My Dear People, 

This first Sunday of Lent deals with Jesus being driven into the wilderness where  He was tempted by Satan.

Having been anointed by the Spirit, Jesus begins His mission without delay. Since He has associated Himself with sinners by undergoing John’s baptism of repentance”(v.4), the Spirit immediately impels Him into the consequences of that decision—consequences that will eventually lead to the cross. Adam and Eve were driven out of the garden (Gen 3:24), so, too, was Jesus driven out into the desert, (a barren wilderness around the Dead Sea). There He remained for forty days—a number that signifies a time of testing—just as Israel was tested during Moses’ forty days on Mount Sinai (Exod. 24:18; 321), and the forty years wandering in the desert (Deut. 8:2). Jesus relives the story of Israel but as an obedient Son, totally faithful during His test and trial in the desert. 

The desert is depicted in Scriptures as the realm of evil powers, symbolized by the predatory beasts that lurk about (Lev. 16:10; Isa. 35:7-9; Ezek. 34:25). Jesus goes there to be tempted (or “put to the test”) by Satan; that is, to be tested in His resolve to carry out His messianic mission in accord with the Father’s will. He faces the same decision as Adam and Eve did in the garden (Gen. 3:1-6) and Israel in the desert (Exod. 15:25; 164)—but unlike them, he rebuffs temptation and stands fast in his determination to please the Father. 

“Satan” means “adversary” and is synonymous with the devil, the prince of demons (Mark 3:23-26), who will oppose Jesus at every turn. Jesus enters into Satan’s territory deliberately to begin his campaign against the powers of evil. He is looking for a fight! Yet He will confront Satan not with a blast of divine lightning but in His frail human nature, empowered by the Spirit. By submitting to temptation, Jesus wanted to show us that we should not be afraid of temptations. On the contrary, they give us an opportunity to progress in our interior spiritual life. 

“Yet the Lord sometimes permits souls, dear to Him, to be tempted with some violence, in order that they may better understand their own weaknesses and the necessity of grace which prevents them from falling further into sin. God permits us to be tempted, so that we may be more detached from the things of earth and conceive a more ardent desire to behold Him in heaven.  God also permits us to be tempted in order to increase our resolve. When disturbed by temptation, and sees oneself in danger of committing sin, the soul has recourse to the Lord and to His divine Mother. One can renew the resolve to die rather than offend God. One can humble oneself and find refuge in the arms of divine mercy. By this means, as has been proven, such experiences require added strength and will unite us more closely to God” (St. Alphonsus De Liguori, The love Our Lord Jesus Christ, chap, 17).

Besides, as in our Lord’s own case, we will always have God’s help to overcome temptation: Jesus stood up to the test! And, it was a real test! The devil, with twisted intentions, cleverly quoted the Old Testament: “God will send His angels to protect the just man wherever he goes” (Ps 91:11). But Jesus’ refusal to be tempted restores the true meaning of this passage from the Bible. And, as a reward for His fidelity, when the time comes, ministers of God the Father appear and wait upon him.  

We have to fill ourselves with courage, for the grace of God will not fail us. God will be at our side and will send His angels to be our traveling companions in all that we take on.  

[The sources for this article are the Navarre Bible and The Gospel of Mark by Mary Healy]

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente