Every year, Lent leads us into the desert with Jesus. Not because God wants us to suffer in fasting and giving away our hardearned resources, but for alone-time with a loving Father who reassures us: “This is my beloved son (daughter), in whom I am well pleased”. Lent is a return to the truth of who we are and whose we are.
Today’s readings give us a powerful contrast between two scenes: Adam and Eve in the garden, and Jesus in the desert. One setting is lush, abundant, and safe. The other is barren, harsh, and lonely. Yet the victories and failures don’t happen where we expect. Adam and Eve have everything. They walk with God. They lack nothing. And yet, the serpent convinces them that God is holding out on them. That they need more. That they should grasp what was never theirs to take.
Temptation often begins not with desire for something evil, but with the suspicion that God is not enough. We fall the same way: “If I only had a different job…” “If I only had more money…” “If I only had what they have…” The serpent’s whisper hasn’t changed: “You’re missing something. God is not enough.”
Yet, Jesus in the desert is hungry, exhausted, alone. If anyone had an excuse to give in, it was Him. Yet in the desert, where He has nothing, He clings to the Father completely. He believes in the Words of the Father: “This is my beloved Son”.
Where Adam and Eve fall in abundance, Jesus triumphs in emptiness. Jesus responds to temptation not with clever arguments. Not with superhuman strength. But with the Word of God. He shows us that temptation is not defeated by willpower alone. It’s defeated by a trustful relationship with the Father.
The devil’s temptations are the same ones we face every day. 1. “Turn these stones into bread.” The temptation to satisfy ourselves first. To make comfort the highest good. To treat faith as something useful only when it benefits us. 2. “Throw yourself down.” The temptation to demand proof. To treat God like a performer who must earn our trust. To say, “I’ll believe… if.” 3. “Bow down and I’ll give you everything.” The temptation to compromise. To trade integrity for success and popularity and power. Jesus rejects all of them, not because they’re absurd, but because they’re shortcuts. And shortcuts always lead us away from God.
The Gospel today is not primarily about temptation. It’s about identity; You are God’s beloved son/daughter. Not because you are perfect, not because you never fall. But because God has claimed you as His own. May this Lent renew in us the joy and confidence of being God’s beloved children.
God is Good, All the Time!
Father Tony Udoh, MSP
Pastor of Holy Family
