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Greetings, Everyone!
Where is Egypt, and who is Pharaoh? This is neither a geographical question nor a historical one; rather, both questions invite us to examine our allegiances. In our first reading, Moses reminds the people of their history and how God delivered them from Egypt with "terrifying power"; accordingly, it is right and fitting that they should offer the first fruits of the soil to the God who has rescued them. On a symbolic level, "Egypt" refers to the land of oppression where Pharaoh reigns supreme. It is a "land" where the vulnerable are conscripted into forced labor, deprived of all rights, even to the point of genocide.
But where is Egypt, and who is Pharaoh? "Egypt"-- and, again, I am not speaking of a geographical entity-- is a state of servitude and oppression where citizens are afraid to speak their truth or live authentic lives. Instead, they bow before Pharaoh and pay homage. Instead of standing up for their beliefs, they go along with whatever Pharaoh dictates, fearing for their jobs, their lifestyles, and even their safety.
So who is this Pharaoh? We could name Pharaoh as a force outside of ourselves, a dictator perhaps, or we could probe a little deeper. Yes, there are external Pharaohs, but the ones we should fear the most are the Pharaohs within-- those task masters who drive us into mindless allegiances, misdirected actions, and blind conformity. These inner Pharaohs dismantle all notions of what is right and what is wrong, just and unjust, true and false. They create brain fog and soul fog, making us forget who we are and to whom we belong. Instead of worshipping God, those who are controlled by their inner Pharaohs make idols of false gods. To Pharaohs such as these, God says:
"Let my people go that they may worship me!"
Ex 14:16
Lenten Blessings,
Elizabeth
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SCRIPTURE REFLECTION
Link to Sunday Readings
Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan
and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness for forty days,
to be tempted by the devil.
He ate nothing during those days,
and when they were over, he was hungry.
The devil told him,
“If you are the Son of God,
command this stone to become bread.”
Jesus answered,
“It is written, One does not live on bread alone.”
Then the devil took him up to a high place
and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant.
The devil said,
“I shall give to you all this power and glory;
for it has been handed over to me,
and I may give it to whomever I wish.
All this will be yours if you worship me.”
Jesus replied,
“It is written, 'You shall worship the Lord, your God,
and God alone shall you serve.'"
Luke 4:1-13
We live in a world of multiple voices, each clamoring for our attention. In the course of a single day, we are bombarded by the false promises of advertisers, celebrities, and politicians, each vying to be the most powerful "influencer." Everyone, it seems, has something to sell or something they want from us, whether it be our purchase, our vote, our opinions, or our signature. These voices are both convincing and confusing. They make us doubt ourselves and all we believe; they erode our self-confidence and leave us feeling dissatisfied. Deceived by the insistence of these voices, we begin to question everything, including our core values. Lured by false promises, we hear what we want to hear, even if red flags abound.
The pressure is on, incessantly. As a result, we often have difficulty discerning what is really true or what we ourselves think. Our heads spin from the effort of trying to distinguish between fact and fiction, Truth and lies. This is precisely why we need to "unplug" and head for the desert-- not literally, perhaps, but to make time for silence and solitude, both of which are the antidote for disorders of the soul! In quiet, without the constant jangle of advertisements, or the drone of gossip, or the rants of politicians, we can once again breathe in Light, sanity, and peace. In so doing, we discover physiological benefits -- lower blood pressure, fewer migraines, decreased mood swings, less embodied stress. Most importantly, we might even hear God's voice-- that still, small voice that whispers in the silence, drowning out the cacophony of falsehoods, reassuring us that Love is the solution to all our fears and cares. Love. The love of God. That love which promises that we are "enough," just as we are, without any of the pressures the world inflicts on us. That love which asks neither for our money, nor our vote, nor our signature, but just for ourselves.
In the desert, Jesus faced temptations of power, magic, and idolatry. Satan, the Influencer in Chief, used every tactic to entice Jesus to follow him: "Prove you are the Son of God, turn stones to bread, rule the kingdoms of the world, claim power and glory, bow down and worship me, put God to the test..." Jesus, however, countered these temptations to the ego with statements of faith; for him, all that mattered was his relationship with God:
"No one can serve two masters. You will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon" (Mt 6:24).
And whom do we serve?
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