Luke 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.

Opening Prayer: Lord, I do believe, but help my unbelief. Lord, I hope, but help me fight the discouragement I sometimes feel. Lord, I love you but pour out more charity into my heart and actions.

Encountering Christ:

1. Filled with the Holy Spirit/Led by the Holy Spirit: We follow Jesus into the desert this Lent in an effort to be filled with the Spirit, as he was. God the Creator, God the Redeemer, God the Sanctifier made us in his image and likeness. According to Gaudium Et Spes (22), “Christ, the final Adam, by the revelation of the mystery of the Father and his love, fully reveals man to man himself and makes his supreme calling clear.” As we enter this desert in Our Lord’s company, may he reveal to our open and humble hearts the way to resist temptation and become more filled with the Holy Spirit. 

2. Tempted by Root Sins: The temptations Satan put before Christ are no different than those put before us. In this one passage, we find a representation of what some spiritualities call the root sins: pride, vanity, and sensuality. In the first temptation, Christ was hungry and Satan asked him to turn stones to bread, a temptation to sensuality. In the second, Satan offered Jesus power and glory: “All this will be yours if you worship me…” This was a temptation to vanity. In the third, Satan appealed to pride, saying in effect, “If you are who you say you are…” What was Christ’s response to these temptations? “It is written, it is written, it is written.” In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God” (John 1:1). How well can we defend ourselves against temptation by relying on the Scriptures? 

3. Until an Opportune Time: It’s outrageous to think that Jesus’ forty-day fast was not opportune enough for Satan, but that he would wait for a better “time.” Would that be when Christ was totally beaten down physically by the soldiers, beaten emotionally by the denials of those closest to him, beaten spiritually as he took the sins of the world upon his shoulder in the garden? Jesus was stronger than Satan even then! We can expect to fight the demons in our life only when integrally attached to the One who shows us the way.

Conversation with Christ: Merciful, loving God, you could have picked any of a thousand ways to save me from my sins, but you chose this most humble, intimate way. You chose to be so close to me that I can feel you and touch you. Why, because I am a wretched sinner? No, because I am fearfully and wonderfully made in the image and likeness of your Father. You truly are the Son of God and your desire is to be with me. Lord, forgive me and draw me ever closer to you.

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will look at the different situations and people that you lead me to with the specific purpose of seeing you in each soul.

For Further Reflection: For more information on root sins, read Navigating the Interior Life by Dan Burke.