In the Desert – The Triumph of LOVE
Man’s sojourn began with his choice to sin and being expelled from the Garden of Eden to a barren land. But God did not give up on man. The desert was a biblical place of extremes: of encounter and exile, of Divine promise and human deceit, of covenant-making and of covenant-breaking too! God worked out a plan through the saving action of Jesus Christ to restore us to our original innocence. Paradise was our birthright, and Calvary was the womb to bring us back. To reach Calvary, Jesus had to first get back to the ‘Desert’ to confirm his true identity as the ‘Beloved of the Father’, to usher in the ‘Kingdom of God’ and to align his life’s mission with his Father’s Will to ‘seek and to save the lost’.
Satan targets Jesus’ identity by setting up three traps to discredit his Father’s identity of Jesus as the ‘beloved one’ and to perform spectacular acts. This temptation will return on Mount Calvary to abandon the cross.
Satan uses ‘hunger’ as this human trap to deflect Jesus’ attention and to gratify his hunger pangs. Do the spectacular and live for the moment! Jesus proposes love of self as a benchmark to live fruitfully. Jesus over comes the trap by affirming that the ‘Eternal Word’ is truly life-giving food.
Jesus’ ministry was to be the ‘Servant of all’ and Satan couldn’t digest it for sure. Once again, do the spectacular and live for the moment! But Jesus, who would propose that love of neighbour is inseparable from the Love of God, could never think of dominating over the forsaken. Jesus’ mission was to empower the weak and captives and be the servant of all.
Jesus was the true lamb that was to be sacrificed for the sanctification of the world, and Satan wanted nothing of it. Jesus ushered in that Love of God revolves around true worship—adoration and praise, even amid suffering in our lives.
Satan is devoid of love! Jesus is Love personified. Jesus finally wins the desert storm!!!
Fr Glenford Lowe
