HOMILY FOR THE 1ST SUNDAY OF LENT YEAR A. (5)

HOMILY FOR THE 1ST SUNDAY OF LENT YEAR A.

THEME: You must Resist the Devil.

BY: Fr. Uchenna Onyejiuwa

Beloved in Christ, it is with a great sense of humility and love that I welcome you all to this year’s Lenten Season. Every year, on Ash Wednesdays, we begin the lenten season with the application of ashes on our forehead in acknowledgement of our sinfulness and nothingness and as a demonstration of our remorse and willingness to make amends. The season offers us the privilege and the opportunity to take a forty days journey with Christ in the wilderness of our hearts, to fortify ourselves spiritually against the wiles of the evil one. This spiritual exercise is very necessary for the weak man to be strengthened so that he can surmount all the trials and temptations his heavenly road is fraught with.

Today, being the first Sunday of Lent, the first reading gives us a historical background of how we got into the mess we are in (i.e. the thesis). This mess is beautifully and succinctly captured in the Igbo Catechism thus: “Ihe njo okeluwa buterela anyi bu: A muo anyi, anyi anaghi eji gratia nke Chineke, ma ozirileghi kwa anyi ije eligwe; ona-ara anyi ahu ime ihe oma, ma o naghi ara ahu anyi achowa ime ihe ojoo. Ahuhu na-ada kwasi anyi, onwu na-egbu anyi.” These are the consequences of the sin of Adam and Eve that Christ came to liberate us from – suffering and death. At the beginning of His salvific work in the Gospel reading of today, the devil came again to derail him, with his fake promises. But He defeated the Devil by resisting him (i.e. the antithesis). Through his absolute trust and fidelity to the Father, the devil was defeated and sent to where it belongs, behind. And as St. Paul makes a synthesis of the two readings in the second reading of today, he invites us to learn from and follow the footsteps of Christ, the New Adam so that we will defeat the devil in our own onward journey and emerge victorious in the end. Although, experience has shown that we are more inclined to repeat the mistake of our first parents than emulate the example of Christ. It is as if we are perpetually dogged by the weakness of our fallen nature which predisposes us to the evil machinations of the Enemy.

Dearest friends, a good and holy lenten observance can truly liberate us from the weakness of our fallen nature and fortify us against the incessant attacks of the Devil. In overcoming His own temptations today Christ shows us the way to defeat the mortal enemy. And as His followers, we will continue to face similar temptations daily because he (the Devil) is always on the prowl to make life miserable for us and ensure that we are cut off from our heavenly inheritance.

Addressing the elders and young men of his time St. Peter writes: “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings” (1 Pet 5:8-9). Beloved, if you take a closer look at the Gospel of today you will notice that what St. Peter is proposing in the above quotation is simply how our Lord Jesus Christ trounced the Evil one; in all His three responses to the Devil, you will notice His self-control, strong resistance, and absolute faith in God. This is what our prayer, fasting and almsgiving this season are expected to develop in us if it is done with the right spirit. Mahatma Gandhi has this to say about fasting: “A genuine fast cleanses body, mind and soul. It crucifies the flesh and to that extent sets the soul free.” So, dearest friends, we must take these acts of piety seriously for them to produce the desired result.

Very importantly, never make the mistake of giving the Devil seat just like Eve did, always resist him headlong and be always on the alert. If you are in a position of authority, be on the alert, the Devil is always around to trick you into making arbitrary use of your power, resist him! When you are lacking or hungry, be on the alert, the master of artifice can use that situation to trade your destiny for a pot of soup, please resist him! Needless to say here that this method has proven to be very effective, even Nigerian politicians adopt it as a powerful strategy to win elections. Lastly, if you think you are very strong or very prayerful, be vigilant, the enemy can use you to torpedo you by deceptively luring you to do things that are beyond your limit, please resist him! Remember, if you resist the devil, he will run away from you. May the Almighty God, through our lenten observance, grant us the grace, the spiritual power and the courage to stand up to the devil and resist him till the end, even as we cast our votes. Peace be with you. (First reading, Gen 2:7-9, 3:1-7; second reading, Rm 5:12-19; gospel, Matt 4:1-11).

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