Moral Compass

At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry. The tempter approached and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread." He said in reply, "It is written: One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God."

Then the devil took him to the holy city, and made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: He will command his angels concerning you and with their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone." Jesus answered him, "Again it is written, You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test."

Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence, and he said to him, "All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me." At this, Jesus said to him, "Get away, Satan! It is written: The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve."

Then the devil left him and, behold, angels came and ministered to him. (Matthew 4:1-11)

Father Richard Rohr has said: I see the three temptations as the primal and universal temptations that all humans must face before they dare take on any kind of power—as Jesus is about to do. They are all temptations to the misuse of power for purposes less than God’s purpose. They are sequentially the misuse of practical everyday power, the misuse of religious power, and the misuse of political power. These are the constant tragedies that keep defeating humanity. Jesus passes all three tests, and thus “the devil left him” because he could not be used for lesser purposes. If you face such demons in yourself, God can and will use you mightily. Otherwise, you will, for sure, be used!

Father Rohr admirably captures the meaning of the three temptations made by Satan – the devil who does the same to us throughout the year and especially during Lent.  The tempter is always watching and waiting for a crack in our defenses that will drop during times of stress and especially when we are angry.  

When we feel as if in a desert suffering a dryness of faith, we are especially vulnerable to horned vultures hovering to pick our bones.  Desert soft sands slow us down, and the heat muddles our minds. The devil urging evil may leave us, but only for a time.

The misuse of power is especially egregious especially for those in privileged positions having to serve the common good, and not their own pocketbooks – an all-too-familiar habit of many elected officials. Jesus reminds us: (1) One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God; (2) You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test; and (3) The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.  The devil would have it the other way, and often succeeds with frail, weak human beings having no moral compass to follow.

We all have this compass.  We just need to recalibrate it through our worship this Lent while we pray, fast, and give.

Deacon David Pierce