Temptation and pride: reflections and insights for the First Sunday of Lent

First of all, I would like to apologize for not posting for three consecutive weeks. A concoction of being uninspired, not properly disposed, stress from work, and a very sloppy internet connection at home prevented me to do my reflections.

Moving forward, we now enter the Season of Lent: a season of fasting, abstinence, almsgiving, self-mortification, and denial of selfish thoughts. (I really inserted the last one since this season is all about reducing our ego more and letting God reign in our hearts more fervently, so that we can rightfully celebrate Easter with worthy hearts.) It always starts on Ash Wednesday, and it reminds us that we do not have to be too showy when we do things for the Lord. It also requires us Catholics to abstain from food from warm-blooded animals on all Fidays of Lent, as well as to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. (The practice of fasting every Friday of Lent and abstaining on all Fridays of the year is optional, but can be a welcome practice for Catholics.)

So before I start this reflection, I would like to suggest a "Lenten Challenge" for all those who are reached by this blog: From the First Sunday of Lent up until Easter Vigil, let us challenge ourselves to (1) give up something we really want to do, and (2) avoid our most frequent sins. For my part, I would limit my use of social media for the whole of this season, cut my expenses, and destroy my innuendos. Most importantly, as we challenge ourselves with these, it can also be suggested to work hard for our salvation and pray harder than before. Of course, we should not forget our secular duties since this is part and parcel of our life of holiness. Rest assured that I will focus more on the daily grind since this is a must for a Christian workman like me. (Oh, did I forgot to mention that the Feast of St. Joseph is also near? It's going to be celebrated on the 19th.)


So without further ado, The readings and propers for the First Sunday of Lent.


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READINGS AND PROPERS


Extraordinary Form (First Sunday in Lent)


INTROIT ¤ Ps. 90. 15, 16
	Invocabit me, et ego exaudium eum eripiam eum, et glorificabo eum: longitudine dierum adimplebo eum. -- Qui habitat in adiutorium Altissimi: in protectione Dei coeli commorabitur. V.: Gloria Patri . . . -- Invocabit me, et . . .	He shall cry to me, and I will hear him: I will deliver him, and I will glorify him: I will fill him with length of days. -- (Ps. 90. 1). He that dwelleth in the aid of the Most High: shall abide under the protection of the God of Heaven. V.: Glory to the Father . . . -- He shall cry to me . . .
The Gloria is not said.
COLLECT
	Deus, qui Ecclesiam tuam annua Quadragesimali observatione purificas: praesta familiae tuae; ut quod a te obtinere abstinendo nititur, hoc bonis operibus exsequatur. Per Dominum . . .	O God, who dost purify Thy Church by the yearly observance of Lent: grant to Thy household, that what we strive to obtain from Thee by abstinence, we may achieve by good works. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in unity of the Holy Ghost: One God, world without end.
EPISTLE ¤ II Cor. 6. 1-10 Lesson from the Epistle of Blessed Paul the Apostle to the Corithians. Lectio Epistolae beati Pauli Apostoli ad Corinthios. [Lent, with its feastdays and prayers, is the acceptable time, the time of salvation. St. Paul exhorts us that we receive not the grace of God in vain.]
	Fratres: Exhortamur vos, ne in vacuum gratiam Dei recipiatis. Ait enim: Tempore accepto exaudivi te, et in die salutis adiuvi te. Ecce nunc tempus acceptablie, ecce nunc dies salutis. Nemini dantes ullam offensionem, ut non vituperetur ministerium nostrum: sed in omnibus exhibeamus nosmetipsos sicut Dei ministros, in multa patientia, in tribulationibus, in necessitatibus, in angustiis, in plagis, in carceribus, in seditionibus, in laboribus, in vigiliis, in ieiuniis, in castitate, in scientia, in longanimitate, in suavitate, in Spiritu Sancto, in caritate non ficta, in verbo veritatis, in virtute Dei, per arma iustitiae a dextris, et a sinistris: per gloriam et ignobilitatem: per infamiam, et bonam famam: ut seductores et veraces: sicut qui ignoti, et cognoti: quasi morientes, et ecce vivimus: ut castigati, et non mortificati: quasi tristes, semper autem gaudentes: sicut egentes, multos autem locupletantes: tamquam nihil habentes, et omnia possidentes.	Brethren, We exhort you that you receive not the grace of God in vain. For He saith: In an accepted time have I heard thee, and in the day of salvation have I helped thee. Behold, now is the acceptable time, behold now is the day of salvation. Giving no offense to any man, that our ministry be not blamed: but in all things let us exhibit ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in tribulation, in necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in prisons, in seditions, in labors, in watchings, in fastings, in chastity, in knowledge, in long-suffering, in sweetness, in the Holy Ghost, in charity unfeigned, in the word of truth, in the power of God, by the armor of justice on the right hand and on the left: by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report: as deceivers and yet true, as unknown and yet known: as dying, and behold we live: as chastised and not killed: as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing: as needy, yet enriching many: as having nothing and possessing all things.
GRADUAL ¤ Ps. 90. 11-12
	Angelis suis Deus mandavit de te, ut custodiant te in omnibus viis tuis. V.: In manibus portabunt te, ne unquam offendas ad lapidem pedem tuum.	God has given His Angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. V.: In their hands they shall bear thee up, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
TRACT ¤ Ps. 90. 1-7, 11-16
	Qui habitat in adiutorium Altissimi, in protectione Dei coeli commorabitur. V.: Dicet Domino: Susceptor meus es tu, et refugium meum: Deus meus, sperabo in eum. V.: Quoniam ipse liberavit me de laqueo venantium, et a verbo aspero. V.: Scapulis suis obumbrabit tibi, et sub pennis eius sperabis. V.: Scuto circumdabit te veritas eius: non timebis a timore nocturno. V.: A sagitta volante per diem, a negotio perambulante in tenebris, a ruina et daemonio meridiano. V.: Cadent a latere tuo mille, et decem millia a dextris tuis: tibi autem non appropinquabit. V.: Quoniam Angelis suis mandavit de te, ut custodiant te in omnibus viis tuis. V.: In manibus portabunt te, ne unquam offendas ad lapidem pedem tuum. V.: Super aspidem et basiliscum ambulabis, et conculcabis leonem et draconem. V.: Quoniam in me speravit, liberabo eum: protegam eum quoniam cognovit nomen meum. V.: Invocabit me, et ego exaudiam eum: cum ipso sum in tribulatione. V.: Eripiam eum, et glorificabo eum: longitudine dierum adimplebo eum, et ostendam illi salutare meum.	He that dwelleth in the aid of the Most High, shall abide under the protection of the God of heaven. V.: He shall say to the Lord: Thou art my protector and my refuge: my God, in Him will I trust. V.: For He hath delivered me from the snare of the hunters, and from the sharp word. V.: He will overshadow thee with His shoulders, and under His wings thou shalt trust. V.: His truth shall compass thee with a shield: thou shalt not be afraid of the terror of the night. V.: Of the arrow that flieth in the day, of the business that walketh about in the dark, of invasion or of the noonday devil. V.: A thousand shall fall at your side, and ten thousand at thy right hand: but it shall not come nigh thee. V.: For He hath given His Angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. V.: In their hands they shall bear thee up, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. V.: Thou shalt walk upon the asp and the basilisk, and thou shalt trample underfoot the lion and the dragon. V.: Because he hoped in Me I will deliver him: I will protect him, because he hath known my Name. V.: He shall cry to me, and I will hear him: I am with him in tribulation. V.: I will deliver him, and I will glorify him: I will fill him with length of days, and I will show him my salvation.
GOSPEL ¤ Matth. 4. 1-11. † Continuation of the holy Gospel according to St. Matthew. † Sequentia sancti Evangelii secundum Matthaeum. [It was in the desert that Satan, wishing to know if the Son of Mary was really the Son of God, tempted our Lord. The devil seeks to tempt us by the lustful desire of the flesh, by the pride of life, and by the lustful desire of the eyes, or avarice.]
	In illo tempore: Ductus est Iesus in desertum a Spiritu, ut tentaretur a diabolo. Et cum ieiunasset quadraginta diebus, et quadraginta noctibus, postea esuriit. Et accedens tentator, dixit et: Si Filius Dei es, dic ut lapides isti panes fiant. Qui respondens, dixit: Scriptum est: Non in solo pane vivit homo, sed in omni verbo, quod procedit de ore Dei. Tunc assumpsit eum diabolus in sanctam civitatem, et statuit eum super pinnaculum templi, et dixit ei: Si Filius Dei es, mitte te deorsum. Scriptum est enim: Quia Angelis suis mandavit de te, et in manibus tollent te, ne forte offendas ad lapidem pedem tuum. Aid illi Iesus: Rursum scriptum est: Non tentabis Dominum Deum tuum. Iterum assumpsit eum diabolus in montem excelsum valde: et ostendit et omnia regna mundi, et gloriam eorum, et dixit ei: Haec omnia tibi dabo, si cadens adoraveris me. Tunc dicit ei Iesus: Vade Satana: scriptum est enim: Dominum Deum tuum adorabis: et illi soli servies. Tunc reliquit eum diabolus: et ecce Angeli accesserunt, et ministrabant ei.	At that time Jesus was lead by the Spirit into the desert, to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterwards He was hungry. And the tempter coming said to Him: If Thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. Who answered and said: It is written: Not in bread alone doth man live, but in every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God. Then the devil took Him up into the holy city and set Him upon the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him: If Thou be the Son of God, cast Thyself down. For it is written: That He hath given His Angels charge over thee, and in their hands shall they bear Thee up, lest perhaps Thou dash Thy foot against a stone. Jesus said to him: It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Again the devil took Him up into a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them, and said to Him: All these will I give Thee, if falling down Thou wilt adore me. Then Jesus saith to him: Begone Satan! for it is written: The Lord thy God shalt thou adore, and Him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil left Him. And behold Angels came, and ministered to Him.
OFFERTORY ¤ Ps. 90. 4, 5
	Scapulis suis obumbrabit tibi Dominus, et sub pennis eius serabis: scuto circumdabit te veritas eius.	The Lord will overshadow thee with His shoulders, and under His wings thou shalt trust: His truth shall compass thee with a shield.
SECRET
	Sacrificium quadragesimalis initii solemniter immolamus te, Domine, deprecantes: ut cum epularum restrictione carnalium, a noxiis quoque voluptatibus temperemus. Per Dominum . . .	We solemnly offer to Thee, O Lord, the Sacrifice of the beginning of Lent, beseeching Thee: that while we restrain our carnal feasting, we may abstain also from harmful pleasures. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in unity of the Holy Ghost: One God, world without end.
PREFACE Preface for Lent
	Vere dignum et iustum est, aequum et salutare, nos tibi semper, et ubique gratias agere: Domine sancte, Pater omnipotens, aeterne Deus. Qui corporali ieiunio vitia comprimis, mentem elevas, virtutem largiris et praemia: per Christum Dominum nostrum. Per quem maiestatem tuam laudant Angeli, adorant Dominationes, tremunt Potestates. Coeli, coelorumque Virtutes, ac beata Seraphim, socia exsultatione concelebrant. Cum quibus et nostras voces, ut admitti iubeas deprecamur, supplici confessione dicentes:	It is truly meet and just, right and for our salvation, that we should at all times, and in all places, give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty, everlasting God; Who by this bodily fast, dost curb our vices, dost lift up our minds and bestow on us strength and rewards; through Christ our Lord. Through whom the Angels praise Thy Majesty, the Dominations worship it, the Powers stand in awe. The Heavens and the heavenly hosts together with the blessed Seraphim in triumphant chorus unite to celebrate it. Together with these we entreat Thee that Thou mayest bid our voices also to be admitted while we say with lowly praise:
COMMUNION ¤ Ps. 90. 4, 5
	Scapulis suis obumbrabit tibi Dominus, et sub pennis eius serabis: scuto circumdabit te veritas eius.	The Lord will overshadow thee with His shoulders, and under His wings thou shalt trust: His truth shall compass thee with a shield.
POSTCOMMUNION
	Tui nos, Domine, sacramenti libatio sancta restauret: et a vetustate purgatos, in mysterii salutaris faciat transire consortium. Per Dominum . . .	May the holy reception of Thy Sacrament, O Lord, refresh us, that cleansing us from our old life, it may make us to pass into the fellowship of the saving Mystery. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in unity of the Holy Ghost: One God, world without end.


Ordinary Form (First Sunday of Lent)


Prophecy: Gen. 2:7-9; 3:1-7 (2:7-3:7)
The Lord God formed man of the slime of the earth: and breathed into his face the breath of life, and man became a living soul.   And the Lord God had planted a paradise of pleasure from the beginning: wherein he placed man whom he had formed. And the Lord God brought forth of the ground all manner of trees, fair to behold, and pleasant to eat of: the tree of life also in the midst of paradise: and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.


(And a river went out of the place of pleasure to water paradise, which from thence is divided into four heads. The name of the one is Phison: that is it which compasseth all the land of Hevilath, where gold groweth. And the gold of that land is very good: there is found bdellium, and the onyx stone. And the name of the second river is Gehon: the same is it that compasseth all the land of Ethiopia. And the name of the third river is Tigris: the same passeth along by the Assyrians. And the fourth river is Euphrates. And the Lord God took man, and put him into the paradise of pleasure, to dress it, and to keep it. And he commanded him, saying: Of every tree of paradise thou shalt eat: But of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat. For in what day soever thou shalt eat of it, thou shalt die the death. And the Lord God said: It is not good for man to be alone: let us make him a help like unto himself. And the Lord God having formed out of the ground all the beasts of the earth, and all the fowls of the air, brought them to Adam to see what he would call them: for whatsoever Adam called any living creature the same is its name. And Adam called all the beasts by their names, and all the fowls of the air, and all the cattle of the field: but for Adam there was not found a helper like himself. Then the Lord God cast a deep sleep upon Adam: and when he was fast asleep, he took one of his ribs, and filled up flesh for it. And the Lord God built the rib which he took from Adam into a woman: and brought her to Adam. And Adam said: This now is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, because she was taken out of man. Wherefore a man shall leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they shall be two in one flesh. And they were both naked: to wit, Adam and his wife: and were not ashamed.)


Now the serpent was more subtle than any of the beasts of the earth which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman: Why hath God commanded you, that you should not eat of every tree of paradise? And the woman answered him, saying: Of the fruit of the trees that are in paradise we do eat: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of paradise, God hath commanded us that we should not eat; and that we should not touch it, lest perhaps we die. And the serpent said to the woman: No, you shall not die the death. For God doth know that in what day soever you shall eat thereof, your eyes shall be opened: and you shall be as Gods, knowing good and evil. And the woman saw that the tree was good to eat, and fair to the eyes, and delightful to behold: and she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave to her husband, who did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened: and when they perceived themselves to be naked, they sewed together fig leaves, and made themselves aprons.




Responsorial: Ps. 51:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 17
R: Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned. 


Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy great mercy.
And according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my iniquity.
Wash me yet more from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin.


For I know my iniquity,
and my sin is always before me.
To thee only have I sinned, and have done evil before thee:
that thou mayst be justified in thy words,
and mayst overcome when thou art judged. 


Create a clean heart in me, O God:
and renew a right spirit within my bowels.
Cast me not away from thy face;
and take not thy holy spirit from me.


Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation,
and strengthen me with a perfect spirit.
O Lord, thou wilt open my lips:
and my mouth shall declare thy praise.


Epistle: Rom. 5:12-19
Brethren: As by one man sin entered into this world and by sin death: and so death passed upon all men, in whom all have sinned. For until the law sin was in the world: but sin was not imputed, when the law was not. But death reigned from Adam unto Moses, even over them also who have not sinned, after the similitude of the transgression of Adam, who is a figure of him who was to come. But not as the offence, so also the gift. For if by the offence of one, many died: much more the grace of God and the gift, by the grace of one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. And not as it was by one sin, so also is the gift. For judgment indeed was by one unto condemnation: but grace is of many offences unto justification. For if by one man's offence death reigned through one; much more they who receive abundance of grace and of the gift and of justice shall reign in life through one, Jesus Christ. Therefore, as by the offence of one, unto all men to condemnation: so also by the justice of one, unto all men to justification of life. For as by the disobedience of one man, many were made sinners: so also by the obedience of one, many shall be made just.




Gospel: Mt. 4:1-11
At that time: Jesus was led by the spirit into the desert, to be tempted by the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterwards he was hungry. And the tempter coming said to him: If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. Who answered and said: It is written, Not in bread alone doth man live, but in every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God. Then the devil took him up into the holy city, and set him upon the pinnacle of the temple, And said to him: If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down, for it is written: That he hath given his angels charge over thee, and in their hands shall they bear thee up, lest perhaps thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said to him: It is written again: Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Again the devil took him up into a very high mountain, and shewed him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them, And said to him: All these will I give thee, if falling down thou wilt adore me. Then Jesus saith to him: Begone, Satan: for it is written: The Lord thy God shalt thou adore, and him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil left him; and behold angels came and ministered to him.




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REFLECTIONS AND INSIGHTS  


God fashioned us for holiness, but because of the transgression of Adam, we are relegated to die, to suffer, to be tempted.


But as St. Paul said to us, one man may have condemned us to death, but one man also granted us eternal life, and that man is no other than Jesus Christ, the God-Man. Through Him, death no longer became a curse, but is now a gift, a reassurance that since the Divine became one with us except in sin--even to the point of death--we would also partake in His resurrection.


The Gospel of both Forms is one and the same: the temptation of Jesus.


Basically, the temptation of Satan to our Lord are all based on pride. And up to this day, the story does not only apply to us, but the said capital sin is also a looming threat to our souls. 


Personally, I just find it inspiring to have the second letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians as this Sunday's Epistle in the Old Form:


"In all things let us exhibit ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in tribulation, in necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in prisons, in seditions, in labors, in watchings, in fastings, in chastity, in knowledge, in long-suffering, in sweetness, in the Holy Ghost, in charity unfeigned, in the word of truth, in the power of God, by the armor of justice on the right hand and on the left: by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report: as deceivers and yet true, as unknown and yet known: as dying, and behold we live: as chastised and not killed: as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing: as needy, yet enriching many: as having nothing and possessing all things."


Simply, Paul reminds us to work for the Church and not be overcome by pride. In fact, it is the one message which is applied to myself.


You see, I should have had at least a citation in my graduation from college almost a year ago for being active in promoting the Catholic faith in everything I do, especially in social media. But none of these were recognized. At first, I felt bad because I had the most prominent access to the biggest personalities in Catholic apologetics, in the Latin Mass communities that helped in sowing into some souls in the University of Santo Tomas the "sense of the sacred" (myself included), and most importantly in the pro-life advocacy, even to the point that I have spent a 200-hour internship just to have a connection between the Pontifical University and the governing body of the Episcopal College in these islands; and none of these were honoured just because I have neither Latin honour nor academic achievements.

But when I tried to look at the brighter side of things, I realized that these citations and lauds would not be important or even necessary in the long run since it may have the tendency to be limited to what I have done in college. One of the things that still ring into my mind was when a temporarily-professed nun who studied Engineering in UST for two years before entering the convent told me during the Catholic Social Media Summit last November that I was "a blessing to the Thomasian Community". Well, too much flattering for her part, but I soon realized that I indeed played my part in the salvation of souls as a student in a 21-hectare patch of green amidst the concrete jungle which is Sampaloc, Manila, even if it was too insignificant to cite in the first place. In short, she considered that insignificant role I may have done during my stint as a blessing. 

Somehow, I am learning not to rest on any laurels or pursue on having one because of pride. Even Christ Himself retreated to the mountaintop when the 5,000 would like to proclaim Him King of the Jews after the multiplication of the loaves of bread. As an end to my personal sharing, I have already "moved on" from all the disappointments that may have developed from all these frustrations. These things may still tempt me to be resenting, but I pray to our Lord that I may imitate Him not to take the credit unless He approves it. For some reason, we must always utter these words whenever we achieve something: "Non nobis, Domine; sed Nomine Tuo da gloriam." "Not on us, Lord; but on Thy Name be the glory."


So this is the bottom line: All temptations are based on pride, on the advancement of our egoistic agenda. It is good to know that from the very start of His public ministry, Jesus emphasized the virtue of humility. He challenges us to combat pride by doing a reality check on ourselves whether we are working for the Church because charity rules over us or we are working for the Church only because of the praise we would get from the people. If Jesus--becoming man without abandoning His divinity--was tempted by Satan and successfully condemned its tricks, this means we can also be successful in repealing the Devil's temptations, provided that we stick behind our Lord, our Lady, and all the angels and saints.


And so we ask: Am I brave enough to combat pride by humility and disregard to earthly praise as Jesus and Mary did?


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PRAYING THE COLLECT


 O God, who dost purify Thy Church by the yearly observance of Lent: grant to Thy household, that what we strive to obtain from Thee by abstinence, we may achieve by good works. Grant, almighty God, through the yearly observances of holy Lent, that we may grow in understanding of the riches hidden in Christ and by worthy conduct pursue their effects.




Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in unity of the Holy Ghost: One God, world without end. Amen.