Tempted But Not Defeated
Homily on the 1st Sunday of Lent; 9 March 2025, Capelinha de Fatima, San Remigio
We have just begun the holy season of Lent. This season consists of forty days to help us Catholics prepare for the yearly celebration of the Paschal Mysteries, that is, the celebration of the Lord’s passion, death and resurrection. In this season God offers us the opportunity to experience his infinite mercy and thus be forgiven from our faults and failures. He himself calls us to make a return to him, saying “Come back to me with all your heart.” This forty-day period is therefore a season of grace, of hope and of divine mercy leading to the joy of Easter.
In the Gospel we have heard today the Lord shows us the human reality of temptation that comes from the evil one. We all experience being tempted to sin. Sometimes we are able to resist it but at other times we easily give in. But it doesn’t mean that, because we have given in to sinful temptations, we can just give up the good fight against the evil one and seemingly enjoy a life of sin. My brothers and sisters, while our God is a God of mercy and compassion, he is also a God of justice and holiness. He wants us, followers of Jesus, to be men and women of character and integrity, that is, Christians with inner strength, armed with spiritual weapons and heavenly powers. The good news is that by our Baptism and Confirmation we have already been gifted and empowered by the Spirit, ready anytime to put up a good fight against any trial and temptation and to strive constantly to do God’s will.
It is true, Jesus just like all of us, had also been tempted by the evil one, not just once, but many times. He was tempted in the desert as we have heard the gospel story a while ago. He was tempted to turn stones into bread so he could have the pleasure of satisfying his own hunger; he was tempted to acquire all the power in this world simply by bowing down to Satan. He was tempted to gain popularity the easy way instead of fulfilling his mission of dying on the cross to save humankind from sin. And after fighting victoriously against the devil in the desert, he would be tempted again several times during his public ministry.
As for instance after Jesus fed the five thousand men with five loaves and two fish, he was tempted to accept from the people the earthly honor of being crowned as their king. Then, after spending a whole day preaching and healing and gaining a big crowd of followers, he was tempted to just stay in that village or town instead of tirelessly going to all other places just to preach the good news. The night before he was crucified, he was tempted at the garden of Gethsemane to run away from his ultimate mission and escape the bitter passion on Mt. Calvary. Finally hanging on the cross, tormented by excruciating pain, he was again tempted to come down and save himself from death in answer to the challenge of the religious authorities who wanted a clear sign of his being God’s Son and the promised Messiah.
Contrary to what many of us think, Jesus was indeed tempted as many times as we experience being tempted ourselves. The good news is that Jesus always emerged victorious. He never succumbed to any of the tempting voices coming from either Satan or from fellowmen who wanted his downfall. Armed with God’s word and empowered by the Holy Spirit, Jesus succeeded to put up a good fight and remained faithful to his identity as God’s beloved Son. Despite the enormous challenges during the last three years of his life he persevered in accomplishing his mission as Savior of the world the hard and difficult way.
It is within this context that we see Lent as the opportune time to make a return to the Lord. The Lord knows how weak we are and how difficult it can be to overcome the temptation to sin. And so instead of condemning us for the many times we fall into sin and offend an ever faithful and loving God, he offers mercy, forgiveness and peace. With empathy he proclaims, “This is the time of fulfilment. The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel.” Let us therefore heed the call. Let us grab the chance and opportunity especially during the Lenten season of this Jubilee Year. Let us repent, give up sin and reject every temptation from the evil one. May we let Jesus reign once again in our hearts. Jesus is precisely God’s promise of salvation. He is our hope. He is God’s mercy personified. Whenever we feel weak, tried and tempted, let the words of the Responsorial Psalm be our prayer “Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.”
As we now offer this Holy Sacrifice on the altar, let us also be reminded of the wonders God has been doing in our lives. It was he who gifted us with life when we were born. It was he who made us his beloved children in Baptism, and empowered us with his Spirit in Confirmation. It is he who continually nourishes us in the Eucharist. It is he who called us to make this pilgrimage and has kept us safe all along the way so that we may be able to encounter him on this holy mountain where this Marian Shrine stands. With joyful gratitude we therefore bring to his altar all our prayers, offerings and sacrifices in union with Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. And we pray that, through the intercession of Our Lady of Fatima, Mother of Holy Hope, we may be transformed and configured more and more to the very image and likeness of his Son, Jesus, our Lord. GiGsss!
P.S. I am beyond grateful for the privileged opportunity to have visited four Jubilee churches up north together with other pilgrims, mostly my former students in the Evangelium Program of Don Bosco Formation Center – Lawaan. The following were the churches we visited on this First Sunday of Lent:
- Archdiocesan Shrine and Parish of St James the Apostle – Compostela
- Sto Tomas de Villanueva Parish, Danao
- Capelinha de Fatima, San Remigio (not counted among the Jubilee churches – it was here where we celebrated the Sunday Mass)
- Archdiocesan Shrine and Parish of St Vincent Ferrer, Bogo
- Archdiocesan Shrine of Sta Rose de Lima, Daanbantayan
This is one pilgrimage route I would strongly recommend (especially to those who have not yet made any pilgrimage in Cebu) because it starts precisely at the Archdiocesan Shrine of St. James (in Compostela) who is the patron saint of pilgrims. Through his powerful prayers, our pilgrimage was safe, smooth and sanctifying. GiGsss!
