I know it has only been a few days since Lent started on Ash Wednesday, but how is it going? On Ash Wednesday, I said that when Lent is mentioned, most people think of giving up something. Is that what you decided on? Or maybe it was adding something like a daily prayer or offering to help someone. If you haven’t decided, it’s okay – there is still time.  

Ever wonder why there are forty days in Lent? The significance of the number forty traces back to the Old Testament, when the Israelites spent forty years in the wilderness after their exodus from Egypt. We also heard in today’s Gospel that Jesus spent forty days in the desert.

Can you imagine for a moment what forty years in the wilderness would be like? No real home or job, just finding ways to survive each day. Now imagine you are with Jesus in the desert. He did not eat for forty days! I think I am doing well when I don’t eat or eat very little for a day. 

Just like Jesus and the Israelites, we are going to be tempted. Tempted to give in to our desires, and at this time of the year, to stop whatever we decided to do for Lent. We are tempted all the time, but I think we feel it more during Lent because of the commitments we make and the meaning of the season. 

And the devil is very cunning. He will try everything to get you to give up on serving and loving God. Why? Because he hates you. He hates the human creatures God created and the love God has for us. The proof of this goes all the way back to Adam and Eve, when he tempted them in the garden, and they gave in. And the Israelites while they were in the wilderness, they failed the same three temptations made to Jesus.

We will endure the same temptations as Jesus. The first is the desire for bodily satisfaction. In Jesus’ case, it was food because he had gone without it for forty days and was hungry. For us, physical temptations come in many forms and can be summed up as gluttony or lust.

The second temptation Jesus endured was for power and riches, also known as avarice. The third temptation Jesus endured was when he was asked to put God to the test. Never something we should do.

Jesus, because he is God, could not give in to these or any temptations. Jesus rebuked the temptations by using passages from the Old Testament to emphasize that all we need comes from God, and that God alone is who we should trust. Even when the devil tries to trip Jesus up by quoting scripture himself, it does not work on Jesus.

Jesus is our model; however, it is a bad decision for you to engage the devil when you are tempted. Never ever get into a conversation with the evil one. It is better to call out to Jesus for help when you are tempted. Let him battle it out for you. Remember, Jesus has already defeated him. 

The Israelites, called out to God during their slavery in Egypt. God heard them and rescued them. He brought them to a land flowing with milk and honey.

St. Paul also tells us that faith in Jesus can also help us during times of temptation. He states “for, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved”.

Lent for us is our time in the desert and is the perfect time for us to work on strategies to combat temptations. We need these strategies because temptations will not stop. Just look at the last line of the Gospel. When the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him for a time. It tells us he will not stop trying to pull us away from the love and mercy of our Father.

That’s why the Church has us focus on the three practices of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving.

Fasting and self-denial help us to build up control over the temptations of worldly things, whether it’s food, activities or comfort. Almsgiving helps us to focus on others rather than ourselves. And prayer, especially the Scriptures as Jesus did, humbles us before God and reminds us that only through his grace can we accomplish anything.  

Over the forty days, hunger for Jesus. Let him be the food that sustains you. When you are tempted, call out to the Father in prayer, humbly asking for the strength to overcome them. Give of your time, talent and treasure to others. These things will help you be prepared to celebrate the glorious triumph of the resurrection and live the life God wants you to live.