By Fr. Joe Uecker, C.PP.S.
While Lent is a time to consider our sinfulness, it is also a time to ponder the graciousness of God. The Responsorial Psalm for the First Sunday of Lent sets the tone for the entire season. It is one of the most familiar biblical prayers for divine mercy:
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
In the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
If this psalm is the prayer of the sinner, the first reading for today is the story of the sin. Like every biblical story of sin, it begins with the graciousness of God. It is important that we recognize this order, lest we think that sin is simply the transgression of law, rather than a breach of a loving relationship.
he passage describes how God created the first human person just as a potter forms a piece of art and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. He then became a living being.
But life itself was not enough. God provided this human person with the nourishment and beauty of the natural world. And why did God so act? Because God is gracious.
Not satisfied to be a humble earth-creature, the man and his new female companion desire to “be like gods who know what is good and what is evil.” This is the universal and perennial sin, to want to “be like gods.” And who has not ‘fallen’ into that same trap? Humankind seems prone to sin. We set ourselves up as a law unto ourselves; we seek to control others; we reject God and enthrone human ingenuity.
Have mercy on me, O God.
Lent is a time to acknowledge our sinfulness, but not to dwell on it. We must acknowledge it if we are to appreciate the extent of God’s goodness. This is precisely what Paul teaches us today. The sinfulness of humankind cannot be denied, but as grievous as the sin may be, How much more did the grace of God and the gracious gift of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow for the many.
Paul contrasts Adam and the evil of human sin with Christ and the grace that comes because of divine mercy. According to Paul, there is no comparison, grace far surpasses sin: In the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
The Gospel reading shows us human nature at its finest. Jesus is tempted, yet he does not succumb. Many scholars believe that this account reflects more than simple temptation. Rather, it draws its meaning from past events in the history of ancient Israel and it focuses on the messianic ministry of Jesus.
And what were the temptations that Jesus faced? He successfully resisted temptations like those to which the ancient Israelites fell victim: grumbling against God because of hunger in the wilderness; demand for a demonstration of divine power; worship of a false god. His ancestors may have failed, but Jesus remained faithful.
Many commentators maintain that this narrative reveals the true character of Jesus’ messiahship. It shows that Jesus sought to satisfy spiritual, not merely physical, hunger; he refrained from using divine power simply to attract followers; and he was submissive to God’s will, not his own.
We enter Lent this year sobered by world events. The horrors and inhumanity of war and assaults on truth have embittered our spirits; the devastation of natural catastrophes has seared our hearts. We have been forced to face our own human failings and the vulnerability of humankind generally. Despite all of this, the graciousness of God is offered to us. The unselfishness of which we are all capable is seen in the willingness of so many to step forward and help others who suffer terror, loss and confusion.
This unselfishness is really the face of our gracious God, encouraging all of us to put differences aside, to repent of our offensive attitudes, and to work for a caring and harmonious world.
Jesus’ resistance to temptation is placed before us today as an example for us to strengthen our own resistance to temptation. He would have us move beyond a superficial pursuit of the pleasures of this world to discover what satisfies our spiritual hungers. He shows us how to trust in God’s tender providence rather than merely test God’s almighty power. He challenges us to worship God rather than power, possessions, or celebrity. What will be our response?
A native of Fort Wayne, Ind., Fr. Joe Uecker, C.PP.S., has spent over 40 years in ministry in the Diocese of San Angelo, Tex. He served as pastor in San Angelo, Sweetwater, Abilene and Odessa. Since retiring in 2011, he continues to live in Odessa.