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the beauty of the desert homily for first Sunday of Lent

Fr. Tom Konopka
Feb 22
2 min read

Why did Jesus go into the desert? I do not think this is a bad question to ask. People go on vacation to the desert to see the natural wonders. The painted desert of the southwest of our country are supposed to be beautiful. Jesus went into the desert to seek, not natural beauty, but the beauty of humanity who is created in God’s Divine Image. Adam and Eve in the garden story hid themselves because they knew that had distorted that image by their guilt and shame. Jesus by his confrontation of the temptations we all have and by his obedience to accept the Cross washed away the guilt and shame of Adam and Even and opened our eyes to who we really are.

But, we have to choose to be led into the desert to find the Jesus who will show us who we are. Will we have to confront our temptations? Sure. Will we need to face the Tempter? Yes. Will we have to choose the way of God or the way of the world? Yes. But Jesus teaches us that the temptations of the Tempter are false promises and empty works which is the phrasing of the baptismal vows. God does not want us to be robots, but he gifted us with the ability to choose. He wants us to choose him freely and to chose the life of the Gospel freely.

These 40 days of Lent are an opportunity to choose. It will not be easy to face the false gods we created. Like the People of Israel who made the golden calf instead of trusting God who had chosen them, we make our golden calves because we do not trust the God who has given us life. Jesus teaches us that there is nothing on this earth that we desire that can replace the love He has for us and the love we are called to return. Like Moses did not make the Law on Sinai, neither do we make the Law of the Gospel. Jesus shows us the new way, the new Law.

May each of us take the risk to walk into the desert of our hearts with Jesus and our guide. He will show us our temptations and show us the way to walk away from them. There is no temptation we have to face that God will not help us face alone. If we choose Jesus as the core of our life and choose the Cross as the path of salvation, then our deserts will be turned places of joy and hope, as Isaiah the prophet teaches us.

Are you willing to choose the journey to the desert? Am I?

Are you willing to choose Jesus who shows us that we face no temptation alone?

The choice is ours this Lent.

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