First Sunday of Lent, Year B
Jesus begins his public ministry. In a struck of celestial inspiration, Jesus did not go into a frenzy of preaching and healing immediately. Rather, he went into the desert. And there, the gospel tells us, he was tempted by Satan and was ministered to by angels.
In the desert, Jesus experienced temptation. Jesus experienced the weakness of humanity. In the same breadth, in the desert, Jesus experienced being ministered to by angels. Jesus experienced the love and power of God.
The desert can be a frightening place because it makes us confront temptations, the weaknesses, the evil-ness present in us and in our world. But, the desert too is a consoling place, a place of refuge, for in the desert we discover the victorious power of the Almighty.
The season of Lent is our desert. To imbibe seriously the spirit of Lent is to make a way into the desert. Let us not be afraid of the desert. Let us not be afraid to confront sin, to face temptations and acknowledge the presence of evil in us and in our world. For in the same desert, in the same confrontation, we also experience “angels” ministering to us. In the silence, solitude and simplicity of the desert, we also discover the great power and unconditional mercy of the Most High. And that power and mercy no Satan can take away from us, no evil can destroy in us, no temptation can wipe out.
