As preached by Sister Cecelia
Holy Wisdom Church
January 08, 2023
Isaiah 9:1-6, Ephesians 4:7-13, Matthew 4:1-17
After Jesus
is baptized by John in the river Jordan, he is driven into the desert to be
tempted by the devil. We usually think of temptations as being bad, as being enticements
to do wrong or take a wrong way. But in other languages, the word “temptations”
can mean to test a person.
A great and
uplifting truth is that the tests are meant to enable us to conquer wrongdoing.
We have all heard the saying: “If the stress doesn’t kill you, it will make you
stronger.” Jesus passed the test by not succumbing to the illusions presented
by the demons. Jesus had been led into a desert where he could be alone. His
task had come to him from God, and he needed to consider how to go about the
task God had given him. Being alone helped in overcoming these first three
temptations. We need some time alone so that we can discern what
choices to make in our own lives. It may be that we make many a mistake because
we do not give ourselves a chance to be alone with God.
In the
Scriptures we often read that Jesus frequently went off to pray. It seems
obvious that the tempter did not stop with these three temptations any more
than we only have to overcome one temptation and we have it made for the rest
of our life. Vigilance is needed, as we do not reach a stage in this life where
we will no longer be tempted. Frequently it is through our gifts, our strong points,
that these temptations come. A person who is gifted with the power of words
will be tempted to use this command of words to produce glib excuses to justify
his or her conduct. A person with a vivid imagination will undergo agonies of
temptation that some other person will never experience. A person with great
gifts of mind will be tempted to use the gifts for himself and not for others,
to be the master rather than the servant. Where our gifts are strongest is
where we must be on the watch. Also, our weaknesses, our insecurities can make
us want to destroy the gifts of others because we see them as a condemnation of
our own brokenness.
Today is the
Blessing of Water, which connects with Jesus being baptized with water. As the new Adam, Jesus’ baptism symbolizes the
cosmic fact that everyone and everything can be washed, renewed, and energized
with grace for all the tests and challenges that come to us whether through our
weaknesses or our strengths.
One of the recent talks on Ancient Faith Ministries
brought up this idea: “Matter matters.” For centuries our prayers have
indicated that Jesus came to save our souls – only the spiritual part of us. Death
is welcomed, as it allows us to leave our bodies behind. These bodies of ours,
though, are what we need to be united with divinity. Too often, the world and
all material things have been linked with evil or that which takes us away from
God. The Blessing of Water is a visible sign that all creation is filled with
the holy-making presence of God. God became human so that we can recognize the
God within everything.
Many people have
a feeling that all living things, not just human beings, are living from the
same LIFE, like leaves on a single tree. Whatever form, whether human, animal,
or plant, is the basis for a sympathetic affinity, indicating a unity deeper
than our everyday superficial relations. Are we not filled with a mystical
longing, for belonging, for profound union in an ultimate meaning?
We have
begun a new year. Let us trust the voice of God the Father, who invites us to
walk with Jesus as we meet all the tests and challenges that come our way.
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