Message of Abbot Paul - Sunday 6th March
Message from Fr Paul for Sunday, 6th March 2022
Were my father still alive, today would have been his hundredth birthday. May all our deceased relatives and friends rest in peace. Thinking of one, leads us to remember a countless number of people we have known and loved and whose company we have enjoyed. I’m often surprised, when I look through the parish and monastery necrologies for the week, how many of those names written on the page I have known and possibly shared an important part of my life with. A good Lenten observance we can all fulfil is to remember our dead with love and pray for them. No doubt, many of them are praying for us in the communion of saints.
I was overjoyed yesterday to receive news of a number of friends in the Ukraine and to know that, although circumstances are extremely difficult, they are in good spirits and have no intention of surrendering their country to the invader, but of winning the war. Justice and human rights, they feel, are on their side, but there is disappointment that more isn’t being done to help them by western powers, whilst being aware of the dangers involved.
On the First Sunday in Lent, we always read the Gospel of the Temptations of Jesus in the Wilderness, this year from Luke, (Lk 4: 1-13). Luke emphasises the fact that Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit and led by the Holy Spirit through the wilderness and that he fasted for forty days and forty nights, resulting in hunger. The devil tempts him in three ways. “Then the devil said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to turn into a loaf.’ But Jesus replied, ‘Scripture says: Man does not live on bread alone.’” Note how Jesus overcomes the devil’s tempting suggestion with the power of the word of God. Now, there’s a lesson for us. It’s not by our own human efforts that we overcome temptation, but by the power of God’s word, with God’s help. All we need do is turn to our heavenly Father when the going gets hard. A far greater temptation follows: worship me and the world is yours. Empires come and go; remember that, Mr Putin, as do earthly power and glory. Jesus replies with the word of scripture, “You must worship the Lord your God, and serve him alone.” In the third temptation, the devil himself attempts to persuade Jesus by using the word of God. But Jesus, also proclaiming God’s word, is not to be tempted, “You must not put the Lord your God to the test.” God cannot be tested. The Son is not prepared to usurp the Father’s position, nor abandon him to create his own kingdom. The Holy Trinity is unity in its essence and Jesus will not break that unity for whatever reason. He will obey the Father’s will. Here is another important lesson for us.
We could ask ourselves whether we fall into temptation without even realising it? Do we automatically find the way out of sticky situations by not taking Christ-like decisions, or even by rejecting the fundamental tenets of our faith? Do we seek glory and renown and step over or even trample down others to obtain what we want? Do we put ourselves or others first? Have we replaced God in our lives? We are as capable of evil as we are of good unless we rely on the Holy Spirit for guidance and light. If we do not follow the way of Jesus and obey the Father’s will, then we can go radically wrong and the Spirit will not be leading us. None of this need happen if we follow the example of Jesus and ask him to walk with us on the journey of life. Nevertheless, as the Gospel reminds us, “Having exhausted all these ways of tempting him, the devil left him, to return at the appointed time.” We must remain vigilant, always on guard, as Jesus was, for the devil always returns, hoping to find us susceptible to his wiles. Lord, be with us always. Amen.
