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.

Let us remember we are in the holy presence of God…

Reflection by Br. Dominic Gisondo, FSC

A remnant from our thinking of earlier years might be to approach Lent with a sense of obligation, “I should…I ought to…I have to give up…” Perhaps these Lenten views could give way to a positive approach of: “I want to draw closer to God by…I want to develop a more personal relationship with Jesus by…”

With the above considerations in mind, let’s look at the Gospel for the first Sunday of Lent, The Temptation of Jesus in the Desert from the Gospel according to Luke.

Satan’s temptations and appeals to Scripture are met by Jesus outwitting the beguiling one in the same fashion. The Word of God made flesh answers Satan with the definitive word of God from Scripture.

In answer to Satan’s first temptation of changing stones into bread, Jesus answers: “One does not live by bread alone.”

In the second temptation, Satan’s offer of worldly power and glory in exchange for worshipping him, Jesus responds: “You shall worship and serve only the Lord your God.”

Finally, Satan challenges Jesus to throw himself down from the temple’s parapet and command angels to save Him. Jesus tells Satan, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.”

Let us reflect during this first week of Lent that there is more to our lives than just material things and that God alone deserves our worship and service. We do not live on bread alone. Without the spiritual element, without a personal relationship with Jesus, our lives are missing something.

Let us ask for the grace during our Lenten journey to draw closer to Jesus, to develop a closer personal relationship with Him and to grow in His love. Please set aside quiet time each day at a set time in a comfortable place to talk to Jesus in your own words. The 2015 Rule reminds us to consider interior prayer, that is personal prayer, “as the first and principal prayer” of the day. Please try to start your day with personal prayer.

And oh! When Satan comes around to tempt us, say “Be gone. I’m already taken, Jesus has my heart. Jesus has my back.”

Saint John Baptist de La Salle…pray for us!

Live Jesus in our hearts…forever!

A Brother for more than 65 years, Br. Dominic has served in ministries throughout New York and New Jersey, including St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute, Buffalo, and Christian Brothers Academy, Lincroft. He is currently stationed at St. Peter’s Boys High School in Staten Island, NY.