Re-claiming our Identity!

 

I feel as if it was just yesterday when we celebrated Christmas. Now we are into Lent. Most of us are aware that the season of Christmas ended, not with the feast of Epiphany or the three Kings, but with the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. On that day, we heard the account of the Lord’s baptism from St. Matthew’s Gospel.

Matthew recounted two very important things that happened at Jesus’ baptism. Jesus was given power from on high when the Spirit descended upon Him like a dove and a voice from the heavens said, “This is My Beloved Son.” Please keep these two things in mind as they will serve as the backdrop of our gospel story today.

But before we go further let us recall the story of the Israelites, the poor slave community exiled in Egypt for many years. It is the love story of God with the Israelites. The Book of Deuteronomy tells us that as they wandered in the desert God formed and called them His espoused, His chosen people, His beloved. Additionally, the author described what happened in their 40 years of wandering in the desert into the promised land. Those years were times of testing their faithfulness and fidelity to God. How could they be true to their identity as God’s beloved children? Could they love God as He had loved them? What was in their hearts?

Those 40 years of fasting, prayer and testing is echoed in the life of Christ. Will Jesus remain faithful? What’s in His heart? Keep in mind that the gospel today is preceded by His Baptism where His identity as the Beloved Son of God was revealed. He was given power from on high. The Spirit descended upon Him. Jesus was given the power to be the face of the Father; the power to bring about the kingdom – a kingdom of mercy, compassion, and love. The question is, “what is in Jesus’ heart?” Will Jesus, unlike the Israelites, be faithful to God, His Father?

Notice Satan begins the temptations with, “If you are the Son of God.” Satan goes after Jesus’ identity at the heart of who He is. Satan tests Jesus with the question, “Who do you think you are? How would you answer according to your identity?”

I believe this is a question we need to ask ourselves. Where do we get our identity? Some people get their identity from money, power, who they know and how much they have. We often forget that our true identity is derived from God. We forget that in Baptism, like Jesus, we are called God’s beloved sons and daughters. Lent is the time for us to check out our hearts and how we understand ourselves as God’s beloved children. Lent is a time for us to reclaim, to rediscover our true identity – God’s beloved!

Then we hear the first and second temptations when the tempter questions the power that Jesus had just been given from on High. The devil says: “Look Jesus, I know you’re hungry. You’ve been fasting for forty days and nights. You have the power to turn rocks into bread. Then, jump off this tallest building. You won’t get hurt. The angels will minister to you!” How would Jesus use His power? Would he abuse it for His own purpose? To feed His ego? Would Jesus use it according to God’s ways? “

I believe this is another question we need to ask ourselves. How are we going to use what we have in our life? Is our power as a friend, neighbor, wife, husband, mother, father, grandparents, elected official, doctors, leader in the community, brother, sister, teacher, pastor, supervisor, etc. used correctly? Remember God calls us to use these powers for the service and love of all. Jesus showed us an example the night before He died. He took a towel wrapped it around His waist, took a basin and a pitcher of water, knelt, and washed His disciples’ feet. That is service; that is love. Friends, we are called to heal not to wound, to build up not to tear down, to set free not to condemn.

In the third temptation, Satan asks, “Hey Jesus, can you make me your priority even just today? I will give you everything.” Can Jesus be faithful at that moment? What’s in His heart?

That too is a question we need to ask ourselves. Is God our priority? Is Jesus really the Lord of our life? Can we make God our priority above everything and everyone else? Check your heart. Is prayer our priority? Do we have time to pray every day? What is your priority in your life, in your day, in this moment- is it God?

From where do we derive our identity?

How do we use the powers we have in life?

What is our priority?

If we look carefully at our hearts with these questions, it might just reveal for us our work this Lent.

Remember the first reading today – it is not so much about sin. Rather it is a reminder of who we are – made in the image and likeness of God. Can we be faithful to that? Check your heart