Thoughts for your consideration:
We begin our First Sunday of Lent just a month and few days
after the earthquake in Haiti. How many
powerful survival stories have we heard
of people that made it alive after weeks under the rubble, the
outpouring of
love, charity and service from around the world towards the people of Haiti. In
the midst
of this worldwide mobilization, however, we are also confronted with
the misery of the human spirit:
Governmental corruption, which makes people
question whether or not any help will truly reach those
in need; the
militarization of the country by foreign soldiers, which may bring a sense of
an occupation
rather than help to this desperate people; the population shift
as Haitians will be forced to migrate to
pursue economic opportunities
elsewhere; the controversy whether international loans are better than a
cancellation of debt for the Country; and the presence of those who will take advantage
of the chaos
for their own benefit. The earthquake that has devastated Haiti
has clearly brought forth the power
found in the human community, the power to
bless and the power to divide.
Jesus' journey, as we hear in Luke's account, into the desert
to be tempted moves away from the
clear-cut presentation of salvation that both
readings for this week present us. The liberating power of
God as retold in
Deuteronomy can almost dismiss the "affliction and toil" lived experienced
under
oppression by the people of Israel for in favor of the enchanting sound
of the "land flowing with milk
and honey". Or Paul's exhortation to confess
with our mouth and believe in our hearts for salvation
can almost cause
forgetfulness of the much needed personal metanoia, the change of one's mind,
and,
as we know now, its life long process. Jesus' temptation reminds us of the
journey that we, at times
reluctantly, must embark on as we seek to wrestle to
overcome the power of evil that seeks personal
prestige or the political or
spiritual domination of others.
Once again, this Lenten Season we open ourselves to journey
into the desert to encounter the possible
evil of which we and our world are
capable. Yet, we do it in a spirit of hope, for we know that we too
have been
filled with the Holy Spirit that continues to assert the primacy of God's Reign
in our own
life and in our world rather than someone's private interest. For
this reason, we actively trust that
God's Peace and Justice will become a
reality in what at times may seem as a raucous journey in the
process towards
the dignified reconstruction of the Nation of Haiti.
