"Jesus
was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil." Mt 4:1
The Lord of
the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien is known and loved by generations of fans.
Some are not aware that Tolkien, a devout Catholic, once stated, “The Lord of
the Rings is… a fundamentally religious and Catholic work.”
In Tolkien’s
mythical Middle Earth, hobbits are guileless creatures, devoted to family and
home. Few among them harbor great ambitions or suffer temptations for power or
riches. From them, Frodo Baggins is chosen to carry an evil ring of power to
its destruction. If returned to its evil creator, this ring will empower him to
rule the world. Many noble kings, elves, and wizards support Frodo in his task,
but they cannot do it for him. Each of them has ambitions which, while good in
themselves, can be corrupted by the evil ring and used to tempt them.
Frodo’s heavy
burden nearly overcomes him as the ring works its evil. But Frodo’s friend Sam,
a pure and simple hobbit, supports him throughout the journey. Sam briefly takes
up the ring when Frodo has fallen, even carrying Frodo himself at a critical
point in the journey. Sam’s devotion and his complete detachment from
temptation help Frodo succeed in his quest.
Today’s
readings show how good desires can be corrupted by evil, if our focus is on the
good thing itself and not on the One who is good. Eve falls to temptation, desiring
wisdom over the Giver of wisdom. But Jesus resists Satan’s temptation, steadfastly focusing on God
alone: bread for the hungry is good, but the Word of God is the bread that
gives life; trust in God is good, but testing God is not trust; worship belongs
to God alone, even if all the riches of the world are offered in exchange for
worshipping evil.
As Lent begins,
we also must detach from good things that can become a temptation. Let us fix
our eyes on God alone as we fast from rich food, detach from wealth by giving
alms, and live chastely, humbly, and prayerfully in preparation for the real Return
of the King.
First Sunday of Lent, March 5th, 2017
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