Lent - A Wake-Up Call

Lent - A Wake-Up Call

The season of lent is in fact a wake-up call, a reminder that “man does not live by bread alone.” There are still higher potentials and possibilities waiting for us human beings to realize. As Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa once stated, “He is born in vain, who having attained the human birth, so difficult to get, does not attempt to realize God in this very life.” Every now and then we need to be reminded of this truth because we live in a world that is still preoccupied and engrossed in an unrelenting struggle for survival and sustenance. One may be surprised and shocked to see that persons and nations who have exploited others and already amassed more than enough wealth for their own survival and for their posterity still continue to snatch from the begging bowls of the less fortunate and keep hoarding up wealth insatiably. Conversely, there is nothing to be shocked or surprised about this phenomenon since they are simply following their natural or basic instincts which can be split into three: the instincts of survival, possession and recognition. These are of course blind forces. Unless one consciously swims against this natural current we will be flowing along this current, and in fact, most of us do. That is why we need lent, a wake-up call, a reminder to halt, look and be liberated from the slavery of our basic instincts.

That is precisely what Jesus does in today’s Gospel – a wrestling with his three natural instincts for survival, possession and recognition. That tug-of-war between the natural and the supernatural, the human spirit and the divine spirit is very dramatically and symbolically presented in the episode of the three temptations of Jesus. These three temptations are common to each and every one of us, not just to Jesus. The temptations that Jesus faced at the commencement of his public life were not his last either. Concluding the description of the temptation of Jesus the Evangelist Luke indicates, “When the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him for a time” (4:13). Please take note of it, “for a time”. Luke does not say that the devil, accepting defeat left, him alone “forever”, no, only “for a time”, only for a short time. After this convincing triumph over Satan Jesus could not “live happily ever after” as our fairy tales conclude! On his way Jesus often had to bump into Satan who approached him in various disguises.

It is in this respect that many of our “living saints”, God-men and God-women of our country, try to take us for a ride. They pretend and even claim that they are beyond weakness and temptations ever since they were converted, taken-over or possessed by the divine. They act like power personified, as if nothing can ever shake or allure them. Their sheepish followers are convinced and adamant that it is so. India remains a fertile ground for this kind of God-men and God-women because of the blindness and stupidity of devotees. Some of our God-men and God-women are attracting devotees even from foreign nations. At the thresholds of their ashrams and tents devotees of every sort, both educated and uneducated, rich and poor, young and old, await patiently for a darsan (vision) and if possible a sparsan (touch). When the darsan leads to sparsan and sparsan advances to higher or deeper realms of intimate union, in some cases by deception or by force, some of these devotees open their eyes and seeing the ugly faces of their idols and cry for help and run for their dear life. Please don’t ever fool yourself thinking that these things happen only among some perverted sects and communities. No religion is exempt from this mad craze after “living saints” and not even a single religion or Church can claim to be unblemished. Then, who is the blame? Blame both the arrogance of the God-men and God-women as well as the stupidity of their followers.

Jesus is teaching us an important truth. Neither baptism nor confirmation, nor religious vows, nor ordination would ever safeguard a person from temptations. Temptations will accompany us till our grave, till we breathe our last breath. There exist no living saints! As late Nelson Mandela has said, “I’m not a saint, unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying.” Our present pope Francis also continuously reminds us that he is a sinner as everybody else is. All of us are frail, fragile human beings.  Anybody who claims that he or she is a living saint is a liar, a crook, a fraud. There exist only “struggling saints and trying saints”! Jesus was struggling all through his life, till his last breath. During his public life he could identify the cunning voice of the devil speaking through the mouth of his favorite disciple Peter. Jesus did not think twice to scold him saying, “Get behind me Satan.” Yes, Satan was setting his snare once again which Jesus could immediately identify and respond to. Anybody who continues the struggle to break free from the bondage of our basic instincts is a “saint”. It is in this sense that St Paul addressed believers as saints. There are no “living saints” or “sleeping saints” only “struggling and trying saints”! Lent is a wake-up call. Are we awake? Only we will know nobody else.

Dr Kurian Perumpallikunnel CMI