Pope Francis on Sunday said defeats are not definitive for those who believe in Jesus Christ and trust in God’s love and forgiveness.
In his prepared March 9 homily for the first Sunday of Lent, the Holy Father said difficulties and trials do not “end in failure” for Christians who embrace their relationship with God our redeemer.
“In the face of temptation, we sometimes fall; we are all sinners,” the papal text said. “Our defeat, however, is not definitive, because following our every fall, God lifts us up by his infinite love and forgiveness.”
The Holy Father was unable to preside over the Holy Mass for the first Sunday of Lent, which coincided with the last day of the Jubilee for the World of Volunteering, due to ongoing medical treatment in Rome’s Gemelli Hospital.
In his place, Cardinal Michael Czerny, prefect for the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, presided over the Sunday Mass, attended by thousands of uniformed volunteers belonging to non-profit and non-governmental organizations.
“Let us consider three aspects of Jesus’ temptation and of our own: its beginning, the way it takes place, and its result,” Czerny said, reading the pope’s homily. “In this way, we will find inspiration for our journey of conversion.”
Reflecting on the different Gospel accounts of Jesus’ temptations in the desert, the pope said Christians should not feel afraid or threatened by the “beginning” of temptation.
“Whenever we ask God not to lead us into temptation (cf. Mt 6:13), we need to remember that he has already answered that prayer through Jesus, his incarnate Word, who remains with us always,” the pope shared in his written homily.
“The Lord is close to us and cares for us, especially in times of trial and uncertainty, when the tempter makes his voice heard,” he continued.
According to the Holy Father, “the way” the devil tries to tempt Jesus and his followers is to doubt and reject the “filial relationship” with God our father.
“In his perversion, the devil wants to destroy that bond,” the pontiff explained. “Jesus’ relationship with the Father is not something to be grasped at (cf. Phil 2:6), or boasted of, in order to achieve success and attract followers, but rather a gift that he shares with the world for our salvation.”
“The devil whispers into our ear that God is not really our Father, that he has in fact abandoned us,” the Holy Father said. “Yet just when the devil would have us believe that the Lord is far from us, and would tempt us to despair, God draws all the closer to us, giving his life for the redemption of the world.”
For Christians, the pope stressed that the “result” of temptations — when faced with the help of Jesus the “Anointed One” — is the eventual defeat of Satan, “the tempter.”
“Our testing does not end in failure, because, in Christ, we are redeemed from evil,” he said. “Jesus himself opens up before us this new path of liberation and redemption.”
The 88-year-old pontiff concluded his Sunday homily by greeting Jubilee for the World of Volunteering participants and asking the Holy Spirit to sustain Christians throughout their Lenten journey towards Holy Week and Easter — “the central mystery of our faith” in Jesus’ death and resurrection.
This article was originally published on Catholic News Agency.
