{"id":5702,"date":"2023-02-25T08:55:58","date_gmt":"2023-02-25T07:55:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/predication.net\/?p=5702"},"modified":"2026-03-18T22:58:14","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T21:58:14","slug":"first-sunday-of-lent-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/predication.net\/?p=5702","title":{"rendered":"First Sunday A of Lent"},"content":{"rendered":"

Temptation (Mt 4:1-11)<\/span><\/h2>\n
\n
\n
\n

Those who shape their conscience will win in a time of temptation.
\nFor many Christians, Lent is a time when they consciously and voluntarily renounce pleasant and permitted things, moments, and meetings with people to atone for their sins through acts of repentance and to gain greater strength over themselves. None of us is free from temptation.
\nThat temptation requires our attention is also told by the story.<\/h2>\n

An Indian fakir came to the village and announced that he would show everyone how to make gold.\u00a0The villagers saw him pour water into a large cauldron, add ingredients and stir.\u00a0While doing so, he talked a lot and when he distracted the attention of those present, he dropped a few gold grains into the cauldron.\u00a0He carefully poured out the water and golden grains remained at the bottom.\u00a0The audience was surprised.\u00a0After the performance, the rich man came to the fakir and offered him a considerable sum to reveal the incantation.\u00a0The fakir told him the incantation and added: “The secret is that you must not think of the monkey’s red face while mixing.\u00a0If you don’t obey, the gold won’t appear.\u201d The man promised to remember what he must forget.\u00a0The fakir knew well that if he wanted to forget, he had to remember.\u00a0This man tried in vain.\u00a0Whatever he was doing, he was thinking of the red face of the monkey that was preventing him from getting the gold.
\nTemptation of various kinds is the red face of a monkey to one who is a slave to his weakness.\u00a0It is necessary to forget what the temptation consists in, and one will gain more than perishable gold.<\/h2>\n

The texts of the readings draw our attention to the seriousness of vigilance against temptation when we read in the Book of Genesis: “The serpent was more cunning than all the beasts of the field that the Lord, the God of all, had made…” (Gn 3:1) and: “Then the Spirit led Jesus into the desert, to be tempted by the devil” (Mt 4:1).<\/h2>\n

Both temptations have a common enemy, the devil.\u00a0The actions of the tempter are full of lies and pretense.\u00a0The devil is the father of lies.\u00a0It offers what it does not have, does not own, and cannot give or fulfill. He says to the woman in Paradise: “On the day you eat from it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Gn 3:5).\u00a0And the man reached for the fruit with his, hand and brought sin, evil, and weaknesses to the earth on all people. The Gospel tells about the temptation of Jesus.\u00a0He persuades the Son of God to turn the stones into loaves, jump down from the top of the temple,d offer the glory of the world. Nowhere is it written or said that what is offered is bad.\u00a0The evil is that what the devil offers does not belong to him.\u00a0Jesus acts decisively, and forcefully, and here when he tells the devil to set us an example and draw our attention to our duty to act: “Go away, Satan, for it is written: You shall worship the Lord your God and only him you shall serve.”
\nThe history of each person’s life is contained in these two positions that represent humanity.\u00a0Every person is tempted and exposed to a decision to make a clear decision: God or Satan, good or evil, temporality or eternity, spirit or flesh, pleasant or sin… Man must decide, choose, take a decisive stand, right relationship.
\nJesus knows that man cannot do without bread.\u00a0Food, as well as other goods necessary for the natural life of man, must remain means, but must not become ends.\u00a0He expressed it with the words: “Man does not live by bread alone” (Mt 4:4).\u00a0The devil has the tactics that suit him. He has time, he is not in a hurry, he flirts, he offers, and he disguises himself to win over a person as a victim. In the beginning, one does not see evil.\u00a0He doesn’t want to see, he won’t admit it until he starts serving the devil. In the beginning, the devil does not force directly against God.\u00a0It distorts the values \u200b\u200bof things, events, and relationships… “I will give you all this if you down before me and worship me” (Mt 4:9). A person should realize his responsibility for his actions and decisions.\u00a0Satan won’t win over Jesus with lies as he did over Eve and Adam. Jesus’ actions are our school of how to fight and win against temptation.\u00a0In the words of Scripture,\u00a0he gives arguments and answers with the words of God.\u00a0Scripture gives the possibility to rely on God’s word: “Watch and pray that you do not come into temptation!\u00a0The spirit is indeed willing, but the flesh is weak” (Mt 26:41).<\/h2>\n

Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl talks about mental illnesses in the USA in his work Dancing Around the Golden Pig.\u00a0People do not feel hungry and do not suffer from a lack of material goods, but, because they have enough of everything, they cannot find meaning in life and their existence. Diseases appear the roots of which come from such a life. And when at least from time to time conscience is reported, they can be caught by Satan’s lies.\u00a0Because a consumptive and only a consumptive life does not satisfy, does not fill with happiness, and cannot become the truth. Frankl points out that a person must find a higher spiritual meaning, contentment, and goals in life. If not, the next day will make the disease more serious and dangerous.<\/h2>\n

Jesus points out that a psychiatrist cannot make a person happier if the person rejects God.\u00a0Every fast – lived in the intentions of Christ – is a benefit for natural and spiritual life.\u00a0Lent is a time of discovering the new, finding the lost, returning to the forgotten, starting a new path for the wanderer, the truth is offered to the deceived, life to the sick, the light of eternal life to the one groping in the dark.\u00a0Lent is the words of Christ in practice: “Ask and you shall receive!”\u00a0Seek and you shall find!\u00a0Knock and they will open to you!\u00a0For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened” (Lk 11:9-10).\u00a0Church fathers were convinced that evil cannot come from us, from the human heart.\u00a0They were based on the fact that we were created in God’s image.\u00a0So evil must come from somewhere outside.\u00a0So it comes in the form of temptation, the symbol of which is the snake.\u00a0A lesson for us also from Eve’s behavior.\u00a0She shouldn’t have started talking to the snake.\u00a0In a figurative sense, this means that such a conversation is useless, reasoning is futile for us, that only Satan can emerge victorious from such an attitude.\u00a0We can avoid and get rid of bad thoughts, ideas, affections only when we leave contact with temptation as quickly and forcefully as possible.\u00a0There are many snakes and they climb out from all sides.\u00a0A spiritual person has no fear because he firmly guards the gate of his heart.\u00a0He exercises and strengthens himself every day, not only in times of temptation.\u00a0It is necessary to remember that temptation looks different before and after committing a sin.\u00a0Before it is attractive, it enriches us, and then one experiences disappointment, bitterness, disillusionment, anger, hatred.\u00a0After the sin of the grandparents, “the eyes of both were opened and they recognized that they were naked” (Gn 3:7).\u00a0For us believers, this leads to a clear conclusion,<\/h2>\n

A meeting of a group of Satanists was held in St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican, where there is a famous obelisk from the 16th century, on which are the words: “Christus vincit, Christus regnant, Christusimportantt!” The banner also had the following slogan: “Here in the Vatican, our master, Satan, will rule, and the Pope will be his servant”.\u00a0It is beautiful that we can often pray with the words of Christ: “Go away, Satan, because it is written: “You shall worship the Lord your God and only him shall you serve” (Mt 4:9-11).\u00a0And in this way, during fasting, let’s find a way to break free from temptations, to overcome our weaknesses, habits, and sins.<\/h2>\n

Today’s gospel is an invitation to the mountain of temptation to strengthen our faith.\u00a0Whoever has been a tourist in Israel and visited this place knows that at the foot of this mountain, which is in the middle of the desert, Eastern monks pray for the world. From there, there is a beautiful view of Jericho, which is located in the greenery. Desert and greenery.\u00a0A memento for us.\u00a0Even in the greatest temptation, victory is possible, but only with Jesus.\u00a0Fasting lived with Jesus is a guarantee of a new life of grace, true peace, true love, and true hope. Therefore, our view of Christ’s cross, his suffering, which begins in the desert, becomes a guarantee of salvation for us.\u00a0Since the 6th century, the Church has not only commemorated these events of the suffering of the Lord Jesus for 40 days year after year but especially brought them to life. He who learns to live with the suffering of Christ will take his place in glory with the glorified Christ. Lent is a time of repentance, renunciation, control,\u00a0work on oneself, abstinence from things, events, and other permissible and pleasant values, so that we gain spiritual strength and at the end of fasting we can sing “hallelujah” from the heart. We, therefore, want to find time for others and help them, visit them, empathize with them, have alms for them, and know how to pray with them… Fasting is being able to relive with Jesus his suffering, captivity, trial, condemnation, and death. And finally, the pinnacle of fasting is sacramental reconciliation, satisfaction for sins, and acceptance of Christ in the Eucharist. trial, condemnation, and death. And finally, the pinnacle of fasting is sacramental reconciliation, satisfaction for sins, and acceptance of Christ in the Eucharist. trial, condemnation, and death. And finally, the pinnacle of fasting is sacramental reconciliation, satisfaction for sins, and acceptance of Christ in the Eucharist.<\/h2>\n

They were building a bridge in the harbor.\u00a0When the technicians were looking for a place for the foundation of the bridge pier, they discovered an old sunken ship full of bricks and stones in the mud.\u00a0It sank a long time ago and had to be removed.\u00a0Despite all the attempts, she remained in the mud. The young engineer had an idea.\u00a0He had several boats brought in, and while the water was low they were tied to the sunken wreck.\u00a0Then they waited.\u00a0The tide was approaching and the water was still rising and with it the ships.\u00a0The chains tightened and the old sunken ship was freed from its many years of imprisonment in the mud.\u00a0What people could not do with their strength, the tide did.
\nAren’t we like that old sunken ship? What all weigh us down, binds us, with what all we are immersed in the mud! Have all previous attempts by humans failed?\u00a0A new liturgical time is coming. A new tide of graces is coming. We will fasten ourselves to Christ through the Church. Let us help each other by example and prayer. Let’s look around to see who we want to help today. We already have four days of fasting behind us. It is high time to start with Christ.<\/h2>\n

Fakirs are ingenious, but Christ is the true teacher. All the gold in this world will not replace what Jesus wants to gift and teach us in this Lenten season. It is right that at this moment we have already made a decision with Jesus and pray to St. mass, to ask for the grace not only to start but also to persevere.<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Temptation (Mt 4:1-11) Those who shape their conscience will win in a time of temptation. For many Christians, Lent is a time when they consciously and voluntarily renounce pleasant and permitted things, moments, and meetings with people to atone for … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5702","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons"],"yoast_head":"\nFirst Sunday A of Lent - predication.net<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/predication.net\/?p=5702\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"First Sunday A of Lent - predication.net\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Temptation (Mt 4:1-11) Those who shape their conscience will win in a time of temptation. For many Christians, Lent is a time when they consciously and voluntarily renounce pleasant and permitted things, moments, and meetings with people to atone for … Continue reading →\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/predication.net\/?p=5702\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"predication.net\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-02-25T07:55:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-18T21:58:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Peter Prochac\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Peter Prochac\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/predication.net\/?p=5702#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/predication.net\/?p=5702\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Peter Prochac\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/predication.net\/#\/schema\/person\/f62557857ae410ff13810b0081c7093e\"},\"headline\":\"First Sunday A of Lent\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-02-25T07:55:58+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-18T21:58:14+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/predication.net\/?p=5702\"},\"wordCount\":2023,\"commentCount\":0,\"articleSection\":[\"sermons\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/predication.net\/?p=5702#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/predication.net\/?p=5702\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/predication.net\/?p=5702\",\"name\":\"First Sunday A of Lent - predication.net\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/predication.net\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2023-02-25T07:55:58+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-18T21:58:14+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/predication.net\/#\/schema\/person\/f62557857ae410ff13810b0081c7093e\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/predication.net\/?p=5702#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/predication.net\/?p=5702\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/predication.net\/?p=5702#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"http:\/\/predication.net\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"First Sunday A of Lent\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/predication.net\/#website\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/predication.net\/\",\"name\":\"predication.net\",\"description\":\"Petr Prochac's web blog\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"http:\/\/predication.net\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/predication.net\/#\/schema\/person\/f62557857ae410ff13810b0081c7093e\",\"name\":\"Peter Prochac\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/predication.net\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/71c4613d6cbe235658e1e54b06c76a3feea1b74d3ba9c2c47f907d199762838b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/71c4613d6cbe235658e1e54b06c76a3feea1b74d3ba9c2c47f907d199762838b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Peter Prochac\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"First Sunday A of Lent - predication.net","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/predication.net\/?p=5702","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"First Sunday A of Lent - predication.net","og_description":"Temptation (Mt 4:1-11) Those who shape their conscience will win in a time of temptation. For many Christians, Lent is a time when they consciously and voluntarily renounce pleasant and permitted things, moments, and meetings with people to atone for … Continue reading →","og_url":"https:\/\/predication.net\/?p=5702","og_site_name":"predication.net","article_published_time":"2023-02-25T07:55:58+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-03-18T21:58:14+00:00","author":"Peter Prochac","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Peter Prochac","Estimated reading time":"9 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/predication.net\/?p=5702#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/predication.net\/?p=5702"},"author":{"name":"Peter Prochac","@id":"http:\/\/predication.net\/#\/schema\/person\/f62557857ae410ff13810b0081c7093e"},"headline":"First Sunday A of Lent","datePublished":"2023-02-25T07:55:58+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-18T21:58:14+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/predication.net\/?p=5702"},"wordCount":2023,"commentCount":0,"articleSection":["sermons"],"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/predication.net\/?p=5702#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/predication.net\/?p=5702","url":"https:\/\/predication.net\/?p=5702","name":"First Sunday A of Lent - predication.net","isPartOf":{"@id":"http:\/\/predication.net\/#website"},"datePublished":"2023-02-25T07:55:58+00:00","dateModified":"2026-03-18T21:58:14+00:00","author":{"@id":"http:\/\/predication.net\/#\/schema\/person\/f62557857ae410ff13810b0081c7093e"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/predication.net\/?p=5702#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/predication.net\/?p=5702"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/predication.net\/?p=5702#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"http:\/\/predication.net\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"First Sunday A of Lent"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"http:\/\/predication.net\/#website","url":"http:\/\/predication.net\/","name":"predication.net","description":"Petr Prochac's web blog","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"http:\/\/predication.net\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"http:\/\/predication.net\/#\/schema\/person\/f62557857ae410ff13810b0081c7093e","name":"Peter Prochac","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"http:\/\/predication.net\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/71c4613d6cbe235658e1e54b06c76a3feea1b74d3ba9c2c47f907d199762838b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/71c4613d6cbe235658e1e54b06c76a3feea1b74d3ba9c2c47f907d199762838b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Peter Prochac"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/predication.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5702","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/predication.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/predication.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/predication.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/predication.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5702"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/predication.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5702\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9347,"href":"http:\/\/predication.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5702\/revisions\/9347"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/predication.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5702"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/predication.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5702"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/predication.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5702"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}