Wednesday, September 26, 2018

Encountering the Devil

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned 
from the Jordan and was led by the 
Spirit in the wilderness, where for 
forty days he was tempted by the
devil. He ate nothing at all during 
those days, and when they were
 over, he was famished. The devil
 said to him, ‘If you are the Son of 
God, command this stone to become
 a loaf of bread.’ Jesus answered him,
 ‘It is written, “One does not live by 
bread alone.”
 Then the devil led him up and 
showed him in an instant all the 
kingdoms of the world. And the 
devil said to him, ‘To you I will give
 their glory and all this authority;
 for it has been given over to me,
 and I give it to anyone I please. 
If you, then, will worship me, it will 
all  be yours.’ Jesus answered him, 
‘It is written,“Worship the Lord your 
God,    and serve only him.”
 Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle
 of the temple, saying to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw 
yourself down from here, for it is written, “He will command his
 angels concerning you, to protect you”, and “On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.”
Jesus answered him, ‘It is said, “Do not put the Lord your God
 to the test.” ’ When the devil had finished every test, he departed 
from him until an opportune time. Luke 4:1-13

This is the season of the year, as autumn deepens, where we are
flooded with images of bats, witches, spiders and devils. We revel
in all things scary and creepy, and TV responds by broadcasting our
most beloved horror movies. The problem is, the ancient and
modern images of incarnate evil belie the truth of evil. Evil is
pretty, familiar and tempting. The devil is a fallen angel and can
 find our pride, greed and selfish need buttons all too quickly.
Power is the most seductive of these demons, followed closely by
 fortune and fame. Those with power think themselves gods,
 who can do no wrong despite laws, norms and ethics. There is
 no greater evil than that.

Jesus begins his ministry with deep prayer, in silence and in
 the wilderness. We know this because he shared this profound
 encounter with his disciples. The devil knew the weaknesses
 of his flesh, of all of us. The temptation is always to satisfy
 our bodies, to wield power, and to test the limits. Jesus makes
 a choice and invites us to follow. When we are tempted to
 abuse the power, the station, the relationships, the fortune
 and fame we have been blessed with, we are face to face
 with evil. It is not scary but pretty and seductive. Yet, we
are called, every day to name it, recognize it and accept
 again the way of Christ which is humility, kindness and
compassion in all things.

Today, I ask God to help me see the temptations around
me, resist the pretty and seductive pride of place, and follow
 the example of Jesus. May we rededicate our lives to
 humility, compassion and love in this world that seems to
promote grabbing, lying and abuse for those who are in
positions of power.



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