Sermon for the 9th of March - First Sunday of Lent
Lent is a season where we focus on our journey of faith—our often stumbling attempts to walk in the way of Christ. But it is not about beating ourselves up or dwelling on how flawed we are. Rather, it is about walking in the way that leads to life in all its fullness.
This spiritual journey follows a threefold pattern: purgation, illumination, and union.
Purgation refers to the intentional cleansing of our hearts, minds, and wills. The prophet Malachi (3:2-4) describes God as a refiner’s fire. Metallurgists refine precious metals by exposing them to intense heat, allowing impurities to rise to the surface and be removed. The essential nature of the metal does not change—it simply becomes purified. In the same way, God works in us, refining us through trials, repentance, and renewal.
Illumination follows purgation as we begin to see our lives in a new light, transformed by God’s grace. This is the moment of spiritual awakening when we recognize truth more clearly and understand our purpose more deeply.
Union is the goal of the journey—a deep and mystical participation in Christ. St. Paul expresses it beautifully in Galatians 2:20: "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me." Union with Christ leads to loving communion with God, drawing us ever closer to His presence.
This pattern—purgation, illumination, and union—ebbs and flows throughout our spiritual lives. There is both a linear and a circular movement in our faith, as we are continually being refined and drawn deeper into God’s love.
During Lent, we walk with Jesus into the desert—a place of testing and trial. It is an invitation to a season of purgation: of repentance, self-examination, study, and spiritual cleansing. A spring-cleaning of the soul.
Henri Nouwen, a Catholic theologian, reflects on the three temptations of Jesus in the wilderness. He critiques the modern world’s obsession with relevance, spectacle, and power.
The first temptation—turning stones into bread—symbolizes our drive for efficiency and control. Nouwen observes:
“While efficiency and control are great aspirations of our society, the loneliness, broken relationships, boredom, feelings of emptiness and depression, and a deep sense of uselessness fill the hearts of millions of people in our success-oriented world.”
Instead of grasping for control, people of faith are called to solidarity with those who suffer, bringing the light of Jesus to them through compassion and presence.
The second temptation—to perform a spectacular act—parallels today’s culture of influencers and personal branding. The devil goaded Jesus at the top of the Temple, ‘Since you are God’s Son, jump… The angels will catch you so that you won’t so much as stub your toe on a stone.’ (The Message).
Today we're pressured to become ‘influencers’. With Instagram and Tik Tok, and endless hours of reality TV, personal branding is the new norm. In today’s world, you have to pursue an audience and get applause. But, Nouwen writes, ‘Jesus didn’t come to be a stunt man’. Jesus rejected showmanship, focusing instead on love and service rather than seeking attention.
The third temptation—the temptation of power—is perhaps the most insidious. Nouwen notes:
“One of the greatest ironies of the history of Christianity is that its leaders constantly gave in to the temptation of power… even though they continued to speak in the name of Jesus, who did not cling to his divine power but emptied himself and became as we are.”
We recently saw Shakespeare’s Richard II at the Bridge Theatre. The play explores the downfall of a king and the transfer of power. The crown is a central symbol that reappears throughout the play. It represents the king's power and authority. The act of physically removing and surrendering the crown signifies Richard's loss of power and his deposition from the throne, effectively ‘unkinging’ him. And what’s interesting about this crown is that it’s ‘hollow’. It’s hollow, because it reflects the fragility and emptiness of power.
And yet power remains a powerful temptation today. It features so strongly in today’s political world, with men – and they are men – convinced that might is right. And that they can get their way by cajoling and bullying those who are weak and vulnerable. This might be the philosophy of Nietzsche and of today’s power hungry dictators, but it’s not the way of Christ.
Nouwen suggests that we grasp for power because:
“It seems easier to be God than to love God, easier to control people than to love people, easier to own life than to love life.”
But Jesus calls us to servanthood, not dominance. True leaders nourish, restore, and depend on their communities, rather than exploiting them.
Three temptations—relevance, spectacle, and power. This Lent, we are invited to examine our hearts and confront the struggles we most naturally face.
Lent is an invitation to step into the refiner’s fire, to undergo an inner cleansing, and to let go of the beliefs and attitudes that diminish us. It’s a time to rediscover our true nature—one made in the image and likeness of God.
Lent is not a season for hiding our brokenness but for bringing it before God, knowing that Jesus came to forgive and heal us. May we make space in our lives to listen, to be transformed, and to be drawn ever deeper into union with His life-giving presence.