Reading I

Dt 26:4-10

Moses spoke to the people, saying:
“The priest shall receive the basket from you
and shall set it in front of the altar of the LORD, your God.
Then you shall declare before the Lord, your God,
‘My father was a wandering Aramean
who went down to Egypt with a small household
and lived there as an alien.
But there he became a nation
great, strong, and numerous.
When the Egyptians maltreated and oppressed us,
imposing hard labor upon us,
we cried to the LORD, the God of our fathers,
and he heard our cry
and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression.
He brought us out of Egypt
with his strong hand and outstretched arm,
with terrifying power, with signs and wonders;
and bringing us into this country,
he gave us this land flowing with milk and honey.
Therefore, I have now brought you the firstfruits
of the products of the soil
which you, O LORD, have given me.’
And having set them before the Lord, your God,
you shall bow down in his presence.”

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 91:1-2, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15.
(cf. 15b)  Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.
You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High,
who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,
say to the LORD, “My refuge and fortress,
my God in whom I trust.”
Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.
No evil shall befall you,
nor shall affliction come near your tent,
For to his angels he has given command about you,
that they guard you in all your ways.
Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.
Upon their hands they shall bear you up,
lest you dash your foot against a stone.
You shall tread upon the asp and the viper;
you shall trample down the lion and the dragon.
Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.
Because he clings to me, I will deliver him;
I will set him on high because he acknowledges my name.
He shall call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in distress;
I will deliver him and glorify him.
Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.

reading II
Rom 10:8-13
Brothers and sisters:
What does Scripture say?
The word is near you,
in your mouth and in your heart
—that is, the word of faith that we preach—,
for, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,
you will be saved.
For one believes with the heart and so is justified,
and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.
For the Scripture says,
No one who believes in him will be put to shame.
For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek;
the same Lord is Lord of all,
enriching all who call upon him.
For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Gospel
Lk 4:1-13
Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan
and was led by the Spirit into the desert 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 said to him,
“If you are the Son of God,
command this stone to become bread.”
Jesus answered him,
“It is written, One does not live on bread alone.”
Then he took him up and showed him
all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant.
The devil said to him,
“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 said to him in reply,
“It is written:
You shall worship the Lord, your God,
and him alone shall you serve.”
Then he led him to Jerusalem,
made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him,
“If you are the Son of God,
throw yourself down from here, for it is written:
He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,
and:
With their hands they will support you,
lest you dash your foot against a stone.”
Jesus said to him in reply,
“It also says,
You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.”
When the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him for a time.

Catholic Fundamentalism Interpretation:

Today, the Roman Catholic collection is taken and set before the altar, just as Moses directed.

The Programmer arranged for Joseph's brothers to be saved by the man they sold into slavery.  Jacob, the wandering Aramean, was taken by Joseph into Egypt.  There, protected by Egypt's powerful military, his family grew and multiplied.

When the Egyptians saw how strong they'd become, they tried to enslave and kill them.  The descendents of Jacob asked The Programmer for assistance, and He provided the requested help.

The Programmer brought us out of Egypt, showing to all the world and all times how powerful His programming was.

He brought us into this land of mild and honey, and we are to give him the first gains we produce from the good conditions He has programmed for us.  We must recognize that all the good things we have are provided by the kindness and grace of The Programmer, and we will bow before Him.

You who believe in His Power, say to Him, "Your Love for me and Your Programming Power will protect and defend me, and I trust that you will do so.

Provide programming assistance when I need it, O Programmer.  Then, nothing bad will happen to be, no errors will enter your individual program, for to His Sub-Programmers have been instructed to provide you with programming assistance, and they'll provide a shield against incoming errors.

Provide programming assistance, O Programmer, when I need it.  The Programming Assistants will keep you above errors, whether involving programmed entities like rocks or living enemies like demons, and you'll erase real and spiritual enemies.

Provide programming assistance, O Programmer. 

Those who hold fast to Him, He'll deliver.  He'll raise those who acknowledge The Programmer's Power.  When things go wrong, I'll save those who believe in Me.

Provide programming assistance, O Programmer, when I am beset with errors.

Fellow Believers, the Operating Instructions tell you that Jesus Christ, the Living Program, is with you, in your mouth and heart.

If you say aloud, and mean it truly, that Jesus Christ is the Living Program Who took human form and lived, suffered, and died to save us, as those able to download future programming events (prophets), and if you believe that The Loving Father was able to restore His Program after it had been erased, you will be able to be uploaded into Programming HQ.

For if you believe with your soul, you are justified, and if you tell others, you are allowed access to the coded files.

The Operating Instructions make clear that no one who believes in Him will be denied access, for there's no difference between the human programs.  The same Programmer has Programmed, and can upload all who believe and call upon Him.  Everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will receive the access code that allows entry into Programming HQ.

Filled with the power of The Programmer through the Holy Wireless Connector Who had filled Jesus Christ (The Program in living, loving, human form) with that Power, Jesus returned from the Jordan, and was led by The Holy Wireless Connector into the desert for 40 days to see if the virus could corrupt His living operating system.  He downloaded no physical sustenance during those 40 days, and was hungry.

The virus said, "If You're the Son of God (His Program, in human form), reprogram this stone into bread."

The Living Program, Jesus Christ, replied, "One doesn't live by that sort of (simple) programming, alone."

Then, the virus raised Him and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in an instant, saying, "I will give you this political power and glory because it's mine to give to anyone I want.  It will all be yours if you willingly corrupt your operating system." (As Adam and Eve had done at his behest.)

The Living, Loving Program replied, "The Operating Instructions are clear, 'You shall worship He Who lovingly programmed you and Him, alone, shall you serve."

Then, the virus led Him to Jerusalem, made Him stand on the temple's parapet, and said:  "If You are The Programmer's beloved Program in human form, (come to save those who will be saved from me) throw yourself down, for the Operating Instructions say 'The Programmer will command His Sub-programmers to guard and support you so that you won't even stumble on a stone."

Jesus Christ, The Living, Loving Program, answered,

"The Operating Instructions also say not to (dare to) put The Programmer to the test.

When the virus had tried everything he could to corrupt Jesus's Operating System, he left Him for a time.