Gospel of Luke 4:1-13
Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan
and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days,
to be tempted by the devil.
He ate nothing during those days,
and when they were over he was hungry.
The devil said to him,
“If you are the Son of God,
command this stone to become bread.”
Jesus answered him,
“It is written, One does not live on bread alone.”
Then he took him up and showed him
all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant.
The devil said to him,
“I shall give to you all this power and glory;
for it has been handed over to me,
and I may give it to whomever I wish.
All this will be yours, if you worship me.”
Jesus said to him in reply,
“It is written:
You shall worship the Lord, your God,
and him alone shall you serve.”
Then he led him to Jerusalem,
made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him,
“If you are the Son of God,
throw yourself down from here, for it is written:
He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,
and:
With their hands they will support you,
lest you dash your foot against a stone.”
Jesus said to him in reply,
“It also says,
You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.”
When the devil had finished every temptation,
he departed from him for a time.
and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days,
to be tempted by the devil.
He ate nothing during those days,
and when they were over he was hungry.
The devil said to him,
“If you are the Son of God,
command this stone to become bread.”
Jesus answered him,
“It is written, One does not live on bread alone.”
Then he took him up and showed him
all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant.
The devil said to him,
“I shall give to you all this power and glory;
for it has been handed over to me,
and I may give it to whomever I wish.
All this will be yours, if you worship me.”
Jesus said to him in reply,
“It is written:
You shall worship the Lord, your God,
and him alone shall you serve.”
Then he led him to Jerusalem,
made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him,
“If you are the Son of God,
throw yourself down from here, for it is written:
He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,
and:
With their hands they will support you,
lest you dash your foot against a stone.”
Jesus said to him in reply,
“It also says,
You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.”
When the devil had finished every temptation,
he departed from him for a time.
Is there a word or phrase that resonates with you in this Gospel? Please share your comments and reflections by posting a comment below.
“You shall worship the Lord, your God, and him alone shall you serve.”
I read a quote recently by one of our former popes (I’m sorry, I have a terrible memory), the gist of which was that the problems of the world would not exist if there were no lukewarm Catholics. This Gospel verse resonates with me as it is the Scriptural response to the pope’s observation. At a time when there is so much scandal in the Church and in politics, we can easily draw the same conclusions. The problem is, so many of the faithful have stopped following Scripture and have started following the appeal of reason; they have been convinced that popular culture practices the words of Christ better than the Church. Popular culture teaches that it can do good works and that God is not necessary–much less a Church with a history of scandal. However, without God in the center, our definition of “good” becomes open to interpretation, and the boundaries are constantly shifting. When we worship and serve God alone, through the guidance of Holy Tradition, Holy Scripture and His Church, the boundaries are set and we find our feet on solid ground. We grow in confidence and a desire to do His will, and we are able to not only serve one another in the ways Christ taught us, but to show our children and others how to do the same.
“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be firm, steadfast, always fully devoted to the the work of the Lord, knowing than in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” 1 COR 15:58