Dig Deeper into Sunday’s Gospel: Read Matthew 4:1–11
The number of times I have woken up on Ash Wednesday, overly confident that THIS would be the Lent I’d hold to my chosen fast, only to stumble and fail before reaching that first Sunday, is too many to count. It’s a bit humbling to reflect on how Jesus resisted temptation from Satan after fasting for forty days in the desert, while I struggle to deny myself chocolate in a comfortable, temperature-controlled house with indoor plumbing. I guess it means I probably won't be saving the world anytime soon!
This Sunday’s gospel comes on the heels of Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan by John. Subsequently, “[He] was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil” (Matthew 4:1). We go from the public display of God’s delight, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17), to the seclusion in the barren desert where the devil tests Jesus’ resolve to stay faithful to His Father.
While the devil may nuance his tactics, he is nothing if not predictable. He starts by questioning Jesus’ divinity, “If you are the Son of God …” (Matthew 4:3), echoing the seed of doubt he planted in our first parents in the garden. He appeals to Jesus’ physical hunger, “Command that these stones to become loaves of bread” (Matthew 4:3), then the human desire for acclaim, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down” (Matthew 4:6), and lastly the desire for power, “All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me” (Matthew 4:9). Each time Jesus is tempted, He responds with words of Scripture, remembering who and whose He is.
“Of course, merely knowing the devil’s tactics won’t neutralize them completely. Our desires for comfort, recognition, and influence run deep. To be able to resist them, we have to desire something else even more, just as Christ did: we have to ‘set our hearts on his Kingdom first’ (Matthew 6:33), and then everything else will fall into place.”[1]
We might be tempted to see this gospel passage as the low point where the devil thought he had Jesus in his sights. Famished, alone, and tired, Jesus’ humanity was vulnerable to the great deceiver. However, just as on Calvary, as death was about to declare victory, Jesus' divine power proclaimed freedom for all.
“Oh death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55).
This isn’t just a nice story to kick off the Lenten season; this is an invitation. Jesus beckons us to the desert so we can face our temptations—not to be overcome by them but to overcome them, armed with the Holy Spirit. He did this first, as Jesus always does. He never asks us to do what He hasn’t already done, and in so doing, He models how to face temptation head-on: call it by its name, and renounce it.
Jesus didn’t play around with the devil first. He didn’t daydream about how delicious those loaves of bread would be, how graceful that swan dive off the temple would look, or how much easier it would be to rule all the kingdoms of the world given to Him by Satan, rather than endure a humiliating death. No, He rebuked, He renounced, and He spoke the commanding truth of Scripture which sheds light on even the most captivating temptation, revealing the ugliness it hides.
Where, dear sister, do you feel the Spirit drawing you into the desert?
What temptation is He asking you to face and reject?
Is it the temptation that everything is all up to you?
Is it the temptation to choose comfort over growth?
Is it the temptation to worry about the future or punish yourself for the past?
Follow Him into the desert. Don’t just follow though, let Him lead you there. Because it is in the stripping away of whatever false sense of control we think we have that we become more fully disposed to the Holy Spirit, who will do the deep soul work. Mother Church knows how hard it is for us to break from our schedules, our plans, and our habits, and so, in her brilliance, she builds into the liturgical season a time of pause—of quiet and recalibration. We must lay down our weapons of distraction, addiction, and busyness so the gardener of our souls can bring about the transformation we so desire but are powerless to attain on our own.
Maybe this Lent, the Lord isn’t asking for your chocolate or sugar-in-your-coffee sacrifice. Perhaps, He is asking for full access to your heart: “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice” (Hosea 6:6). The greatest gift we can give our Lord this Lent is the very thing that keeps us separated from Him: our sin. And what a gift the sacrament of Reconciliation is, dear sister! God, in His graciousness, anticipates our need to continually return as prodigal sons, entering the confessional as a sinner and leaving a saint.[2]
This Lent, allow the Spirit to draw you to the quiet places—the desert—to plant seeds in your heart that will grow to full maturity. Where the Lord lovingly convicts, He invites repentance and full communion with Him. Let’s enter Lent wholeheartedly, allowing the Spirit to move us to let go of any obstacle to our complete union with Christ so we can rise joyfully with Him, renewed and restored on Easter morning.
With you in the confession line,
Tierney
Food for thought or journaling …
What temptation do you feel Jesus asking you to face with Him? Is there a part of your heart you haven’t fully surrendered to the Lord?
Dear Jesus, help me vulnerably reveal to You the broken places in my heart that still need to be transformed. I trust that what You stir up in my heart is not condemning, but convicting, so that nothing comes between me and Your love. Lead the way this Lent. Amen.
P.S. Ready to dive into Lent? The confessional is where the journey begins. Find a time at your parish this Lent, and consider taking these I Declare Cards with you in the confession line to receive God's truth through His Word.
[1] John Bartunek, The Better Part: A Christ-Centered Resource for Personal Prayer (Manchester, NH: Sophia Institute Press, 2021), 83.
[2] Chris Stefanick, “These Things Drive Priests Crazy with Fr. Leo Patalinghug,” Chris Stefanick Catholic Show, January 27, 2026. Podcast, 23:17, https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/these-things-drive-priests-crazy-with-fr-leo-patalinghug/id1611370672?i=1000746929993.
