1st SUNDAY OF LENT - YEAR A - Gospel (Matthew 4:1-11) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
- NHA CHUA CHA
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FIRST READING - Gen 2:7-9, 3:1-7
"The Lord God formed the man. Then the eyes of both of them were opened."
A readign from the Book of Genesis
7 then the Lord God formed the man[a] out of the dust of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
8 The Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east,[b] and placed there the man whom he had formed. 9 [c]Out of the ground the Lord God made grow every tree that was delightful to look at and good for food, with the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
1 Now the snake was the most cunning[a] of all the wild animals that the Lord God had made. He asked the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You shall not eat from any of the trees in the garden’?” 2 The woman answered the snake: “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; 3 it is only about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, ‘You shall not eat it or even touch it, or else you will die.’” 4 But the snake said to the woman: “You certainly will not die! 5 God knows well that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods, who know[b] good and evil.” 6 The woman saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eyes, and the tree was desirable for gaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.
SECOND READING - Rom 5:12-19
"Just as through one transgression condemnation came upon all, so through one righteous act acquittal and life came to all."
A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans
12 [a]Therefore, just as through one person sin entered the world, and through sin, death, and thus death came to all, inasmuch as all sinned[b]— 13 for up to the time of the law, sin was in the world, though sin is not accounted when there is no law. 14 But death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin after the pattern of the trespass of Adam, who is the type of the one who was to come.
15 But the gift is not like the transgression. For if by that one person’s transgression the many died, how much more did the grace of God and the gracious gift of the one person Jesus Christ overflow for the many. 16 And the gift is not like the result of the one person’s sinning. For after one sin there was the judgment that brought condemnation; but the gift, after many transgressions, brought acquittal. 17 For if, by the transgression of one person, death came to reign through that one, how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of justification come to reign in life through the one person Jesus Christ. 18 In conclusion, just as through one transgression condemnation came upon all, so through one righteous act acquittal and life came to all. 19 For just as through the disobedience of one person the many were made sinners, so through the obedience of one the many will be made righteous.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY - Mt 4:1-11
"He fasted for forty days and forty nights."
✠From the Gospel according to Matthew
1 [a]Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. 2 He fasted for forty days and forty nights,[b] and afterwards he was hungry. 3 The tempter approached and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread.” 4 [c]He said in reply, “It is written:
‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.’”
5 [d]Then the devil took him to the holy city, and made him stand on the parapet of the temple, 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written:
‘He will command his angels concerning you’ and ‘with their hands they will support you,lest you dash your foot against a stone.’”
7 Jesus answered him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.’” 8 Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence, 9 and he said to him, “All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me.”[e] 10 At this, Jesus said to him, “Get away, Satan! It is written:
‘The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.’”
11 Then the devil left him and, behold, angels came and ministered to him.
1st SUNDAY OF LENT - YEAR A - Gospel (Matthew 4:1-11)
THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
Dear people of God,
God's holy will on this Sunday calls upon all humanity to follow the example of obedience of the Son of God who came down to earth to become man.
This obedience is the opposite of the obedience of Adam and Eve of old.
In the past, Adam and Eve were created by God in goodness and holiness; they were close to God, He came to converse with them, He loved them, and He gave them everything for a happy life.
But what did Adam and Eve do in the face of God's teachings?
They disobeyed God's holy command: they ate the forbidden fruit that He told them not to eat, for He saw it was not good for humans.
Because of disobedience, Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit and had to move away from God's Holy Presence.
The consequences of human disobedience to God continue to this day, that is, when those who abuse the freedom God gives and do not follow His holy will, they will also enter the path of death, the path of distance from God's Holy Presence.
Therefore, God warns people in today's world not to disobey God's holy will, not to abuse the freedom God gives to go against His will, doing things He considers not good, such as living in discord, hatred, enmity, and killing one another.
In particular, the greatest sin of disobedience to God's holy will is pride, arrogance, wanting to be equal to God, considering oneself talented and wise while discarding God's holy will, not listening to or believing in God's providence and guidance.
God still loves humans, giving us opportunities to repent for our sins and return to Him.
Furthermore, God sent His only Son into the world to accompany humanity , to set a shining example through His way of life, which is: sacrifice, listening, and obedience to God the Father.
It is a great happiness for people in today's world, that is, Jesus Christ, who is God, became man to redeem humanity through His own obedience.
In ancient times, Adam and Eve disobeyed God, so the consequence was leading humanity to death. But up to this very day, God has brought the obedience of the Son of God into the world to save humanity.
This obedience was expressed and proven by the actions of the Son of God when He underwent the three temptations of Satan:
- The first temptation is regarding food and bread to sustain human life. Satan is very cunning; they take advantage of human weaknesses to tempt us. When humans encounter physical thirst and hunger, it becomes crucial to have food to live.
They tempted the Son of God, saying: "Turn these stones into bread to have food to sustain life."
However, the Son of God wisely resisted Satan with faith and obedience.
He said:
"Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God."
This is truly so! People today live based only on material things, and they will only receive eternal death! Therefore, God invites humans to live by the spirit, that is, to live by the Word of God; putting God's word into practice will lead to eternal life, and God will nourish that person in both soul and body.
- The second temptation was to tempt the Son of God to disobey the holy will of God the Father. This is what Satan continues to use to wreak havoc and steal human souls, both in the past and in the present.
They tested Jesus by giving the Son of God all power, glory, honor, and all material things in the world, but the world never brings eternal life to humans. They did not defeat the Son of God.
Through this, God calls upon humanity to look at the example of Jesus Christ and reject worldly glory, honor, and material possessions to follow the only Son of God, to follow God's call, which is to strive to accumulate treasures for the salvation of the soul, that is, to live in love, with charity, generosity, and selfless service to others; then God Himself will bestow glory and honor that no one can take away.
- The third temptation: Satan tested God regarding pride.
God wants people today to listen to and practice what God teaches; do not be arrogant, haughty, or self-satisfied, demanding equality with God, and do not exclude God from one's life.
For without God's preservation, protection, and support, humanity would not be able to exist in this world and would no longer live in the happiness of God.
Therefore, God calls upon humanity:
- to be vigilant regarding your words, actions, and deeds; do not fall into the snares of Satan.
- not to follow the path of Satan and become consumed by the material things of this world.
- not to seek worldly glory and honor.
- not to test God; not to be arrogant or haughty, and not to consider yourself talented or clever.
- to become little and insignificant people before God, so that He may lead humanity in the path of God's grace.
Today, God calls upon humanity to look at the temptations with which Satan tempted Jesus in the desert, to follow His example and live in obedience, sacrifice, humility, and complete loyalty and faithfulness to God; In doing so, humanity will escape the temptations of Satan, who lurks every moment, day and night, to capture the soul of each person.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
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