Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." But he answered, "It is written, 'One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, 'He will command his angels concerning you,' and 'On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.'" Jesus said to him, "Again it is written, 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; and he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me." Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! for it is written, 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him..'" Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.

Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, as I embark upon my Lenten journey, I follow your footsteps through the desert. I believe you are the Way, and I want to imitate your example of prayer and sacrifice so that my heart will be purified and become exclusively yours. I hope in you for the strength I need to I confront the difficult temptations that the devil, the world and my own selfishness present. I love you for doing all for me.

Petition: Lord, strengthen my life of prayer and sacrifice that I may conquer temptation and follow you faithfully. May I reach the end of these forty days closer to you and more decided to follow you, O Lord, even when you call me to the foot of the cross.

1.Led by the Spirit to be tempted. In this Gospel passage, Jesus gives us a supreme example in how to follow God's will. Jesus' attention was entirely focused upon hearing the Holy Spirit. Even when the Spirit called him to the battle of temptation, he never turned aside; he centered on hearing God's voice. Spend some time comparing Jesus' way with my own, asking if I always hear God's voice calling or if it is drowned out by friends and my likes, and asking too how I respond when I do hear God but he is asking something difficult from me.

It is difficult to follow the Holy Spirit, learning to put ourselves in second place and God in first, and this difficulty can actually draw us closer to Christ. By contemplating him, we grow in our admiration of him and we discover where our source of strength is, not in ourselves but in him. Our admiration helps us love him more and sets an example for us to follow, and ideal to strive for. Am I strong enough to do what Jesus would?

2. "One does not live by bread alone. " For Jesus, the clarity of his priorities helps him to overcome temptation. Jesus knows that there is another and deeper meaning to life than the material reality that he touches and feels. He sees beyond his personal needs, his hunger. His priority in making choices is eternity not temporality or the here and now.

There are two dimensions to life: our life here that depends completely on "bread" and our life in eternity, for which we need another food, "the Father's will." So bread alone will not suffice, at times it will have to be set aside for the food that gives eternal life. We have to learn to set our hearts on eternal life, so as to use every moment of this life to take another step toward it and not away from it, often giving up material goods for spiritual goods, like when we fast and do penance in Lent. If we continually look at Christ we will never be afraid to leave anything behind to follow after him.

3.  Away with you! This is how Jesus deals with the devil's lies. He does not dally with temptation or become fascinated with the devil's empty promises. His response is immediate, certain and passionate, so different from what ours tends to be. There is obviously something he knows that we don't, and therefore need to learn from him.

His reaction stems from his intimate love for his Father nourished in a close and filial relationship with him. Jesus only wants to please his Father and will have no place for any suggestion that might interfere with this love. Our relationship with God grows stronger and deeper every time we reject something contrary to it, and when we confront temptation and overcome it. As we grow closer to him we learn to recognize temptation and avoid it immediately.

The greatest temptation is to omission, to passivity in our Christian life, leaving good undone. Let us pray to Christ that we will be strong and clear in discovering the presence of this temptation in our lives, and overcome it.
 
Conversation: Lord Jesus, your clarity, decision and fidelity inspires me. I would like to be as firm and as strong, I would like to love as sincerely. That is what love is truly about, strength, fidelity, perseverance, dependability. I want to rise above my self-centeredness, but I don't always. I need to let your strength and your love come into my mind, my heart and my soul.  I know also that my true happiness lies in learning to do your will out of love. Help me today to hear your voice more clearly, and the love to follow it.
 
Questionnaire:

1. What are the things that don't let me hear God's voice in my life: friends, media, internet, not enough time for prayer?

2. How much does the thought that I am made for eternity and heaven, influence my choices and how I spend my time?

3. How quickly do I reject temptation when it comes?