Dt 26:4-10; Ps 91; Rom 10:8-13; Lk 4:1-13

COMMENTARY

Toward a Missionary Christian Conversion 

Time flies and we arrive at a new Lent of our life. It is always the “venerable and sacred time,” as the Church reminds us in today’s liturgy (Prayer over the Offerings). Moreover, as Pope Francisrecalled in his Lenten message for this year 2025, “We begin our annual pilgrimage of Lent in faith and hope with the penitential rite of the imposition of ashes. The Church, our mother and teacher, invites us to open our hearts to God’s grace, so that we can celebrate with great joy the paschal victory of Christ the Lord over sin and death.” Therefore, we all are called to live this Lenten season again, indeed, to “celebrate” it as a “sacramental sign of our conversion” (Collect Prayer in Italy). This leads to a true and sincere renewal of our Christian faith and life, whose missionary dimension is constitutive and, therefore, to be (re)discovered and (re)lived. It is not by chance that we asked God in the Collect Prayer to help us his faithful to “grow in understanding of the riches hidden in Christ and by worthy conduct pursue their effects.” Actually, the Word of God of this first Sunday of Lent offers us some important hints to know better Christ and his true mission, and consequently to better live our vocation as Christians, that is, as “followers of Christ.”

1. The Way of Christ “Led by the Spirit”

I would like to call today’s Gospel passage not as “The temptations of Jesus”, but as “The way of Christ with the Spirit in the desert.” This is what the evangelist Luke wanted to emphasize at the beginning of the episode, as well as throughout his gospel. The Holy Spirit was intimately connected with Jesus from the moment of conception and accompanied him in every stage of hisearthly mission. After all, the classic Latin liturgical introduction of the passage “In illo tempore”“at that time” (the phrase occurs in many non-English Lectionaries) refers to the very moment after Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan River, when the Holy Spirit again descended on him. (The English version of today’s Gospel starts meaningfully with “Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit…”)

Such an emphasis on the guidance of the Holy Spirit is also important for the journey of every Christian, i.e. Christ’s disciple, particularly in this Lenten season. May Lent never be just a period of pious practices of penance and good ethical and/or social works, but it should also and above all be a time of life renewal in the Spirit. In other words, please do not start this Holy Season, thinkingabout some good intentions and works (and then get lost in them in the end) as the ultimate purposeto live fruitfully the forty days to come. Rather, please care primarily about how to renew your personal relationship with the Spirit of God, that Holy Spirit each of us has received at the moment of baptism, of confirmation, and, in the case of some, at the moment of diaconal, priestly, or even episcopal ordination. It is time to allow ourselves to be “led by the Spirit,” again and even more intensely and more intimately, just like Christ in his life and mission, especially in his forty days in the desert. It will therefore be a joyful time with Christ in the Spirit, even if one will have to face everything that happens along the way, including fatigue, hunger and thirst, and temptations. It will therefore be a time of grace, of purification, of reorganizing Christian life and mission according to the dictates and inspirations of the Spirit, following the exemplary words and deeds of Christ. 

In this regard, the heartfelt exhortations of St. Paul the Apostle to the first Christians will always be relevant, “Do not quench the Spirit” (1Thes 5:19), and “Do not grieve the holy Spirit of God, with which you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Eph 4:30). Likewise, we should keep in mind this Lent Pope Francis’ recent recall in his message for World Mission Sunday 2022: “All Christ’s missionary disciples are called to recognize the essential importance of the Spirit’s work, to dwell in his presence daily and to receive his unfailing strength and guidance. Indeed, it is precisely when we feel tired, unmotivated or confused that we should remember to have recourse to the Holy Spirit in prayer. Let me emphasize once again that prayer plays a fundamental role in the missionary life, for it allows us to be refreshed and strengthened by the Spirit as the inexhaustible divine source of renewed energy and joy in sharing Christ’s life with others.” The prayer mentioned here must be understood in a global sense that embraces the actions of invoking the Spirit, of listening to the Word of God in the Spirit, of meditating and discerning everything with the Spirit. Always and everywhere, especially in the moment of trial and temptation. Pope Francis also said something similar in his recent message for WMS 2025: “So let us renew the mission of hope, starting from prayer, especially prayer based on the word of God and particularly the Psalms, that great symphony of prayer whose composer is the Holy Spirit (cf. Catechesis, 19 June 2024). The Psalms train us to hope amid adversity, to discern the signs of hope around us, and to have the constant “missionary” desire that God be praised by all peoples (cf. Ps 41:12; 67:4). By praying, we keep alive the spark of hope lit by God within us, so that it can become a great fire, which enlightens and warms everyone around us, also by those concrete actions and gestures that prayer itself inspires.”

2. The Temptations in Jesus’ Mission

Even if the evangelists Luke and Matthew only tell us about three temptations of Jesus in the desert, which then only occur at the end of the forty days, it is clear that the number and the moment are rather representative. So much so that the Gospel of Mark emphasizes the essential: “[Jesus] remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan” (Mk 1:13). This is taken up and emphasized even more in Luke with the initial statement (“[Jesus] was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days, to be tempted by the devil”) and in the final one (“When the devil had finishedevery temptation, he departed from him for a time”). Thus, following the inauguration of his public activities with the baptism in the Jordan, Jesus will have to face the reality of the trials-temptations along the entire journey of his mission, whose emblematic image is that period in the desert. This isthe common experience of those who want to serve God, fulfilling the divine mission, as can already be seen in Abraham, father of faith, and also in Adam, the first man. It is no coincidence that the sage Sirach teaches (not without the Spirit’s inspiration): “My child, when you come to serve the Lord, / prepare yourself for trials. / Be sincere of heart and steadfast, / and do not be impetuous in time of adversity” (Sir 2:1-2). Willingly or not, in the life and mission of every disciple of God there are trials and temptations that come from the “flesh” (human nature), from the“world” (environment adverse to God), and from the Evil One (cf. 1Jn 2:16-17; 5:19). All this diverts human beings from the path traced by God for them and, ultimately, divides humanity from their God.

In this perspective, Jesus has also suffered various temptations in carrying out the entrusted divine mission, not only to be in solidarity with every disciple of God, but also to clarify to everyone the true nature of his mission as the Son of God. In this regard, the Homiletic Directory rightly and authoritatively states, “The temptations that Jesus undergoes are a struggle against a distortion of his messianic task. The devil is tempting him to be a Messiah who displays divine powers. ‘If you are the Son of God…’ the tempter begins. This foreshadows the ultimate struggle that Jesus will undergo on the cross, where he hears the mocking words: ‘Save yourself if you are the Son of God and come down from the cross.’ Jesus does not yield to the temptations of Satan, nor does he come down from the cross. Precisely in this way, Jesus proves that He truly enters the desert of human existence and does not use His divine power for His own benefit. He really accompanies our life’s pilgrimage and reveals in it the true power of God, which is love ‘to the very end’ (Jn 13:1)” (no. 61).

Thus, going into the details of the three temptations but without getting lost in the various possible interpretations, by refusing to transform the stone in bread after the devil’s suggestion, Jesus emphasizes the primary purpose of his evangelizing mission is to take care of the hunger for the Word of God among the people. He will certainly perform the miracle of the multiplication of the bread to feed the people in the desert place, but it will only be the sign of the gift of the true Bread from heaven, which is He himself, the incarnate Word of God. “One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God” (Mt 4:4). 

By refusing to bow down before the devil to receive the (political) power and glory of earthly kingdoms, Jesus reaffirms the one true God as the center of his life, worship and adoration, and therefore, of his mission. In fact, at the hour of the Passion, he will reiterate, “My kingdom is not of this world” (Jn 18:36).

Finally, Jesus refused to act as the devil suggested in base of the very words of God in a psalm, and to throw himself down from the pinnacle of the Jerusalem Temple, in order to spectacularly provehis messianic nature in front of the people and the Jewish religious leaders. Thus, Jesus said no to the frequent attempt (indeed, I would say, perennial attempt) to abuse the Word of God for one’sown gain, to bend God’s will to his/her own, to apply His Words according to the human vision. In this, Jesus stands in contrast to the arrogant and unfaithful attitude of the People of God at Massa and Meriba in the desert, “there your ancestors tested me / they tried me though they had seen my works” (Ps 95:9). In the same spirit, Jesus will later refuse to perform a “special sign” at the request of the religious authorities to prove his messianic mission. Instead, he will place everything in the hands of God who will reveal and prove His Messiah when and how, exclusively according to His divine plan.

3. The Victory of Faith and Faithfulness (Fidelity) to God

In this way, Jesus has suffered and overcome temptations, “leaving you an example that you should follow in his footsteps” (1Pt 2:21) in the journey of faith of his followers, called to continue his divine mission of proclaiming the Gospel of God in the world. Here, the teaching of the Catechism emphasizes the fundamental spiritual meaning of the event: “The evangelists indicate the salvific meaning of this mysterious event [of Jesus’ temptations]: Jesus is the new Adam who remained faithful just where the first Adam had given in to temptation. Jesus fulfils Israel’s vocation perfectly: in contrast to those who had once provoked God during forty years in the desert, Christ reveals himself as God’s Servant, totally obedient to the divine will. In this, Jesus is the devil’s conqueror: he “binds the strong man” to take back his plunder. Jesus’ victory over the tempter in the desert anticipates victory at the Passion, the supreme act of obedience of his filial love for the Father” (no. 539).

The forty days of Lent are then a propitious time for a renewal of faith and faithfulness (fidelity) in God and in his Son, which is the “winning weapon” of the “children of God” against the temptations of evil, just as Jesus did. This attitude of absolute faith / faithfulness comes above all from gratitude for the many benefits God has bestowed in the life of every believer, as seen in the profession of faith of every member of the people of Israel in the First Reading. Above all, it comes from gratitude for God’s greatest gift for us: Jesus Christ his Son, who died in love and has risen for the salvation of the world. With Him and in Him, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we embark on the Lenten journey of this year to live with a renewed spirit our Christian life and the mission God has given us in Christ.

Useful points to consider:

Pope Francis, Homily, Holy Mass, Blessing and Imposition of the Ashes (Saint Peter’s Basilica, 17 February 2021)

Lent is not just about the little sacrifices we make, but about discerning where our hearts are directed. This is the core of Lent: asking where our hearts are directed. Let us ask: Where is my life’s navigation system taking me – towards God or towards myself? (…)

The word of God asks us to return to the Father, to return to Jesus. It also calls us to return to the Holy Spirit. The ashes on our head remind us that we are dust and to dust we will return. Yet upon this dust of ours, God blew his Spirit of life. So we should no longer live our lives chasing dust, chasing things that are here today and gone tomorrow. Let us return to the Spirit, the Giver of Life; let us return to the Fire that resurrects our ashes, to the Fire who teaches us to love. We will always be dust, but as a liturgical hymn says, “dust in love”. Let us pray once more to the Holy Spirit and rediscover the fire of praise, which consumes the ashes of lamentation and resignation.

Brothers and sisters, our return journey to God is possible only because he first journeyed to us. Otherwise, it would be impossible. (…)The Father who bids us come home is the same who left home to come looking for us; the Lord who heals us is the same who let himself suffer on the cross; the Spirit who enables us to change our lives is the same who breathes softly yet powerfully on our dust.

Catechism of the Catholic Church (no. 540)

Jesus’ temptation reveals the way in which the Son of God is Messiah, contrary to the way Satan proposes to him and the way men wish to attribute to him. This is why Christ vanquished the Tempter for us: “For we have not a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sinning.” (Heb 4:15). By the solemn forty days of Lent the Church unites herself each year to the mystery of Jesus in the desert.

From the Liturgy of the Hours (Ash Wednesday, Morning Prayer, Intercessions)

Today, God our Father brings us to the beginning of Lent. We pray that in this time of salvation he will fill us with the Holy Spirit, purify our hearts, and strengthen us in love.

Let us humbly ask him: 

Lord, give us your Holy Spirit.
May we be filled and satisfied by the word that you give us. Lord, give us your Holy Spirit
May we bear the wounds of your Son for through his body he gave us life. Lord, give us your Holy Spirit.