The First Sunday of Lent, C March 10, 2019
Fr. Albert St. John the Evangelist, Jeaneretteblack pleat polycotton mens pants
“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.” That is Satan talking, the devil, the great fallen angel Lucifer. Here in the desert, while tempting Jesus, he makes this rather incredible claim that he can give “all the kingdoms of the world” to Jesus. And how does Jesus respond? Not by saying “you don’t have that power.” He responds only by saying it is wrong to worship the devil.
Do you realize what that means? It means that what Satan says is true. Let that sink it. Political Power. Military Might. Financial Flourishing. These are the glories of earthly nations and the devil is pulling the strings. How can that possibly be true?
Because of Adam & Eve. God gave our first parents dominion over all the earth. Sin makes us slaves to the devil, it gives him authority over us. When Adam & Eve disobeyed God, they forfeited their earthly authority to the devil. That’s why we suffer. That’s why nature so often kills us. That’s why everything human beings do gets corrupted. Because of Sin, Satan gets to pull the strings for earthly kingdoms.
We live in the richest and most powerful nation ever. Are we all slaves of the devil then? Maybe so, but we don’t have to be. Satan says that this power and glory has been given to him. So, can it be taken back? Not by us, but God is the ultimate source of all authority. He can take it back. In the end, he will. Until then, the devil rules this world.
This is where get the idea of “deal with the devil” to get fame, fortune, or power – it does happen. It may not be a pale man in a dark suit, signing on the dotted line in blood, but we really can sell our souls to the devil and he really can give us something in return. In the short term, evil seems to pay well.
The devil knows that Jesus is the messiah, destined to become true king of the world. But he also knows that Jesus will have to suffer and struggle to get there, so he offers him a shortcut. No cross. No death. No being mocked and rejected. Just bow to me here and you’ll get the same results with less pain.
Really think about it. If you were given that same offer, would you take it? In our own context, think of the devil offering you complete control over the U.S. government. You could end abortion immediately. You could put God back in schools. You could create whatever policy you thought best. All it would take is a single genuflection to Satan. Just a little physical movement, an almost empty gesture in exchange for so much good, so much power! Sure, it’s wrong to worship anything other than God, but how bad can this be? It’s one time, it’s a little thing. Surely God will see all the good that can come and overlook it? Surely the consequences justify the decision, right? Wrong.
This is where we see the lie. Satan tells the truth, but not the whole truth. He twists incomplete truths into whole lies. Though he can give you authority, he cannot make it last. He can and will give us some good consequences for our bad choices. But, contrary to popular imagination, God does not sit down and weigh the consequences of your decisions. He weighs the decision itself. The devil is the one who likes to do complicated moral math. God looks at only one thing. Is it true? It’s either based on truth or it’s not, regardless of consequences.
Sin leads to death, period. No matter how many lives it supposedly saves or how much good it supposedly does, sin is sin and the wages of sin is death. It might be 100 years later, but sin will always lead to death. There is no escape, no gaming the system, no balancing of consequences. Don’t take it from me. Jesus literally dies to prove that no amount of good is worth even a single sin. Great, but what do we do with that? Here’s two ways to apply it: One personal, one political.
On the personal level, avoid sin at all costs. More practically, when you are tempted, do not argue with the temptation. When we get an idea to do something sinful, we sometimes debate it in our heads, weighing the consequences. We think we can prove to ourselves and to the devil how this sin won’t pay off. Here’s the problem, the devil is vastly more intelligent than the smartest human being to ever live. Even Jesus does not debate the devil. He simply quotes scripture. He falls back on divine authority and dismisses the temptation. When we engage in debate, the devil can get us caught up in his game, doing moral math to justify how a little evil is outweighed by so much good. Maybe you’ll still make the right choice this time, but eventually it will convince you to compromise. When you are tempted to do something you know is sinful, reach for Scripture, or Church Teaching, or simply pray and reject the temptation out of hand.
On the political level. Admit to yourself that we cannot win in politics. Yes, politicians can be good and holy people. Yes, they can do good things, and they often do. Yes, we should be good citizens. But that does not mean we should expect to win every battle or even most battles. Until the end of the world, we will lose more than we win. The more power and money involved, the less we will win. In this world, the devil has that authority. We’re playing the long game and true justice only comes at the end of time. Jesus won by dying for love, not voting.
God doesn’t call us to establish a political utopia. He calls us to be faithful. Faithfulness means striving for good laws, even though we don’t always get them. A politician who sincerely spends his life serving God but fails to fix some great injustice will nonetheless go to heaven. A politician who saves thousands of lives but makes deals with the devil and sins in order to get ahead will still go to hell if he does not repent.
So, as you engage with politics, be clever, be diligent, but do not sin. Do not fall for the trap that a little sin now will pay off a lot of good later. For most of us, that may mean turning off the TV and letting go of political problems that are beyond us. Becoming enraged will not help. Dabbling with despair will not help. It’s much better to let go of a policy you can’t change and focus on the family or community problem you can. Ancient Rome went from Pagan to Christian because of martyrs and mothers, not generals and senators.
Both in politics and in your personal life, avoid sin. Do the good you can do. Do not argue with the devil, do not compromise with him. Avoid sin at all costs, even at the cost of your life, even at the cost of your country. It’s not easy, but it is simple. Jesus is there every day, every Mass to prove this same point: Victory, and the only power and glory that truly lasts, comes through the cross and nothing – nothing – else.