WHICH WAY FOR A NEW SOCIETY?

I SUNDAY OF LENT - Mt 4:1-11

We start the first week of Lent reflecting upon the temptations undergone by Jesus in the desert.

In our reading of the Gospels, it is always good to learn from the Christians of the first centuries. In the Philokalia, a collection of spiritual writings from the Orthodox Church (which I got from my friend Fr. Horácio Rossas) I got the reference of Philokalia, I found this reflection on the temptations:

The temptations that Jesus rejected

"Of the demons opposing us in the practice of the ascetic life, there are three groups who fight in the front line:

those entrusted with the appetites of gluttony, those who suggest avaricious thoughts, and those who incite us to seek the esteem of men. All the other demons follow behind and in their turn attack those already wounded by the first three groups. For one does not fall into the power of the demon of unchastity, unless one has first fallen because of gluttony: nor is one's anger aroused unless one is fighting for food or material possessions or the esteem of men. And one does not escape the demon of dejection, unless one no longer experiences suffering when deprived of these things. Nor will one escape pride, the first offspring of the devil, unless one has banished avarice, the root of all evil, since poverty makes a man humble, according to Solomon (cf. Prov. 10:4. LXX). In short, no one can fall into the power of any demon, unless he has been wounded by those of the front line. That is why the devil suggested these three thoughts to the Savior: first he exhorted Him “to turn stones into bread; then he promised Him the whole world, if Christ would fall down and worship him: and thirdly he said that, if our Lord would listen to him. He would be glorified and suffer nothing in falling from the pinnacle of the temple. But our Lord, having shown Himself superior to these temptations, commanded the devil to 'get behind Him'. In this way He teaches us that it is not possible to drive away the devil, unless we scornfully reject these three thoughts (cf Matt. 4:1-10).”

(Excerpt From: St. Nikodemos of the Holy Mountain and St. Makarios of Corinth. “Philokalia - The Complete Text.)

This is the understanding of those who decided to follow Jesus Christ and to be guided by his way of life.

The Devil’s proposals for a new society

However, at the same time, I remembered how Dostoyevsky depicts the ideology that guides our modern society. I finished reading The Brothers Karamazov two weeks ago and in it we find the poem of The Grand Inquisitor, where we are told that Jesus came back and was found among the poor, the oppressed and the suffering bringing comfort, compassion and love. He was arrested and confronted by the Grand Inquisitor, who blamed Jesus for the dire situation of the world, due to his refusal of the great propositions presented to him in the desert by the "powerful and all-wise spirit".

During his time of search and reflection in the desert, the Devil presented Jesus with three propositions for a manifesto for his messianic work. Those propositions for a new society are the basis of the project accepted and pursued by many; they are the ideas that to a great extent have guided our modern world.

The Grand Inquisitor accuses Jesus of having rejected the proposals that would have changed the world by answering man's continuous search for bread (welfare), glory and self-affirmation. According to him, Jesus refusal of the Devil's way only brought "Unrest, Confusion, Misery".

“There are three Powers, three unique Forces upon earth, capable of conquering for ever by charming the conscience of these weak rebels — men — for their own good; and these Forces are: Miracle, Mystery and Authority.” And these powers were offered to Jesus, who rejected them straight away, without giving them the slightest consideration. 

"In these three offers we find, blended into one and foretold to us, the complete subsequent history of man; we are shown three images, so to say, uniting in them all the future axiomatic, insoluble problems and contradictions of human nature, the world over.”

“Decide then thyself.' sternly proceeded the Inquisitor, 'which of ye twain was right: Thou who didst reject, or he who offered? Remember the subtle meaning of question the first, which runs thus: Wouldst Thou go into the world empty-handed?”

A society that rejects Christ’s choice

Nowadays, we have a society that has rejected Christ's wisdom and Christ's choice, and accepted the values proposed by the Devil, creating our own gods and satisfying our own craving for miracles, for merriment and for fame, even if the miracles are fake, the merriment is emptiness and the fame is a passing shadow. "When all the gods themselves have disappeared, for then men will prostrate themselves before and worship some idea".

Jesus put all his trust in God and affirmed God's supremacy over all. When we reject him, we bow down before false gods that transform us into their slaves.