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March 5, 2017"In proportion to God’s need of nothing is man’s need for communion with God."
From the Treatise Against Heresies by Saint Irenaeus, Bishop.
St. Cyril of Jerusalem, in instructing catechumens, wrote: “The dragon sits by the side of the road, watching those who pass. Beware lest he devour you. We go to the Father of Souls, but it is necessary to pass by the dragon.” No matter what form the dragon may take, it is of this mysterious passage past him, or into his jaws, that stories of any depth will always be concerned to tell, and this being the case, it requires considerable courage at any time, in any country, not to turn away from the storyteller.” Flanner O’Connor, Mystery and Manners: Occasional Prose. The gospel tells the story of how Jesus of Nazareth walked past the dragon.
The story begins with Adam and Eve who had everything. God gave them the beauty of the Garden of Eden unspoiled by sin. God fed them and cared for them. The story of Adam and Eve is the story of two people who had everything that you could reasonably want or need, but they fell anyway. They wouldn’t walk by the serpent.
Jesus was not primarily a teacher, a miracle worker or a political leader. What ails us at the heart cannot be solved by more information, miraculous cures or politics. Consider the three temptations in the desert.
The Devil pointed to the stones littering the desert floor and said, "If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread.” The world and our country has daunting social, economic and political problems. The world of Jesus times had similar challenges. Christ the Messiah did not lead us in a march to the perfect society. Unless sin is dealt with, there is no possibility of Eden. Adam and Eve had everything and, still, it wasn’t enough. Jesus responded, “One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God." Creation separated from the Creator cannot be heaven.
Then the Devil took Jesus to the top of the temple, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: He will command his angels concerning you and with their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone." The Temple was the center of Jewish religious life. To be at the parapet, was to be at the top of society and to be admired by all. If Jesus performed a miracle from that place everyone would see. Jesus responded, “You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test." As we remember, not far from the Temple, he was lifted up on the crowd on his cross. His fame came not from some breathtaking miracle, but from his fidelity to the Father on the Cross.
The Devil then took him to a high mountain and showed him all the nations of the world and said, "All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me." Who controls the kingdoms of the world according to this Gospel? Jesus replied, “The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve." Jesus is proclaimed king by two political leaders, Herod and Pontius Pilate. Political power in the way it works in our world is not the Messiah’s mission. Participate as a citizen, but don’t put all your hope in politics.
The Lord is not a social worker, a miracle worker or a political boss. He is the lamb of God. We are men and women, not angels. We have to live in this world and do our best to bring justice, charity and care for our neighbor into our daily lives. In doing so, we live the life of generosity that we were made for by our Creator. Disconnection from God, a life of sin, is part of the fabric of this world. We may fall into weakness, but we don’t have to buy into it. We have to walk by the dragon to enter the gates of heaven.
As we begin the first week of Lent, we remember that this is a time of penance. When each of us was baptized, our parents and godparents responded for us saying that we rejected Satan, and all his works and all his empty promises. Jesus was tempted three times in the desert. At our baptism, those who loved us stood up for us a rejected the same empty promises with which Jesus was tempted. We will reaffirm those same promises at Easter. It is left to us to walk by the dragon in order to enter into the kingdom of God.
