Photo illustration by Phil Younk
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Lent is time for prayer, growth in faith
Based on Dt 26:4-10; Rom 10:8-13; Lk 4:1-13
“No!” “No!” “No!” Jesus said it three times.
Following his baptism by John the Baptist, the Holy Spirit leads Jesus into the desert for 40 days to pray to God the Father and to fast (to eat little or nothing) before he begins his public teaching.
In the desert, the devil tries tempting Jesus three times to take the easy way out and do wrong. Jesus refuses to listen to the devil. Each time Jesus says, “No!” and scolds the devil with quotes from Scripture.
The devil tried tempting Jesus to doubt God the Father’s love, to abandon his mission to proclaim the Good News and to disobey God. Trusting in God the Father’s love and providence, Jesus isn’t fooled by the devil. The devil leaves.
While on earth, Jesus would often go away by himself to pray to his Father. He gave us his own prayer, the Our Father, to remind us that God is our Father, too, and he will help us.
Lent has begun – 40 days the church sets aside from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday as preparation for Jesus’ Resurrection. Lent is a time for more prayer, growth in learning about Jesus, sacrifice and unselfishly sharing Jesus’ love with others.
Prayer: Pray the rosary. Pray the Stations of the Cross. Thank God for his blessings. Pray for others. Go to confession.
Learning about Jesus: Spend time each day reading the Bible to learn about Jesus’ teaching, miracles, apostles and the early church. Read about the lives of the saints and what they did to follow Jesus.
Sacrifice, sharing and silence: Avoid television for one day each week, or even for a whole week, and spend more time with your family. Limit your use of electronic devices. Donate food to a food pantry. Donate gently-used clothing to a clothing drive.
Make your own symbolic desert by putting some sand and small rocks in a bowl and placing it in your prayer space at home. Spend more quiet time with Jesus in your “desert” prayer space!
