By SR. MAUREEN S. CATABIAN, RGS
Missionary to Burkina Faso
Deuteronomy 26:4-10
Psalm 91
Romans 10:8-13
Luke 4: 1-13
“Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted[a] by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.” V.1 (NRSV)
As the season of lent begins, we embark on our own personal and communal journey of “temptation in the desert”. After the baptism in the river Jordan where God affirmed Jesus’ identity as His Beloved Son and Servant of God, Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days to be tempted by the devil. We begin our journey into the desert- the place of demons, the “Judean wilderness” in order to confront our own “demons”, the weaknesses of our flesh- to wrestle with them until they are overcome!
Jesus is our prime model here as he was able to resist the temptations of the devil- the evil of false pride, clinging to power and personal glorification. Why was Jesus able to resist these temptations? It is because he was very clear about his own identity that He is the beloved Son of God and the suffering Servant of God. Being filled with the Holy Spirit, it is his sustaining power during temptation, fulfilling God’s mission in the world against all odds. The primacy of God- that is, being centered in God is his greatest armour against the devil and the evils of his time.
In the book of Deuteronomy, God brought the Israelites out of Egypt with his strong hand and outstretched arm with terrifying power, with signs and wonders and giving them thus land flowing with milk and honey. God desired from his “elect people” a corresponding response of love, obedience and fear (in the sense of holy reverence). It is God alone who must be the object of unwavering and unquestioning loyalty. God is the only power in the Universe which actually did accomplish the events which formed the nation Israel and gave it a land in which to dwell. Israel has concretely experienced a history of God’s saving acts.
However, the election is not just a privilege but “for responsible participation in the covenant that Israel may be a holy nation, unlike any other nation in the world.” “The primary requirement of the covenant is a complete, unqualified and unconditional obedience to God’s will as experienced in the law”. It is Jesus’ faithful relationship with God (The new covenant) as His beloved Son and Servant that fulfilled God’s saving mission in the world from sin and suffering. Hence, “the sin of idolatry (worshipping other gods) is the most terrible of all sins. It destroys true worship, violates the covenant and disrupts the community.”
Our context in this season of Lent 2022 is unique and crucial as our history as a Filipino nation is put to a test. It coincides with our preparation for the coming National Elections on May 9. Sixty-five days (65) before the elections and even before the campaign period began, our nation as a community has been going through a lot of “disruptions and division”. We are being subjected to countless “temptations in the desert”- the place of demons. In our world today, the desert is the world of technological warfare, clash of virtual realities and fake news in social media which is deliberately being used to sow confusion, division and deception. The new sin of IDOLATRY.
When God becomes secondary, the following “10 D’s” are bound to happen in our life especially as consecrated people- Decentralisation, Disillusionment, Demotivation, Deflowering, Disaffection, Disorientation, Degeneration, Depression, Deviation and Destruction! We are being challenged to reflect and discover in our daily life how these “10 D’s” take form as God becomes secondary in our life due to temptations by the devil. Therefore, at this time in our history as people of faith it is crucial to act in responsible participation towards social transformation and fight social injustice as we utter in our daily prayer the Psalm of Trust (Psalm 91) as the battle against evil continues. “Be with me Lord, when I am in trouble”. It is a psalm intended to show how we meet the malevolent spirits, v.12 “ by placing oneself under the protection of Yahweh”. A psalm of praise whose hope is rooted (alone) in God! 
Balik-Tanaw is a group blog of Promotion of Church People’s Response. The Lectionary Gospel reflection is an invitation for meditation, contemplation, and action. As we nurture our faith by committing ourselves to journey with the people, we also wish to nourish the perspective coming from the point of view of hope and struggle of the people. It is our constant longing that even as crisis intensifies, the faithful will continue to strengthen their commitment to love God and our neighbor by being one with the people in their dreams and aspirations. The Title of the Lectionary Reflection would be Balik –Tanaw , isang PAGNINILAY . It is about looking back (balik) or revisiting the narratives and stories from the Biblical text and seeing, reading, and reflecting on these with the current context (tanaw).
