PARISH NEWS

Tempted without falling

… lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil ……

Don’t the words just trip off the tongue every time we recite this most Christian of prayers, The Lord’s Prayer; the one Jesus himself taught us to pray?

But to never experience temptation is to never live. Jesus himself experienced every temptation humans can experience. Jesus knows all about temptation, he’s been there and done that. (Matt 4:1-11) Jesus lives a full life in the world. As we commence the Season of Lent, this gospel is about Jesus modelling for us being tempted and overcoming temptation.

We can expect to encounter temptation all through our lives and we are tested constantly, what we pray for is not to be led into temptations beyond our capability.

Human beings have an incompleteness, a longing, an emptiness. Temptation exists to fill that emptiness with things, experiences or even people that gratify our immediate desires. Having done so, and realised how empty our lives remain, we are tempted to seek further things to fill that emptiness, even while knowing futility in our hearts.

Temptation threatens to overcome us, until we recognise our own weakness and turn to God to deliver us from temptation, because we cannot do so alone. Doing as Jesus does we discover our forgiving God, who indeed fills that emptiness.

Lent is particularly a season for reflection on our lives, for prayerful recognition of our shortcomings, and discovery (or re-discovery) of the Creator whose love for us is infinite. We ask forgiveness from God for the mess we have made of things and part of that is forgiveness of those who have made a mess against us.

However sinful we have been, God is waiting for us to turn humbly to him.

Deacon Mark Kelly