Then he took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant. The devil said to him, “I shall give to you all this power and glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I may give it to whomever I wish. All this will be yours, if you worship me.” Jesus said to him in reply, “It is written, You shall worship the Lord, your God, and him alone shall you serve.” (Lk 4:1-13)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/030925.cfm
One of the questions from the Rite of Baptism asks, “Do you reject the glamor of evil and refuse to be mastered by sin?” If evil weren’t glamorous, we wouldn’t be taken in so quickly. The truth is that the evil one knows where we are weakest. Power and glory are addictive. It’s really sad to see it play out on the world stage for all to see.
These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
Sunday I, Lent
