FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT
First Reading • Deuteronomy 26:4-10
Psalm 91:1-2, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15
Second Reading • Romans 10:8-13
Gospel • Luke 4:1-13
A little boy was determined to give up sweets for Lent. His mother, knowing his love for chocolate cake, reminded him every morning: “If you want to stay strong, don’t even look at it!”
One day, he walked into the kitchen and saw a freshly baked chocolate cake on the counter. He told himself, “Just one look won’t hurt.” Then he thought, “Maybe just a little sniff.” Before he knew it, his fingers had taken a small piece. Then another. Until finally, half the cake was gone!
When his mother found out, she asked, “What happened?” He replied, “Mom, the devil made me do it!”
She shook her head and said, “No, son, you did it all by yourself.”
This little story reminds us how temptation works. In today’s Gospel, Jesus is tempted in the wilderness. Unlike the little boy, Jesus stands firm. He teaches us that resisting temptation isn’t about sheer willpower—it’s about relying on God’s Word and staying close to Him.
Every year, we follow Jesus’ example and go into the desert for forty days during Lent. What is the desert? It is a place that is empty. It is a place where there are no distractions, where we are away from everything that we are accustomed to and familiar with. If we are going to live these forty days well, we will have to break with our routine, go out of our comfort zone, and do something that makes us uneasy.
For each of us, that desert will be a different place. It could be volunteering at a homeless shelter. Even though there is a lot of activity in those places, it might bring us into contact with people we would normally try to avoid.
Another “desert” might be somewhere quiet, away from all the noise around us. Often, when we settle ourselves down, emotions like anger or resentment come bursting to the surface. Without anything to distract our attention, we have no choice but to recognize them and deal with them.
For some people, a desert could be picking up a spiritual book and reading it carefully. It can challenge us to look at ourselves differently and to make some real changes. That is certainly true about reading the Bible. If reading the Bible is something you haven’t done much of, this Lent might be a good time to dive into it and see where the pages take you.
For each of us, the desert will be a different place. But we must allow God’s Holy Spirit to lead us there, as did Jesus. Because it is there, where nothing can distract us, that we can focus on the deepest longing of our heart – friendship with God.
When we go into our own personal desert, we have to do it with the same attitude Jesus had. He had total, unconditional trust in His Father’s goodness and love.
We see it right at the beginning of today’s gospel when Jesus allows the Holy Spirit to lead Him to a place where He would be hungry, alone, and susceptible to the devil’s temptations.
He is totally obedient to His Father’s will. He goes where the Spirit leads Him, even though it will require sacrifice and pain.
And it is because of that total trust in His Father’s goodness and love that Jesus can withstand the devil’s temptations. The devil is always trying to convince us that God has forgotten about us. He wants us to believe that God is distant and that He doesn’t care.
That is why He takes Jesus to the roof of the Temple in Jerusalem and tells Him to throw Himself off. In a sense, He is saying to Jesus, “Prove that God really loves you. But Jesus doesn’t need to prove God’s loving care for Him. He is convinced of it, even when He is hungry and alone.
Whatever desert we choose to enter this Lent, we must go into it with the same love and trust that Jesus had. God is good. He loves us and will never abandon us.
The devil wants to steal our joy. He will do anything to get us to settle for something less than friendship with God. He knows that if we go willingly and trustingly into places that are uncomfortable for us, that we will be changed for the better.
So, he appeals to our desire for comfort and familiarity to keep us stuck in a routine. If we are going to grow and change this Lent, then we can’t give in to our fears or allow ourselves to get complacent.
We have to make the difficult choice to trust God and follow His lead.
God wants great things for us. When we trust in His love and goodness, we can overcome any fear and any temptation that might be holding us back. Don’t play it safe this Lent. Go to the place that gives you the creeps, and let God transform your heart.
