March 9, 2025: First Sunday of Lent

Gospel: 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.” Jesus said to him in reply, “It is written: You shall worship this Lord, your God, and him along 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 for a time.

Reflection

Jesus “was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days, to be tempted by the devil.” Why would the Spirit lead Jesus into the desert knowing he would be tempted? If you think of being tempted as a bad thing, you might question the benevolence of God. However, I think of this movement as an opportunity that Wisdom offers Jesus and all of us.

Have you ever gone through a dry period or “dark night of the soul?” Maybe you’ve been through many. Perhaps you are in one now and know they usually last longer than one night. We could, and do, think of these times as unwanted and awful. At least, that is how it usually feels when I’m in the middle of such times. At these times I may question whether a loving God even exists. I feel alone, isolated and separated.

The darkness and suffering make me question who I am and what life is. In these difficult periods, I often come face-to-face with my humanity and the lies that keep me from knowing the truth. It becomes and opportunity to become aware of what separates me from God and to shed what keeps me from embodying my divinity.

Action

This Lent, how might you be, what might you do or refrain from doing that will support connection with the Source of all Being, who is alive in every being?