So here it is, mid-Lent. Are you having one of those “déjà vu” moments where you wake up and realize that you haven’t really been paying attention to the season? There was Ash Wednesday and then Sunday and then Sunday…and? So, guilt is the emotion of the day.
Stop, don’t be so hard on yourself. That’s not what Lent is all about. Lent is a time to reiterate the Church in our lives and rest in the safety of her routine. Shake it off and resist guilt which so easily blocks your view of how good it can be. Think back to the first day/week of Lent. As a Catholic you may or may not have noticed that the beginning of Lent contains a purposeful pattern meant to stir encouragement, not guilt.
The first readings of Lent include Jesus’ temptations. You might remember that there are three. They come at a time when Jesus is most vulnerable. He has just completed a forty day fast and is basically famished! The first temptation targets hunger (the body), the second power (the ego) and the third personal status of his faith (the spirit).
So the enemy moves the temptations from the external to the internal. Isn’t it interesting that when most of us consider a Lenten discipline we stop at the first level and go no further? Somehow, it seems the easiest, most convenient thing to do. Despite this fact, if you read the temptations carefully there is something hiding in plain sight that might inform your Lenten practice.
What about the way the enemy “stages” the second and third scenes? What’s the same about them? Both temptations are done in a visible, very public place; the parapet of a cliff and the top of the Temple.
This is not a private affair. The enemy places Jesus “out there” for all to see. We don’t actually know if crowds were present and watching the scenes but the metaphor for each is unmistakable. If you are claiming to be a believer in regular battle with the enemy someone’s always got their eyes on you. Your faith, success, failure, sin is never a private affair.
We can also take note from a pattern in the Bible that gives us additional information. It’s all about the high place. In all the pivotal events of the Bible — the giving of the Commandments, the “almost” stoning of Jesus, the Transfiguration, the Crucifixion, the Temptations of Jesus — the location is always similar. These locations of these are always on a mountain or spot that is above the surrounding territory. Scholars tell us that this is a clear metaphor for “encounter with God.”
In a very real manner, then, temptation has its advantages. As temptation surrounds us, God is very near and ready for an encounter. In a similar manner, sin calls us to the opportunity of a public declaration and be a living statement of who we are as believers.
As Lent proceeds and you think about your success or self-declared lack of success in prayer, sacrifice and alms giving expand your thinking. As humans we will always meet with a portion of success mixed with “not so much.” More important, in the long run, is to really be honest in your self-evaluation.
Do you have the courage and will to encounter God and let temptation pass you by? The most potent question to evaluate self is really: How do you stand?
Copyright© 2015, Kathryn M. Cunningham
Kathryn M. Cunningham
Kathryn holds a Master’s in Education from Saint Xavier University. Most recently she completed Master of Arts in Pastoral Studies from The Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. This recent degree was part of a “retirement project” after teaching for 35 years. She has also worked as a spiritual director, music minister,council member and prayer team warrior. Kathryn has a deep interest in catechesis for the people in the pews. As a “sort of” convert she finds the wisdom of the Church a source for encouragement, joy and survival in a world not sure of anything. Her writing has appeared in diocesan publications and on-line sites, most recently for Zenit. To learn more about Kathryn check out her thinking at: www.atravelersview.org">ATravelersView.org.
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