Today’s question is a very basic one. The answer may be difficult for some people. The question is this: What must you do to be saved? What’s necessary for salvation, for being with God in heaven? As I said, the response for some people may be a hard one to formulate. However, many of our Protestant brothers and sisters have an immediate response. They quote the passage heard in today’s reading from Saint Paul’s letter to the Romans: “… if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
I certainly do not disagree with this response. Believing deeply within yourself that God raised Jesus from the dead, that our incarnated God suffered and died for us, is resurrected and is with us now through the love of the Holy Spirit … these beliefs are, indeed, the foundation for our salvation, our redemption.
And from this fundamental belief should arise the other half of this statement: to confess out loud, to profess publicly Jesus is the Lord. To believe and to confess. To believe and to bear witness. To believe and to teach others so that they, too, may come to believe … these are necessary actions for our own salvation history, the path we should follow to be an active member of the Kingdom of God.
I would expect the vast majority of us, if not all of us participating in this Mass, are among those who believe in the Resurrection of Jesus the Christ. However, not all of us take part in the other requirement: once having this belief, we are to spread the good news. We are to bear witness to others. We are to teach others so that they, too, may come to believe. We may fall short in these actions for several reasons. We may think we’re not sufficiently prepared to teach, to lead others so that they too may come to believe. Feeling unprepared, we think we’re not able to spread the good news. We don’t know how to do it, or even where and when to do it.
As you might guess, the staff of Christ the Good Shepherd is here to help you. On Monday evening, our Faith Formation team will conduct a gathering of those who would like to learn more about our catechetical ministry during this coming year and how you can actively be part of those who – in the words of Saint Paul – “confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord.”
A few minutes ago, I asked the question: what is necessary for salvation? And I gave the short answer by quoting a line from Saint Paul: “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Although I completely agree with this positive-action response, I would suggest we might take a closer look at some other actions we should either avoid or consider, in order to strengthen our belief and imitate Jesus more closely, especially as we begin another Lenten period: a period, a time, given to us for reflection on our relationship with him in preparation for the celebration of Easter and his Resurrection we proclaim. Today’s gospel from Luke gives us some hints on what we should do. We heard about the three temptations of Jesus in the desert. We might also think of them as three related “tests” that he underwent. Remember: The Lord’s Prayer which pleads: “Lead us not into Temptation” can also be translated as a request: “Let us not be put to the test.” Just what were these temptations, these ways in which Jesus was tested by the devil? What are our own temptations? In what ways are the responses of our own free will decisions being tested?
In the first temptation, we heard how Jesus was tempted to turn stones into bread through his own authority as the Son of God. He was hungry, having been fasting in the desert for forty days. His test was to take the physical stones and turn them into food to feed himself. But he refused. He chose not to use stones as false food. And what about us? What are the stones and what is the bread in our own lives? How are we tempted to take inanimate objects and turn them into the basic needs of our life? When Jesus was being tested, he said: “One does not live by bread alone.”
What do we really need to live a full life? Is our hunger for a new electronic device the “bread” that drives our desires? Even with economic difficulties, are material possessions the things which motivate us? Or does love of family, love of those depending upon us, are these the conditions motivating us during times of difficulty? Do we try to satisfy our hunger with stones that look like bread but offer no real nourishment?
In the second test, the devil offers Jesus all of the power in the world, if only Jesus would worship him. Jesus can gain control of the world and all those in it without having to suffer and die. He can reach his goal with no effort on his own part. All he has to do is worship Satan. And what about us? How do we seek the easy way out in trying to reach our own goals? Do we bargain with the devil to have control over others? Do we use coercion to get our own way at work or at home? When Jesus was being tested, he said: “You shall worship the Lord, your God, and him alone shall you serve.”
Do we serve the Lord God, or do we serve someone else? Something else? What power trips are we on? How can turning to the Lord God, affect our own power trips, our behavior, our control issues? Do we make our own free will decisions to increase our own power, our own economic desires, or do we follow and serve the Lord God by serving others who are in need?
In the third test, the devil tells Jesus there is nothing that can harm him. Satan tempts him by saying, even if Jesus jumps from the highest point of the temple in Jerusalem, God will send his angels to protect him from suffering any harm. And what about us? What hazardous behaviors do we exhibit with the expectation we will not be harmed by them? In some miraculous way, God will protect us, no matter how foolishly we behave. When Jesus was being tested, he said: “You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.”
Do we put God to the test by our own self-destructive behaviors, believing God will not allow us to be harmed? Do we believe we cannot be affected by any addictions. Excessive gambling will not bring harm to us and those we love. Excessive drinking or using so-called “recreational” drugs will not influence our health and behavior, because God will protect us. Do we recognize there are many foolish actions we perform that are as potentially harmful as jumping from a tall building? Do we attempt to test God’s love for us by using our free will to undertake actions we know are detrimental, but we do anyway?
In the weeks between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday, we’re given opportunities to examine what we do and why we do it. We can use this time to look at those events in our lives that tempt us, that test us. In this process of a self-examination of our lives, we need to remember we are not alone. We must continue to recall that Jesus (Emanuel) is the Lord who is with us. He is with us in the beliefs we hold in our innermost being, in our hearts, and that we are to proclaim not only with our lips but also with all of our outward behaviors: “Jesus is our Lord and Savior. Amen.”
1st Sunday of Lent; February 21, 2010
Dt 26:4-10; Rom 10:8-13; Lk 4:1-13