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, 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.
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Reflection:
What do you see in
the temptation of Jesus in the desert? Do you see that the devil is powerful
too? Yes indeed, the devil is also powerful he can entice us to follow him
through the instrument of his many temptations. Temptations that are very hard
to resist for those who are disconnected from God. For those who seldom pray
and for those who don’t take their faith seriously.
What do you see in
Jesus? Do you see the intense connection of Jesus with God and the Holy spirit?
Before Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the desert, Jesus was baptized
first by John in the river Jordan and in the process of His baptism He prayed
to God and the heavens opened and the Holy Spirit ascended to Him and God said
to Jesus, “You are my Son, in whom I am well pleased (Luke 3:21-22).”
Temptations are part
and parcel of our life so as the devil, it’s always there ever ready to sow
temptation for us to sin. Yet the love, guidance and protection of God are also
always there for us it has not left us since we were baptized. It’s ours to own
and take!
We can always
ward-off whatever temptation the devil may sow upon our way if we always have a
wired or even wifi connection with God. This we can do best through our
personal prayers, our pious presence at Holy Mass and our reading and
meditation of the words of God in the bible.
As we start to dive
into our own forty day’s journey into the wilderness of this world. The good
Lord is always reminding us that He is just a prayer away from us. He is always
by our side ever and always ready to protect us from the many temptations of
the evil one.
Do you always have a
connection with the good Lord? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
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