Sunday, March 10, 2019
First Sunday for Lent, Year C
Listen for English
Jesus, wey Holy Spirit fill, return from Jordan, and the Spirit lead Am enter desert for forty days, make the devil tempt Am. Luke 4:1-2
This experience really pain Jesus. If you really think about am, e fit hard to understand…at least for beginning.
Jesus, di Son of God, di Messiah, di Creator of di Universe, di great I AM, di second Person of di Most Holy Trinity, dey for desert, dey suffer for forty days as di devil dey tempt Am and as E dey live among wild animals. Why E go do this kind thing, and why God di Father go allow am happen? And on top of that, di passage talk say na even di Holy Spirit drive Jesus enter di desert to experience these 40 days of pain!
E fit be say we no dey often reflect on everything wey Jesus endure and all the suffering wey E pass through for Im human life. True, sometimes we dey think about how dem nail Am for Cross, but even that one, the knowledge say E rise from death dey often cover am for our mind. E easy make we overlook the suffering wey E pass through all through Im life. And e easy make we overlook why E pass through all those things as human being.
So wetin all this mean? Na about love for all of us. Na about how God love us so much sotey E willingly endure every kind of hardship and human suffering wey dey enter our lives. Na about how God fit look us straight for face and talk say, “Yes, I understand wetin you dey pass through…I really understand.” This na love. Na love wey deep so much sotey God Himself willingly experience our weaknesses and pain, so that E go fit meet us there, comfort us inside anything wey we dey pass through, and gently lift us comot from am enter di new life wey E don prepare for us. Again, this na Love!
The Spirit “lead” Jesus (as Matthew write am) and even “drive” Am (as Mark write am) go inside desert. This na one way to tell us say this experience na God plan and wetin God want. No be some strange chance force this thing on Jesus. No be bad luck, or human suffering wey just happen without any meaning. No, na suffering wey get purpose. Suffering wey get wetin e dey aim to do. And part of that aim na to experience and accept everything wey we dey experience and must accept.
Temptation for life na real thing. E dey come from our human nature wey don fall because of sin. E dey come from our weakness, but e still dey come from the evil one. Temptation fit be heavy load and cause serious pain for our feelings and mind. And when person give in to the temptation, e dey cause pain wey deep pass for the person’s spiritual life. Jesus no ever give in to the temptations for desert, and E no give in to temptation for any other time for Im life. But E endure them and suffer because of them.
This dey tell us say E fit be our strength and di One wey dey encourage us inside any temptation wey we dey face every day. Some days, we fit feel lonely and cut off from other people, like person wey dem drive enter di desert of our sins. We fit feel as if our desires wey no dey in proper order be like wild animals wey dey overpower us. We fit feel as if di evil one dey do us as e like. Jesus too feel this way. And E freely allow Himself experience this as human being. Na di will of di Father and di work of di Holy Spirit drive Am enter this experience.
Na for these reasons Jesus Himself fit meet you for this desert wey dey inside you. E dey there, dey wait for you, dey look for you, dey call you. E dey there inside anything and everything wey you fit dey pass through. And na Him, di One wey overcome this temptation for desert, go gently guide you comot. E go di desert to meet you and bring you back. And just as di angels serve Jesus for this desert, na so E still dey send those angels to serve you.
So whether your “desert” na just small trouble wey dey disturb your mind now, or na struggle against hope wey wan finish completely, Jesus want meet you and bring you out. E don conquer the desert once and for all, and E fit conquer any desert for your life too.
Lord, I acknowledge Your perfect love for me. I believe say You love me reach to endure all suffering, to understand all suffering, and to bring me out from the dryness and pain wey dey inside me. Make I allow make dem drive You enter the desert inside my own soul, and there, as I meet You, make I allow You lead me go the cool waters wey dey refresh person. Jesus, na You I trust.
40 Days for the Foot of the Cross: Reflection Four – Friendship for Spiritual Life>>>
More Reflections on the Gospel
Reflection Dem about God im Mercy
