“The Lord God formed man out of the clay of the ground and
blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and so man became a living being.
“Then the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east,
and he placed there the man whom he had formed.
Out of the ground the Lord God made various trees grow that were
delightful to look at and good for food, with the tree of life in the middle of
the garden and the tree of knowledge of good and bad. “Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the animals that the Lord God had made. The serpent asked the woman, ‘Did God really tell you not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?’ The woman answered the serpent: ‘We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; it is only about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, ‘You shall not eat it or even touch it, lest you die.’ But the serpent said to the woman: ‘You certainly will not die! No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods who know what is good and what is bad.’ The woman saw that the tree was good for food, pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized that they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.”
Second reading: Rom. 5: 12, 17-19 (Short form)
“Therefore, just as through on person sin entered the world,
and through sin, death, and thus death came to all, inasmuch as all sinned.
“For if, by the transgression of one person, death come to
reign through that one, how much more will those who receive that abundance of
grace and of the gift of justification come to reign in life through the one
person Jesus Christ. In Conclusion, just
as through one transgression condemnation came upon all, so through one
righteous act acquittal and life came to all.
For just as through the disobedience of one person the many were made
sinners, so through the obedience of one the many will be made righteous.”
Gospel reading: Mt. 4: 1-11
“Then Jesus was let 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 by bread alone, but by
every word that comes froth 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.”Introductory theme summary:
The theme common to all three readings this week is obedience; an extremely unappreciated virtue in our modern, post sixties, anti-establishment, society. It’s opposite, disobedience, is the origin of sin, and thereby the cause of death. Disobedience is also at the root of all rebellion against Catholicism, which purposes, in obedience to the Holy Spirit, to remain faithful to teachings that have been passed down to us through the centuries by the influence of that same Holy Spirit.
Reflection:
The obvious place to begin this reflection is by addressing
the Catholic belief in the Holy Spirit as guiding the Church through all these
centuries. This is founded on our Lord’s
promise that the Holy Spirit would guide them (the apostles) to all truth.[1] Very simply, if a person does not believe that
the tenets of the Catholic faith have resulted from the guidance of the Holy
Spirit, then that person does not believe in Catholicism; even if that person
claims to be Catholic. This is a
fundamental principal of Catholic belief that cannot be denied and remain
Catholic, very much like belief in the divine nature of Jesus Christ is a condition
for being a Christian.
This then brings us to the requirement of giving one’s
assent to believing in the various tenets of the Catholic faith, which in some
instances does require obedience because willing assent is not sincere. It takes more strength to submit one’s will
in obedience to a legitimate authority, than it does to defy a rule or order by
any authority, and why it actually deserves merit in these circumstances.
Contrary to the opinions of dissenters, obedience is not an
inferior way to conform ourselves to God.
All power of authority is established by God for the purpose of order.[2] Because of which, by complying with the
directives of a legitimate authority we are complying with God’s will, as He is
communicating it to us through that particular method within our society.[3] Take law for example. We are all expected to obey the law, and in
doing so we are conforming ourselves to the manner by which God desires to
govern society at large for the mutual benefit of all, which includes both
believers and non-believers alike.
Even if a person who occupies a legitimate rank of authority
is actually wrong on an issue, should compliance be demanded by that
authority’s right, obedience remains obligatory for all those subject to the
authority, providing, only, that compliance does not result in the direct
commission of a sin.
If compliance does not result in the direct commission of a
sin, rebelling against that compliance becomes the sin of disobedience. Disobedience is more than simply the conflict
of disagreement. It is indicative of an
interior disorder that renders the individual incapable of subduing his/her
will, which is the very definition of slavery to sinfulness – the very stain
from the original sin. [4] Because disobedience is the sin that caused this
interior disorder, obedience is the perfect reconciliation for the original
sin, and why God is so pleased when we submit ourselves to him through it.
Few virtues rank higher than obedience. After charity, faith and hope comes humility, for its necessity in
relationship to obedience, and then submitting one’s will to God in obedience. It’s time to rebel against the trends of our modern
society and show ourselves faithful to the Lord by finding the humility
necessary to submit our will in obedience to God’s plan, and submit to the
directives of the Catholic Faith. No one
needs to be perfect, just sincere in his/her willingness to comply with the
Lord’s will, and do everything within one’s means to submit in obedience when his/her
sincerity is deficient. He promises
victory to all those who persevere to the end.[5]
Come, let us prove the presence of God’s kingdom in the
world by our example of obedience to Him, so that we too can wear the crown
promised to the victors.[6]
[1] Jn.
15:26; 16:13a “When the advocate comes
whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth that proceeds from
the Father, he will testify to me. …When
he comes, the Spirit of truth, will guide you to all truth”
[2] Rom.
13: 1 “Let every person be subordinate
to the higher authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those
that exist have been established by God.”
[3]
Rom. 13: 2 “Therefore, whoever resists
authority opposes what God has appointed and those who oppose it will bring
judgment upon themselves.”
[4] Catechism
of the Catholic Church: 400 “The control
of the soul’s spiritual faculties over the body is shattered.”
[5] Mt.
24:12-13 “Because of the increase of
evildoing, the love of many will grow cold.
But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.”
[6] Jas.
1:12 “Blessed is the man who perseveres
in temptation, for when he has been proved he will receive the crown of life
that he promised to those who love him.”
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