Temptation forces us to rise up and make a choice either for God or for the temptation.

The blessings that await those who overcome temptation are numerous.

 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊     

Deuteronomy 26:4-10

Then the priest

Shall take the large basket from your hands and place it before the altar of the Lord, your God,

and you shall say these words before the Lord, "My father was a wandering Aramean.

He went down to Egypt to find refuge there, while still few in number; but in that country,

he became a great and powerful nation.

 

The Egyptians maltreated us, oppressed us and subjected us to harsh slavery. So we called to the Lord,

the God of our ancestors, and the Lord listened to us. He saw our humiliation,

our hard labor and the oppression to which we were subjected. He brought us out of Egypt with a firm hand,

manifesting his power with signs and awesome wonders.

And he brought us here to give us this land flowing with milk and honey.

So now I bring and offer the first fruits of the land which you, Lord, have given me."

 

Ps 91:1-2, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15 Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.

 

＊＊＊ 2nd Reading ＊＊＊

Romans 10:8-13

True righteousness, coming from faith, also says: The word of God is near you,

on your lips and in your hearts. This is the message that we preach, and this is faith.

You are saved, if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord, and, in your heart,

you believe that God raised him from the dead. By believing from the heart,

you obtain true righteousness; by confessing the faith with your lips, you are saved.

 

For Scripture says: No one who believes in him will be ashamed. Here,

there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; all have the same Lord,

who is very generous with whoever calls on him. Truly, all who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.

 

＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊      

Luke 4:1-13

Jesus was now full of the Holy Spirit. As he returned from the Jordan,

the Spirit led him into the desert, where he was tempted by the devil for forty days.

He did not eat anything during that time, and at the end he was hungry.

The devil then said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to turn into bread."

But Jesus answered, "Scripture says: People cannot live on bread alone."

 

Then the devil took him up to a high place, and showed him, in a flash,

all the nations of the world. And he said to Jesus, "I can give you power over all the nations;

and their wealth will be yours; for power and wealth have been delivered to me;

and I give them to whom I wish. All this will be yours, provided you worship me.

" But Jesus replied, "Scripture says: You shall worship the Lord your God and serve him alone."

 

Then the devil took him up to Jerusalem, and set him on the highest wall of the temple;

and he said, "If you are God's Son, throw yourself down from here; for it is written:

God will order his angels to take care of you; and again: They will hold you in their hands, l

est you hurt your foot on the stones." But Jesus replied, "It is written: You shall not challenge the Lord your God."

When the devil had exhausted every way of tempting Jesus, he left him to return another time.

 

Lectio Divina

 

Gospel Reflection ：

"He remains faithful."

 Read: Jesus is led by the Spirit into the desert, where he is tempted by the devil.

The mention of the Holy Spirit links together Christ's Baptism with his temptation.

At his Baptism, the Father declares that he is his beloved Son.

Now the devil tempts him to prove his Sonship by doing things that would deny his union with his Father.

 

Reflect: As God led the People of Israel out of Egypt on a wandering, forty-year journey through the desert,

so now, the Holy Spirit leads Jesus on a forty-day journey through the desert. In the emptiness,

both the People of Israel and Jesus are tempted to reject God and to replace him with idols or with self.

The Israelites fashion a golden calf, putting their trust in a piece of metal,

but Christ resists the temptation to reject God his Father or to break his relationship with him as Son, and he remains faithful.

 

Pray: We are adopted sons and daughters of God through our Baptism,

and yet we are often tempted to deny that identity and our God-given relationship.

Pray about the identity you have through Jesus and give thanks for it.

 

Act: Create some "desert" time in your daily schedule this Lent,

so that your sense of identity and mission as God's son or daughter can grow stronger.