I knew a man once who was a boxer. He was one of the most interesting people that I think that I have ever met. Jimmy was from Virginia and, in fact, was the Golden Gloves champion of Virginia in the early 1980’s. Now, I’ve got to confess that I’ve got some very strong, very mixed feelings about boxing. It is by all accounts, a very brutal and very violent sport. People die in boxing. Any sport that has as its main objective the physical beating of your opponent, is not a sport that I’d like to have anything to do with. I mean, I saw the “Rocky” movies. But then again so did every Italian American kid in this country. And then all of that changed when I met Jimmy. Jimmy was a nice guy. He was funny. He was not some barbarian who liked to hurt people. I saw Jimmy fight twice. And I gotta tell you, it was beautiful. There was more balance, and more control, and more sheer athletic ability in those boxing matches than I have ever seen before. It was like ballet - for guys - with broken noses. One of the things that Jimmy used to complain to me about, was the fact that once other guys found out that he was a boxer, especially that he was a Golden Gloves champion boxer, all kinds of guys would want to fight him. “If you’re such a good boxer, then prove it. Fight me.” Everybody was constantly wanting him to prove himself. Sometimes I think that we all feel that way. Everybody constantly wants us to prove ourselves: our families, our spouses, our friends, our bosses, our enemies.

Jesus must have felt that same way that first Lent, when He went out into the desert. The devil is all over Jesus. The devil wants Jesus to prove Himself. Have you ever noticed that in St. Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus is referred to as the “Son of God” numerous times. And in today’s Gospel, twice it is the devil himself calling Jesus the “Son of God”. It’s also worth noting that the Greek word that St. Matthew translates as “if” can also be translated as “since.” Make no mistake about it, the devil is not doubting Jesus. The Devil is tempting Jesus. And that makes this a very important Gospel for all of us to hear.

In the temptation story, Jesus is tempted to please someone other than God His Father. First He is tempted to please Himself by eating. Jesus had been fasting for a long time. A couple of loaves of bread sure must have sounded good. Then, Jesus is tempted to please the crowds. He could put on show. The angels would catch Him. It would have made headlines. And finally, Jesus is tempted to please the world. He could have all the power. He could really be in control. Think of it! No Hitler. No Sadam Hussein. No Bin Laden. Jesus could have done a lot of good, if He was in charge. But Jesus’ focus is singular: He has no need or desire to please anyone other than His Father. Notice these temptations are not temptations to do evil things. The devil isn’t trying to get Jesus to kill anyone, or to get drunk, or to take drugs, or to have sex, or to steal or lie or cheat. Jesus is tempted to turn stones to bread, and to jump from the top of the Temple, and to be Lord of all the earth. The problem here is not that these are bad things. Remember, we’re talking about the same One who turned water into wine, who fed the multitudes with five loaves and two fish, who rose from the dead, and who now is known as the Lord of Heaven and earth. The temptation of Jesus wasn’t to do bad things. It was to do the right things for the wrong reasons. And here’s where this Gospel ought to make the hair on the back of the necks of each one of us, stand up. How many times do we do the right things for the wrong reasons?

We think we know temptations. We think we can beat the devil. We think that we are so good. We do!

The point here is that God is the One who is good, and our job is to do only those things that are pleasing to God. To do something just to show off, or to do something just to satisfy our friends, or our families, or our superiors, or even ourselves, is not enough. And it keeps us from loving and worshiping God alone. And that’s the real temptation that we are all dealing with.

As Catholic Christians, we get challenged to prove ourselves worthy all the time, just like Jesus. The devil is after us too. Just like in boxing, the devil wants to fight us. He wants to destroy our Faith and make us feel weak and lost. Why do you think that that is? Could it be that we are a lot stronger and more powerful than we know? Could it be, that if we resist temptations and if we doing the right things for the right reasons, that we ARE going to get to Heaven? I think the devil knows just what a threat a Faith-filled Catholic really is. This Lent, let’s get ready to rumble!

May God bless us and give us a wonderful Lenten season, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit… AMEN !!!

St. Maria Goretti… Pray for us !!!