Lenten Reflections: Week 2

Last week I wrote that trying to be happy by having more money, power, pleasure, or fame was self-defeating because these things, pursued for their own sake, could not bring lasting happiness. With Christ as our model, we are meant to seek a meaningful life. Which, I said last week, means to look around you to perceive what needs to be said and done to bring good out of chaos and disorder. This begins small in each of our own lives but, has tremendous potential because of the vast, and often untapped, potential of each human person.

In this week's Gospel, Jesus is tempted by Satan. To paraphrase, he says to Jesus, “You must be hungry. Stop fasting and turn stones into bread.” Satan shows Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and says, “You can have all this.” Finally, he challenges Jesus to, “Jump off this ledge and make God prove that he cares about you If you are really that important to him.” These three temptations are about the pleasure of food, having power and possessions, and being important. The things we said cannot bring happiness by themselves.

In the desert, Jesus comes to understand his mission and role in God the Father's plan. It is immediately after his 40 days in the desert that Jesus begins his public ministry. He sees what needs to be done. He speaks and acts in truth. Motivated by love, Jesus brings good out of the chaos of sin.

His human actions redeem the world, and he becomes the model for each of us. You might think that you can't do what Jesus did and you would be right. You cannot redeem the world. There is only one Redeemer. You can, however, help others to see that the world is redeemed. It is loved by God and meant to reflect that love back to God in a meaningful way.  Christ and his Holy Spirit dwells in each of us so that it may be truly said that you have a spark of the divine in you. So, who then really can say what the limit of your potential is?  Early Christians would say “God is with us, who can stand against us?” When our purpose is to speak and act in truth, motivated by love, who knows how much any one of us can do for our own good and the good of others?

Next week, let's talk about what stands in the way of living the grand adventure of a meaningful life.