So how is your Lent going? How are you doing with walking with and acting like Christ? What is something that you need to improve or do better at? Now is the time to do it. We have just begun Lent, and now is the time to see what we can do better and what else can we add to help us walk with and act like Christ. So, keep on going.
With the Gospel today, there is a wonderful opportunity for us to talk about temptation. Jesus was tempted, and he did not give into temptations. He said no to every single one, and that is what he is calling us to do, and that is why we sacrifice things and say no to things this Lent in order for us to be able to say no to temptation and do what Christ would do. There is a reason for our sacrifices because it is easy for us humans to want to say yes to everything, and when we should say no, it can be difficult. We have the ability to deny our desires to unite them with Christ.
Lent is all about uniting our sacrifices with Christ’s ultimate sacrifice, so try to remember what Jesus is calling us to do this Lent and keep on going. There will be temptations to stop or reduce what we do this Lent. We might not want to keep on doing them because we want that chocolate or whatever but remember the reason for this sacrifice to act like Christ just for a little bit. The more we remember that, I think, the better we will be at keeping our promises. We are sacrificing a little bit to act like Christ.
Also, if we can say no to sin and temptations we are acting like Christ. It is easy for us, and we enjoy sinning; otherwise, we would not do it. We all give up sin in one second if we do not like it. We are all inclined to sin, and the Lent sacrifices should help us say no to sin. What is that one sin that you commit every single day? Maybe that sin is something that you can work on reducing this Lent? The more we can say no to temptation or reduce our sin, the closer to Christ because he does not give into temptations or commit sins.
Another side of this is to try not to be near the occasion of sin or temptations. As we all know, sometimes it is hard to say no to temptation, and if we put ourselves closer to sin, then we actually sin. So how can you avoid the near occasion of sin or temptations? What can you do to move away from temptations? Pray about what you can do to stay away from temptations and try to stay away.
We all, and even Jesus, are tempted, but how do we respond to these temptations? Do we give into temptations, or do we stay away from them? The more we can stay away and not give into temptation, the more we are acting like Christ. So please act like Christ.
Given on First Sunday of Lent Year A