the devil makes us forget who we are . . . 1st Sunday of Lent A

We are defined by our relations.  Our identity is defined not primarily by who we are but especially by those we are related with.  Look, even our names are evidence of this.  We are surnamed after our fathers.  We are middle named after our mothers.  We may introduce our names but to clarify identity further you have to answer the question, kay sin-o ka gani bata a?  A utod ka ni . . . ?  Or this can also happen in relations other than blood like work.  Last week my relations with the church as a priest did wonders when I was not allowed to visit the ICU because it was way past visiting hours.  When all other arguments proved unacceptable I said "I am a priest," and lo and behold I was immediately allowed.  We call this relational identity and this especially works magic in Philippine society when we are defined not so much by what we know but most especially by whom we know and in a society of whom you know relational identity matters a lot.

There are two temptations in our readings today.  The first temptation is that of Adam and Eve, and the second temptation is that of Jesus.  Both temptations use the same technique – destroy the persons relational identity.  Gub-a ang iya kaangtanan agod malipat sia kon sin-o sia.

To tempt Adam and Eve, Satan has to destroy their relational identity with God.  Satan told them, “God cannot be trusted, God lied when he said that you will die if you eat of the fruit.  No you will not certainly die.  God is hiding things from you, he does not want you to become the person you are capable of becoming, eat the fruit, defy God and you will become better than when he created you, in fact you will become like gods.”  And that is just what they did.  They ate what was forbidden. 

To tempt Jesus, Satan had to destroy also his relational identity as the Father’s beloved Son.  So the devil undermined this by saying, “if you are the Son of God command this stone to become bread.”  “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down.”   If you are . . . abe kon ikaw gid man be….

Satan wants to rob Jesus of his God-given identity in the same way that he robbed Adam and Eve of their God-given identity and replace it with something of his own making.

But Jesus remained steadfast in holding on to his identity with the Father.  Even if he has to go hungry for not turning stone to bread; even if he has to remain vulnerable and helpless for not calling on angels to catch him when he falls, and even if he has to deny power; Jesus remained trustful on God’s Word and dependent on God’s promises, because he knew who he was - that he was God’s beloved Son.

Many times we fall because our identity is not clear to us and it would help if people remind us of this reality.  When I was still a high school seminarian, whenever I go home for vacation I too did not like to go to mass anymore, especially early morning mass.  But I am a seminarian and I have to go to mass daily.  So my mother at exactly 5:30 in the morning would knock at the door of my room.  She said nothing, just a short knock and that will be a sign for me that she is waiting.  Bisan gusto ko pa matulog I have to wake up kag manghimos otherwise I will deprive her of her daily mass.

When the identity is clear the action will also be clear, but when the identity is not clear, when identity becomes blurred and hazy, things will also go wrong, boundaries will become blurred and actions become inappropriate.  Nagakahulog kita sa mga pagsulay kon nagakalipat kita kon sin-o kita.  Sin-o ka haw? 

Isn’t it that many times we correct somebody by reminding him of his identity, mostly relational identity.  Anak mo na.  Iloy ka nya.  Bana mo na.  Pari ikaw.  Ano ano ka ya man 4th year ka na, ikaw ang magulang.  We correct each other by reminding each other of who we are in our relationships.  That is good because many times the devil will attempt to make us forget that, he will make us forget who we are.  And when we forget who we are, we fall.

Today we look to Jesus – we look to him who died for us so that he can tell us who we are before God – that we are loved, that each of us is treasured.  That is one identity we should never allow the devil to make us ever doubt.