We’ve all heard that term: fair-weather friend. We can likely deduce what it is, even if we have never heard or had one before. A friend that, just like fair weather, is there only for a time, and then eventually, when the weather gets rough, or turns for the worse, all of a sudden, they vanish.
It is an interesting concept, because, on the surface, someone like that does identify as a “friend.” However, the question then becomes- how deep does that friendship actually go? Will it endure the winds and the test of time? Friendship, we know, is about all of the walks of life- even the negative or the harmful ones, and that is where friendship truly proves its salt!
We may not think about it that much, but what about our gift of faith? It may be easy to be a man or a woman of faith when the weather is fair, or when the right spirit hits us, or we truly feel on fire, but what about those moments where we wind up in the desert, or where we feel that we are drying out- when we feel that the weather has indeed turned rough? Will our faith endure?
This past Wednesday, we have begun our forty days of Lent, and our celebration and practices that pertain to this entire season, and as we do so, it is important to understand why exactly these things take place, but also why they refocus us, especially when life has no answers.
The first reading for this first Sunday of Lent comes from the book of Deuteronomy, and it tends to focus on practice and procedure, as much of the book does. Yet, while it shows a certain practice and procedure that is to take place, there is more to the story, because, as we see, this is in a moment of conversation: what do people do whenever they have something to be grateful for? Moses shows the people exactly what is to happen- that there is an offering that is to be given- and it is the offering of first fruits. This entire offering is a story- and it is more than just a present story, but it is one that is continuously unfolding in the experience of the Israelites. They were under oppression from the Egyptians, and then the Lord heard their cry. He rescued them from their affliction and toil, because they had called out to him. The Lord showed his “strong hand and outstretched arm” with terrifying power, with signs and wonders, and he gave them milk and honey.
The context of this text is a prayer that is said with this offering of first fruits, and it shows the very purpose- that the people are looking to give thanks for what has happened, and the fact that the Lord heard their cry. They offer this offering because the Lord has turned an open ear and has had an open heart to love those who call to Him, especially in the midst of their worst distress, whether mistreatment by the Egyptians or otherwise. They give up that offering, because they know that the Lord is there, and is waiting to help them. The simple lesson here? To call out to the Lord, and when He responds, to give thanks!
The second reading has switched to come from Saint Paul and his letter to the Romans. This is a beautiful section of the letter, because it tells about the “word of faith.” What is this word of faith? That a person confesses with their mouth that Jesus is Lord, and that they believe in their heart that God raised him from the dead. It actually brings the listener back to the core of why faith is so important. We can throw around these terms “believe” and “faith” all the time, and yet, it can be so difficult to actually come back to the core of what this belief and this faith mean. They, at the end of the day, invite us to come to approach, with greater clarity, the Easter mystery, that, though we are not close to it liturgically, we are still moving towards it nonetheless. IT is centered around one fundamental belief- if we believe in our heart that God raised Jesus from the dead- we will be saved. This means that Jesus has given us the power to be raised from the dead, but it requires that small assent and gift of faith. We’ve likely all heard that question “Are you saved?” at some point or another- and we can answer with clarity, because of what Saint Paul says, “I’m working on it!” We grow in faith, and we grow in our belief in Jesus Christ, that He comes to save us and set us free.
Finally, we enter into what I consider to be one of the most important Gospel texts that we can touch on for the season of Lent. There are a lot of different ways to think about the season of Lent, and yet, Jesus gives us a very clear way to live it out, not necessarily in a teaching nor in a parable, but in a very real moment of Christ’s life. The story begins- Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit, right after His baptism, and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days. He ate nothing- and eventually, because of this, He became hungry. Then, the temptations began. So, Satan appears, and begins to tempt Him. First, he begins with something very base, and something simple: if Jesus is hungry, tempt Him with bread! However, Jesus is aware that He isn’t about this type of bread, but there is another that is coming, so He responds in kind to this. Satan switches tactics, and goes to the second one- kingdoms and riches. Jesus is a king- and a ruler, but not in this way. Jesus knows this, and refuses to enter into that false leadership- because He knows that His rule is so much greater than earthy powers and glory. There is much more. So He refuses to succumb to that temptation.
Finally, Satan switches to trying to get Jesus to tempt God. He wants Him to throw the will of God off to the side, and to see if God will bend His plan to take care of Him. Yet, Jesus sees through this also, and knows full well that He is simply there to do the will of God. We are then told- because Jesus resists the devil and his temptations, he leaves, even though it is only for a time.
All of this comes together, but notice the setting of where the temptations take place: the desert. A place of desolation. Dry, arid, and not very pleasant to look at either. This, my brothers and sisters, reminds us that, if we are being honest, life is often going to throw us a few curves, and may even have moments or situations that are beyond our control. No matter what we do, we won’t be able to answer these problems- and our smartphone won’t help, and perhaps our friends or family won’t either. What do we do in these moments?
For many, the answer can be to turn away from God and to start to look towards false gods. We can look towards food that is not nourishing, we can look for drink that does not respect our nature. If that doesn’t work, perhaps we can start to console ourselves by looking towards power and glory, whether or not these are truly ours to take. Finally, perhaps we may even start trying to test God. Whatever the situation, we want out, and so we begin to push very hard to remove ourselves from whatever trial or circumstance we are in. We simply want out.
Yet, with all of that, do we live out our time in the desert with hearts that are seeking faith? It is no accident that we find Jesus in the middle of the desert. It shows us that place of vulnerability and that place that Jesus is being tested, not simply in a negative way, but in a way to strengthen His own faith and His own resolve in following the Lord. If you think about the entirety of what we are doing this Lent, my brothers and sisters, it is to grow anew in our gift of faith and to reassure ourselves that the Lord truly does hear us in the middle of the desert- where we may feel like there are no answers, or we may feel that we have been left alone or abandoned. We truly are given that grace and that gift to know that God is with us, but that requires us to let go of the false gods that we might grasp towards. Letting our electronics dictate our lives. Letting ourselves be so busy we have no time. Perhaps even just letting our faith die away because we are afraid to challenge it in any meaningful way. The reality of this season, brothers and sisters, is that it is a moment of strengthening. We should have such great faith that we will be heard when we cry out to God. Not just in the moments that we feel that faith is easy, or feel that it is convenient, but especially in the moments that we feel that it is weak or being tested. It is in those moments, that, just like friendship, we find that it proves its salt.
Brothers and sisters, the spirit is moving us into the desert. Let us find there a place of refreshment and strengthened faith in God, and in our Savior.
