon a higher authority; he
is himself the higher authority.
The defeat of the power of evil and of the demons was an integral
part of the definitive salvation (eschatological) proclaimed by the
prophets. Jesus invites his adversaries to draw the conclusions of
what they see with their eyes. There is nothing more to wait on, to
look forward to; the kingdom and salvation is in their midst.
The much discussed blasphemy against the Holy Spirit has its
explanation here. To attribute to the spirit of evil, to Beelzebul,
or to magic that which is so manifestly the work of the Spirit of
God meant to stubbornly close one's eyes to the truth, to oppose
oneself to God himself, and therefore to deprive oneself of the
possibility of forgiveness.
The historical approach that I wish to take in these commentaries
during Lent should not keep us from seeing also the practical
importance of the Gospel we are treating. Evil is still terribly
present to us today. We witness manifestations of evil that often
exceed our ability to understand; we are deeply disturbed and
speechless when faced with certain events reported by the news. The
consoling message that flows from the reflections we have made thus
far is that there is in our midst one who is "stronger" than evil.
Some people experience in their lives or in their homes the presence
of evil that seems to be diabolical in origin. Sometimes it
certainly is -- we know of the spread of satanic sects and rites in
our society, especially among young people -- but it is difficult in
particular cases to determine whether we are truly dealing with
Satan or with pathological disturbances. Fortunately, we do not have
to be certain of the causes. The thing to do is to cling to Christ
in faith, to call on his name, and to participate in the sacraments.
Tomorrow's Gospel suggests a means to us that is important to
cultivate especially during the season of Lent. Jesus did not go
into the desert to be tempted; his intention was to go into the
desert to pray and listen to the voice of the Father.
Throughout history there have been many men and women who have
chosen to imitate Jesus as he withdraws into the desert. But the
invitation to follow Jesus into the desert is not made only to monks
and hermits. In a different form it is made to everyone.
The monks and hermits have chosen a place of desert. We have chosen
a desert time. To pass time in the desert means to create a little
emptiness and silence around us, to rediscover the road to our
heart, to remove ourselves from the noise and external distractions,
to enter into contact with the deepest source of our being and our
faith.
This page is the work of the Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and
Mary
