And lead us not into temptation

Lent has officially begun. In the Sunday gospel we heard of the tempting of Jesus by Satan. Jesus had been in the desert for 40 days without food, all alone.

At the end of the 40 days, the devil comes to taunt Jesus. The temptations included food. He tells Jesus to turn the stones to bread to satisfy his hunger. He wanted Jesus to prove he was God by throwing himself off a high place to see if the angels would come to protect him. Finally the devil says that if Jesus would worship him, the devil, he will turn the world over to him. But Jesus did none of these things. He rejected Satan and sent him away.

My fellow Vincentians, we too face many trials and temptations in our lives. Those we seek to help, have many more. Whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and helps our faith grow. Let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2–4 (NRSV)

We can persevere through our trials because Jesus has overcome not just the devil, but the world. By doing so we can achieve spiritual maturity.

Let us keep journeying through Lent and ask Jesus to help us stay true to our faith and defeat the temptations along the way.

Deacon John Girolami
Spiritual Advisor
SSVP Ontario Regional Council