"The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan. He was among wild beasts, and the angels ministered to him.
After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1: 12 - 15).
Sunday 18th February 2024, 1st Sunday of Lent.
Today's short Gospel from Mark (Mark 1: 12 - 15) is packed with spiritual food.
Let us unpack the key words in our key Scripture for today:
#1. The Holy Spirit: He drove Jesus into the Desert, that is, He compelled Jesus to head to the Desert after His Baptism.
#2. Desert: A place of spiritual combat inhabited by wild beasts.
#3. Satan: The principal antagonist who tempts Jesus. Satan is the employer of the wild beasts.
#4. 40 Days: Critical duration for the Desert experience, the period of the Test, the Struggle. Reminds us of Israel's 40 years in the Desert, Moses and Elijah's 40 days fasting.
#5. Wild beasts: A symbol of unsavory characters that haunt the "deserts" of this world. The Prodigal Son was in the abode of wild beasts.
The Temptation of Jesus in the Desert is a key Scripture in Lent to remind us of the real spiritual warfare we are engaged in day after day.
In the early days of my conversion, I heard this Scripture read from the lectern in a Sunday Mass:
I left the Mass that day very happy because I came to understand what was going on in my life. God was not destroying me. He was training me as a son. I emerged from the School of the Desert a couple of years later equipped with the 7-Way Plan to live the Christian life:
Will a Plan help you to organize your life in Christ?
For Devotional prayer and prayer intentions to the Holy Family, click the link below:
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