Introduction to the Liturgy of the Day

We undergo numerous trials in our lives. A loved one is rolled into surgery, we are laid off from work, a friend invites us to participate in something we know is unethical. All difficult situations, all occasions we feel we cannot face alone. We hope to turn to God, trusting that the Lord will accompany us during our moment of need. Our faith in God enables us to face these times of stress, to look to the Lord for strength to handle trauma, resist temptation, and hope in eternal life. Joined with family, friends, and neighbors, let us turn to the Lord with confidence and trust as we celebrate this liturgy.
 

Introduction to the Liturgy of the Word

Moses speaks to an assembly of the people in today’s first reading, reminding them that God heard their pleas in Egypt and saved them from captivity, bringing them through the desert to a land of plenty. Paul teaches the Romans that anyone can be saved by their faith that God has raised Jesus from the dead. In the Gospel, Jesus is tempted by the devil in the desert, resisting every temptation he faces by relying on the word of God. May we too be strengthened by God’s word.
 

Reflections

• It may appear to be a case of poor judgment to follow anyone into the desert for forty days, even if that someone is the Holy Spirit. Why would Jesus, imme- diately after being baptized, willingly enter the wilderness, only to be tempted by the devil? Surely we wouldn’t be asked to do the same. But the truth is that no one can avoid the desert forever. Deserts of temptation, deserts of loneliness, deserts of pain—these deserts are an inevitable part of human life. We too need the Holy Spirit’s assistance to withstand the temptation, sadness, or desperation of our deserts. As baptized Christians we have the same advantage Jesus had two thousand years ago. We too are filled with the Holy Spirit. May the Spirit strengthen and comfort us in our deserts.

• Jesus is tempted first with food and then with power, each tempting him to put himself and his own needs first. He resists these temptations by taking the focus off himself and putting it on others—his sisters and brothers, who do not live on bread alone, and God, whom alone we shall serve. Similarly, we can resist temptation by taking the focus off ourselves and putting it on others, which we do when we do the things Jesus called us to do on Wednesday: fasting, praying, and giving alms.

• Jesus withstands the devil’s final temptation with the ultimate refusal to give in to his own needs. In language that foreshadows what Jesus will hear while hanging on the cross, the devil challenges him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here” (Luke 4:9). After all, you’ll be fine. In the end, Jesus turns his back on saving himself in order to save us all.

Question of the Week

What specifically will I do this Lent to take the focus off myself and put it on God and on others?

-from Pastoral Patterns