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Two-Minute Homily by Fr Michael Grace for the First Sunday of Lent 2023.
“If we do find ourselves tempted, we must lift our minds to God, recognising that in him alone is found the fullness of life we rightly desire.”

• Two-Minute Homily Transcript

  Two-Minute Homily Transcript

  Author: Archdiocese of Brisbane

  Temptation, it’s something we all experience. Whether it’s the more or less ordinary temptation we experience in the biscuit isle when we’re on a diet, or the more serious, internal or external promptings to do that which we recognise as ultimately sinful, we each have to do battle within ourselves to reject temptation.

  Temptation is often more subtle than simply rejecting evil. Notice that both Adam and Eve and Christ are tempted, not by outright evil alone, but some perceived good obtained by an improper act. If in the first reading, Adam and Eve cave in, the Gospel presents us with Christ, the new Adam, courageously resisting such temptation. How? He counters his desire for a lesser and morally compromised good by remembering the ultimate good, his relationship with his Heavenly Father. The same method can work for us, though we need fortitude.

  When on a diet, it is best to avoid the biscuit isle altogether, but if we find ourselves there, remembering why we are on a diet, and contemplating the good that will be achieved by caring for our health, will help us overcome the undoubted allure of a Tim Tam or three.

  While it’s always best to avoid temptation and keep far away from sin, if we do find ourselves tempted, we must lift our minds to God, recognising that in him alone is found the fullness of life we rightly desire. No compromise will satisfy, no fleeting pleasure will substitute for the Father’s love. The battle for holiness if fought in the desert of temptation.

  But we are not left without remedy. Remember the Fathers love and ask for the life-giving bread that Christ offers. And following in his footsteps, stand fast and rebuke the tempter, saying with Christ “You must worship the Lord your God, and serve him alone.”