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. – Luke 4:1
Lent has arrived, and we are sent into the desert with Christ. Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the desert in order to be tempted. This can be a scary thought. What will be my temptations during this Lent? Will I be able to persevere in resisting them? The good news is, Jesus does not send us into the desert alone. No, we go with our brothers and sisters in Christ; the whole Church enters into this time together.
Even greater, we go with Jesus into the desert. St. Thomas Aquinas wrote that Jesus endured temptation in the desert for four reasons: to “strengthen us against temptations,” to warn us that even the holiest among us are not “safe or free from temptation,” to give us an example of “how to overcome the temptations of the devil,” and to “fill us with confidence in His mercy” (ST, III, Q41, A1). We need not be afraid to go into the desert or to face temptations. Christ is with us to strengthen us, and we can do even the hardest things through Him (cf Philippians 4:13).
Holy Spirit, it was You that led Jesus into the desert, and you to the same for me. Gently lead me into Lent, my Lord. Do not allow me to be pushed or prodded by the evil one. Keep my hand firmly in Yours and lead me. Give me the fortitude and humility to leave my sin and brokenness in the desert of Lent and so bring me to the full joy of Easter. Lead me, Lord, You who are the Way, the Truth, and the Life (cf John 14:6).
St. John Henry Newman wrote, “Thus let us enter the Forty Days of Lent…For Forty Days we seek after love by means of fasting.” Jesus, help me seek after Your love this Lent. Draw me ever closer to You.