3/10/2019 LENTEN REFLECTION

Posted on Mar 11, 2019 by

[Then he led him to Jerusalem,
made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said 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 guard you,
and:
With their hands they will support you,
lest you dash your foot against a stone.”
Jesus said to him in reply,
“It also says,
You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.
When the devil had finished every temptation,
he departed from him for a time.] (Lk. 4:9-13).

In this third temptation of Jesus, the devil tries to tempt Jesus with prideful egotism. The Temple was the center of Jewish faith, where God was worshiped. The parapet of the Temple was its highest point. By asking Jesus to throw Himself down from it the devil not only wanted Jesus to test God, but claim pride of place over and above God.

As with the first two temptations, Jesus  stands firm and foils the devil’s ploy. Jesus does not succumb to pride or egotism. Rather He humbly acknowledges the truth of who He is and the part He will play in the salvation of mankind.

Are we, like Jesus, able to overcome our pride?

Is God the center of our lives or are we?

Do we tend to think the world revolves around us?

Take some time today and put God back in the center of your life