The First Sunday of Lent

Jesus’ exemplary resistance to temptation is a source of hope for the discerning believer. The Sacraments offer life-giving weapons for our spiritual battles.

Gospel according to 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, and I may give it to whomever I wish. All this will be yours, if you worship me.” Jesus said to him in reply, “It is written You shall worship the Lord, your God, and him alone 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 him for a time.

Reflections

In today’s Gospel, we see Jesus fasting out in the desert. While He is physically weak and vulnerable, Jesus remarkably remains spiritually alert and steadfast. A cosmic battle is revealed between Christ and the devil – between good and evil, light and darkness. His response to each temptation is anchored in the Scripture. When Jesus is asked to turn a stone into bread, He quotes Deuteronomy 8:3: “One does not live by bread alone.” When offered worldly power and riches, He rebukes Satan again, quoting Deuteronomy 6:13: “You shall worship the Lord, your God, and him alone shall you serve.” The devil even twists the words of King David in Psalm 91: “Because you have made the Lord your refuge, the most high your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you.” Jesus counters with Deuteronomy 6:16: “You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.” Here, as the Word made Flesh (John 1:14), Christ perfectly models trust in God the Father. Unlike the devil, who wickedly manipulates the commandments of God to cause destruction, Jesus holds the Word as a life-giving, universal truth (CCC 2465). This passage warns us that God’s promises to Israel should never be twisted or manipulated (Galatians 1:6-9). All Christians are reminded to read the Bible with a prayerful and discerning heart, listening intently to the voice of the Holy Spirit. We are called to immerse ourselves in the Scripture through prayer and the wisdom of the Church, and to allow it to shape our decisions and desires.

Throughout His temptations, Jesus demonstrates exemplary resistance. The tactics of the devil are timeless: They prey on our worldly desire for pleasure and gratification, power and greed, pride and vanity. In fact, the temptations of Satan in this passage closely parallel the fall of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden (Hoopes, 2017). In that instance, Satan tempted Adam and Eve to consume the forbidden fruit: “[...] For when you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5). The commandment to turn the stones into bread appeals to satisfy our desire for instant gratification. The commandment to “throw yourself down from here” (Luke 4:9) invites reckless testing of God’s mercy, and parallels the doubt-inducing questions of the serpent: “Did God really say…?” (Genesis 3:1). The affirmation that “All this will be yours” (Luke 4:7) lures us into a false promise of control, and parallels the temptation of Adam to become “like God” (Genesis 3:5). It mirrors the temptation of Adam and Eve to seek autonomy and self-rule, rather than submitting to God's authority.

Since Jesus’ temptation takes place soon after His baptism in the River Jordan, whereby the Father confirms: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). After forty days of fasting, the devil makes a crafty attempt to put into doubt Jesus’ identity and damage His relationship with the Father. But Jesus refuses to compromise, demonstrating His obedience to God and His commitment to humility. In fact, Jesus’ temptation can be seen as a reversal of the original sin committed by Adam and Eve. Through this act, Christ reveals that temptation itself is not a sin, and that resistance against the fallen nature of humanity is possible (CCC 2847; Pope Francis, 2017). But the spiritual warfare is ongoing: We are warned that Satan departs “until an opportune time” (Luke 4:13). Just as Jesus called on the Father for strength and vigilance, we are called to reconcile ourselves with God through placing our trust in Him, and reinforce our relationship through a dialogue of prayer. The Sacraments, such as Reconciliation, and the Blessed Sacrament, help us to clothe ourselves in God’s grace. Jesus calls us to connect with our faith communities, so we may grow closer to the Lord together (Pope Francis, 2025).

Before facing the devil, we are told that Jesus was “full of the Holy Spirit” and “led by the Spirit into the wilderness” (Luke 4:1). The Spirit does not shelter Jesus from trial, but rather equips Him to face it. Jesus clothed himself in the gifts of the Holy Spirit, embodying the divine strength and wisdom necessary to confront Satan’s deceptions. These gifts, as described by Isaiah, are central to the Christian message. They include wisdom, fortitude, counsel, and fear of the Lord (Isaiah 11:1-3). The gift of fortitude sustained Jesus through forty days of fasting and physical deprivation. The gift of wisdom sharpened His discernment, and helped Him to recognize and refute the lies of the devil and the mockery of God’s Word. The Spirit’s gift of counsel guided Christ’s responses, grounding every word in the Father’s will rather than in human pride. Jesus reveals that the Holy Spirit does not eliminate life’s trials. Rather, our struggles are transformed into opportunities for grace. At Pentecost, this same Spirit descends upon the Church, empowering us to confront our struggles as a community. Through the rites of Baptism and Confirmation, we are bestowed with life-giving weapons for our spiritual battles (Pope Francis, 2014). The same Spirit who led Jesus into the wilderness accompanies us in our own deserts, and beckons us to reflect the faithfulness of Christ.

The suffering of Jesus in the wilderness foreshadows His passion on the Cross. His hunger mirrors His thirst at Golgotha, and the devil’s sneers echo the mocking crowds (Matthew 27:39). Yet, Christ’s obedience in the desert reverses Adam’s disobedience in Eden: “Jesus is the new Adam who remained faithful just where the first Adam had given in to temptation” (CCC 539). As the “New Adam,” Christ’s mission begins where He will restore humanity through self-giving love. The forty days in the wilderness also evoke Israel’s Exodus journey: A nation tested, yet sustained by God. In this way, this Lenten season of waiting symbolizes life's pilgrimage (O’Leary, 2025). The next forty days are a time to fast, pray, and confront our spiritual shortcomings. These solemn days remind us of Jesus’ triumph over sin in the desert, pointing to the road toward salvation and eternal life through the cross (John 3:16). As a faithful Church, let us share in the victory of Christ (Romans 6:3-5). Amen!

Works Cited

Hoopes, T. (2017). The Temptations of Adam, Eve, and Jesus. Benedictine College. Retrieved from: media.benedictine.edu. Accessed on: March 8, 2025.

Pope Francis (2017). How to respond to temptation. Dicastero per la Comunicazione - Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Retrieved from: www.vatican.va. Accessed on: March 8, 2025.

Pope Francis (2025). Let us journey together in hope. Dicastero per la Comunicazione - Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Retrieved from: www.vatican.va. Accessed on: March 8, 2025.

Pope Francis (2014). A beautiful struggle. Dicastero per la Comunicazione - Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Retrieved from: www.vatican.va. Accessed on: March 8, 2025.

O’Leary, E. (2025). Hope in the cross: A Lenten experience. Catholic Review Media. Retrieved from: catholicreview.org. Accessed on: March 8, 2025.