Jeus' 'Superbowl' Win

PRAYER FOR THE WEEK

Jesus, help me stick with you as much as I back my favorite sports team! Amen..


JESUS’ ‘SUPERBOWL’ WIN

Jesus went into the desert to pray for 40 days. He had no food, and He was hungry. The devil said, “If you’re God, why not make rocks into bread?” “Bread isn’t the only food,” Jesus said; “listening to God is a kind of food, too.” The devil tried again. “I’ll give you the world if you follow me,” he said. Jesus replied, “God is the one people should follow.” The devil took Jesus to the top of a building. “If you’re God, jump,” he said. “Angels will catch you.” But Jesus told him, “Don’t test God!” So the devil left Him alone.

The New Orleans Saints just won the Superbowl. If you’re a Saints fan, you’re probably still grinning; but if your football team is the Indianapolis Colts, who lost, you might be in a bad mood for a while longer!

Whichever team you back, you’re probably still a fan, whether they won the Superbowl or didn’t even make it to the playoffs. You just keep saying, “It’s okay. We played hard. Next year it’ll be us.”

Since Catholics are all supposed to be on Jesus’ team, you have to especially cheer for Him in this week’s Gospel (Luke 4:1-13). Jesus has taken on a challenge more intense than the Superbowl: He’s in the desert, weak and starving, and the devil comes to tempt Him.

First, the devil points out how hungry Jesus is, and says He should do a miracle to get some food. Jesus isn’t into performing miracles that benefit Himself, so He says no. Then the devil tempts Jesus with power — but Jesus resists that, too.

Finally, the devil tells Jesus that angels will catch Him if He jumps off a building. Jesus must be lonely, having been in the desert for 40 days, but that doesn’t tempt Him, either.

One thing you learn as a sports fan is to stick with your team, win or lose. One thing you learn by following Jesus is that He’s a good choice to back. As the Gospel story proves, He never loses!