In the Wilderness of LifeAfter a busy Sunday morning, Fr. Lee looked forward to resting easy and having a hearty midday meal. As he sat down at his desk, a knock on the door of the office was heard. Fr. Lee saw a gentleman standing at the doorway, asking if he could take a few minutes of the priest’s time. From his experience, Fr. Lee knew it was never just ‘a few minutes’, but he welcomed the man into his office all the same.
“My name is Nicholas, and I am from another parish. I just celebrated my fiftieth birthday last week, and I am the CEO of a company with an annual turnover of 40 million. I have a beautiful wife, a very loving marriage, and four healthy children. I was named Entrepreneur of the Year for 2009 and am successful in every business venture i go into”. Fr. Lee wondered where this was all going.
Nicholas appeared heavy hearted as he continued, “I have all this, yet I have not found happiness. I don’t know why.”
Several questions later, Fr. Lee realized that this man had spent his entire life pursuing wealth to build his own world. The priest convinced Nicholas to understand that true fulfillment comes from doing God’s will, otherwise God becomes just one of the many things that revolve around ourselves.
Reflection Question
Identify an area of your life where you ‘build your own world’ without asking for God’s guidance.
Meeting the Lord in the WordWe listen to a proclamation from the Gospel according to Luke 4:1-11
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 by 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 their 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.
Towards Waters of LifeAt various times in our lives, we will face temptation that Jesus faced in the wilderness. Each of these temptations is an invitation to self-centeredness. No matter what our background, all of us share in a common tendency, and that is to promote, protect, and to give power to ourselves. This is so even when one does not have a good self-image or is full of negativity about the self. It is still self-obsession, only of another kind.
The first temptation was to make one’s comfort and basic needs the most important thing. When our basic needs are not met, it certainly is hard to think of God. We would imagine that Singaporeans would be godly people because our basic needs are met. But rarely do we ever think we have enough. We keep wanting more, until our wants become needs, so we are never satisfied that we have enough. Can God be at the center if we go on like this?
The second temptation is to make God prove His love for us. Many have left the Church on the basis that God did not answer their prayers. We are told that being baptized, we are God’s beloved children. However, many think that membership in God’s family means that God should grant us favors. Some even pray to God as if God should do our will! Jesus’ obedience to the Father shows us that it is in fact the other way round. We need to pray for strength to do God’s will.
The third temptation makes us think that our ultimate happiness comes from what this world has to offer. Nicholas in the story thought so too. But he was honest enough with himself to admit that those things that are prized highly by the world had not given him real happiness.
Closing PrayerLord, it is easy to fall into temptations in life. We want to thank you for this reminder that we need to keep you as the center of our lives. Help us to remember this every day of our lives.
Amen.
The reflection was taken from, “From Wilderness to the Waters of Life” - Lenten Reflections 2011
