Dear Friends in Christ,
As we begin our Lenten observance this week, St. Matthew’s gospel account, this Sunday, of Jesus’ temptation in the desert gives us much to reflect upon.
Scripture tells us that the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the desert. Why would He lead Jesus there? For centuries prior to Jesus’ coming, holy people in the history of Israel sought God’s presence in the desert. The quiet of this environment helped them to prayerfully listen to God’s voice and escape the moral corruption and noise of urban centers. Thus, Jesus went to the desert, guided by the Spirit, seeking the presence of His Father.
Yet, His good intentions were met with evil. Satan did not want the Lord to be nourished by prayer and God’s presence. Rather, Satan wanted to dissuade Jesus from His saving mission. Satan’s spiritual battle with Christ in the desert teaches us about our own inevitable conflict with the Evil One. As we, at the beginning of Lent, seek God’s presence in more fervent prayer,
Satan will tempt us with distractions to abandon our efforts at spiritual discipline and conversion.
The three temptations of the Lord detailed in St. Matthew’s gospel account illustrate for us how we can contend with and prevail over evil. In the first temptation, Satan attempts to get Jesus to give up fasting and to use His powers selfishly. During Lent, Satan will also tempt us to act in selfishness rather than love and to convince us we do not need to pray or sacrifice.
Jesus responds to Satan using Scripture, citing that obedience to God is necessary.
In the second temptation, Satan tempts Jesus to test God rather than trust in His love. In our lives, trials make us question God’s love for us. Jesus teaches us that in these difficulties, we must act in faith and hope, believing in God’s care for us.
During the third temptation, Satan proposes that he give Jesus earthly power in exchange for Jesus’ worship of him. Here, Satan tempts Jesus to worship a false god instead of the one,
true God. In response, Jesus makes it clear, by using Scripture, that only God Himself can be served and worshipped. What are the false gods that we have in our lives? Our Lenten exercises
invite us to again put God first.
Let us pray for each other as a parish family during this sacred Lenten time of grace. Our prayers help us all to welcome conversion and enjoy spiritual growth.
In Christ, Fr. Michael