1st Sunday of Lent - C 2025

It is undeniable that rates of anxiety and depression have risen in recent years.  Despite unprecedented access to comfort and pleasure, our society experiences greater emotional distress than previous generations – especially among the young.  At first glance, this seems paradoxical, yet upon reflection, it is not surprising.

Where do anxiety and depression originate?  While I am not a licensed therapist or psychologist, a large part of my ministry involves walking alongside people in their struggles.  Priests are privileged to witness the human heart in its moments of joy but more often in its moments of sorrow.  Through this, I believe to have observed a common root of anxiety that afflicts many today.

Anxiety arises when we perceive a threat to something we hold dear.  Financial struggles, concerns for loved ones, or personal hardships naturally create worry.  There will always be some level of anxiety we will have to deal with.  But beneath these surface-level concerns lies a deeper source of distress: a faulty foundation for self-worth.  Many people – whether consciously or not – wrestle with the fear that they are not enough.  Not enough for their family, their work, their friends.  This leads to an attack on their very identity.  “If I am not enough for my family, then I must be a bad husband or father.  If I fall short in my work, I must be a failure.  If I disappoint my friends, I must be unworthy of love.”  Our sense of value affects our identity, and when the foundation of our identity is unstable, anxiety and depression take root.

This temptation toward a false identity is one that our Lord Himself faced in the wilderness.  Satan’s three temptations sought to undermine Jesus’ identity as the Son of God.

First, Satan says, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread.”  In other words, “Prove your identity by what you can do.”  The second temptation offers Jesus power and authority in exchange for worship, tempting Him to define Himself by possessions.  Finally, Satan urges Jesus to throw Himself from the temple so that angels may catch Him.  He wanted Jesus to make a spectacle of Himself before the crowds at the temple.  This was a temptation to place His worth in the approval of others.

Yet Jesus remains steadfast.  He does not need to prove Himself through abilities, possessions, or public opinion.  He knows who He is: the beloved Son of the Father.

Satan uses the same tactics against us.  How often are we tempted to base our worth on our achievements?  The student believes, “If I get good grades and work hard, then I will be secure.”  The professional thinks, “If I am successful, then I will prove my worth.”  The athlete says, “If I reach my goal, then I will be happy.”  But what happens when the student fails a test?  When the professional stumbles in their career?  When the athlete suffers an injury?  If their identity is built on achievement, if I am what I can do, then self-worth crumbles when we falter in our achievements.  And anxiety follows.

Satan also tempts us to measure our worth by what we own.  “If I have a certain amount in my bank account, I will be secure.  If I have the house or car I desire, I will be satisfied.”  But what happens when financial hardship comes?  If possessions are the foundation of identity, if I am what I have, then self-worth crumbles when my possessions are lost.  This instability brings more than worry – it brings existential despair.

Finally, Satan tempts us to place our worth in the opinions of others.  This is particularly pervasive in the digital age, where social media fosters an obsession with external validation.  “I am what others say about me,” we are tempted to think.  But when our reputation falters – whether through disclosed moral failure, criticism, or known personal struggles – our sense of worth is shaken.

Jesus shows us the remedy.  He invites us to follow His example and root our identity not in what we do, what we have, or what others think, but in our relationship with the Father.  The foundation of our identity must be our relationship with God.  We are beloved sons and daughters of God.  That is who we are.  Our worth is not something to be earned, achieved, or proven – it is something to be received.

This is why prayer and the season of Lent is so important.  It is easy to forget the foundation of our identity.  It is easy to fall prey to these temptations Satan throws our way.  But when we pray, we acknowledge who God and who we are before Him.  We are His beloved sons and daughters.

When we anchor our identity in the love of God, we are more capable to withstand the storms of life.  The world may tempt us with false measures of worth, but our foundation remains firm: we belong to the Father.  And unlike the shifting sands of our abilities, possessions, or reputation, that will never change.