Sun., Feb. 26, 2012
Fr. Joseph Eddy, O. de M.
Gospel: Mark 1:12-15 Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness
Full text of sermon: One time when I was on call for the hospital, I got called to the NICU, or the infant intensive care unit. Thank God the call was not for a life-or-death situation. Instead, there were twins babies who were pre-mature. Their mother wanted them to be prayed over and blessed by a priest. I traveled up to the top floor of the hospital where the unit was. I prayed over the babies and blessed them.
From the hills of “Andy Griffith” to ordination in SardiniaIt might seem a wayward path, but Scott Brentwood’s journey began in the rolling foothills of the Blue Ridge Parkway near the town about which “Mayberry RFD” was written, and ended at the altar with Scott receiving ordination in the historic city of Cagliari amidst the balmy breezes of the Mediterranean. See the video, “The Humble Roots of the Ordination of Deacon Scott Brentwood.”
Is God calling you to become a Mercedarian friar? Visit Fr. Joseph Eddy’s page.
As I was preparing to leave, one of the nurses excitedly told me that she had something to show me. She took me to the window to look at the wonderful view of St. Charles Borromeo Seminary where I had studied for five years. It was a spectacular view from the top of the hospital to overlooking the massive seminary buildings with the large bell tower over the chapel. The nurse then proceeded to tell me that after a terrible storm the other day the nurses looked out the window and noticed the most beautiful bright rainbow they had ever seen. From the NICU, the exact middle of the rainbow could be seen stretching over the St. Martin’s Chapel bell tower.
Symbol of new life
One of the nurses ran to get me the photo they had taken and sure enough it was just as spectacular as they had described it. I had never seen a rainbow so bright or so well placed over-top of a church tower. To this day, I believe that it was a sign from the Lord to all who saw it of God’s love and protection given through His Body the Church.
Rainbows have always been seen as sign from God of new life after a storm. The worse the storm, the brighter the rainbow. Ancient peoples believed that the heavens or sky was like a shield or bow that spread over all the earth protecting it. We see this in the book of Genesis, where God would at times open the heavens and send down rain to water the earth. In the time of Moses, “the flood gates” were opened and it rained and rained and rained. The rain came for days and flooded all the earth. The cleansing flood washed away almost everyone on the earth who had abandoned God and turned to evil. God saved Noah and his family, because they were the only human beings who did not turn to evil. The Lord promised that He would never again destroy the earth. Instead he established a covenant or a relationship with Noah and all human beings. The Lord would solidify this covenant with Jesus Christ who offered Himself for the sins of the world.
The world, the flesh and the Devil
We face many dangers in this world that would threaten our covenantal relationship with the Lord. These keep us from living the “abundant life” that Christ has promised to those who follow him. The main threats to us as Christians are the World, the Flesh, and the Devil. Each of these temptations Jesus faced in His forty days in the desert. First, the world tempts us to replace God with the things of the World. We must be very careful not to give in to pride and materialism on our journey. Secondly, our own flesh tempts us to give in to our passions and put them above God’s Law. People do this when they fall victim to pornography, promiscuity, and even overeating.
But, besides the World and the Flesh, we are also tempted by our enemy the devil. Lucifer and his fellow fallen angels have chosen not to serve God and try to lead us to break our covenantal relationship with God. While in the desert, Jesus is tempted by Satan to give in to his passions and pride. We too are at times tempted by the devil to sin.
The devil is limited
However, temptation is not sin and the devil is limited by God in how much he is able to tempt us. Jesus overcomes His temptations and is actually strengthened through the “desert experience” to persevere with God through the very difficult journey to the cross. What Jesus experienced we will also experience. We will at times be tempted to give in to our passions, pride, and/or to discouragement when we sin. But God has promised to protect us. He says that he will “Never again…destroy all mortal beings.” God has placed his “bow” over us! We were washed clean at Baptism. Our parents or God-parents said, “Yes” for us on that day. We died with Christ in his passion and rose with Him in the resurrection.
But despite God’s promise to protect and guide us, salvation is not automatic. We must, as St Paul says, “work out our salvation in fear and trembling.” Each day we are saved as we respond to God’s grace, pray, and frequent the Sacraments. We do this especially during the grace-filled season of Lent. In Lent, we follow Jesus into the desert and “proclaim a fast” for forty days. We should take advantage of this time to receive the Sacraments (especially confession) and return to God, who is loving and forgiving.
Say “yes” to God
So when we see a rainbow in the sky, it reminds us that God has established a covenant with His people. This is a relationship which works both ways. We must do our part to say “yes” to God and “no” to the World, the Flesh, and the Devil. Jesus is our model as we spend forty days in the desert. We must humbly repent of our sins and strive anew to live under the protection of God’s grace and the Holy Spirit. For after the heavy rains comes a rainbow, God’s promise and protection for his people who have washed themselves in the blood of Christ. Let us place ourselves under His protection and guidance through our Lenten journey.
See all the homilies of Fr. Joseph.