Today on this first Sunday of Lent, we hear about Jesus’ time of temptation in the desert immediately after his baptism (Matthew 4:1-11).

When we reflect on this scripture, we come to realize that Jesus was faced with the same temptations that each of us face on a daily basis.  And by his example, Jesus shows us how to triumph over our temptations.

First, Jesus is tempted to turn stones into bread in order to satisfy his hunger.

It is the same for us.

Many times we are tempted to fill ourselves up with the “bread” of this world while ignoring God’s Word and our own spiritual needs. But eventually we come to realize what Jesus always knew – that our focus needs to be on our spiritual well-being more than our physical well-being, that it is our communion with God that gives our earthly lives real meaning and opens the door to our eternal destiny in heaven.

Then, Jesus is tempted to throw himself down from the parapet of the temple to prove that God will come to his rescue.

It is the same for us.

Many times we are tempted to have God “prove” himself to us, to give us a “sign”. And sometimes when things don’t go our way, or according to our plan, we are tempted to question God’s wisdom and to have him justify himself. Sometimes when we lose sight of our “invisible” God we come to doubt his love and his desire for goodness in our life. And when that happens, sometimes we try to wrestle control of our lives away from God. But eventually we come to realize what Jesus always knew – that we need to abandon ourselves to God with a child-like faith and an obedient trust. We come to realize that God needs to prove nothing since he has already proved everything.

Finally, Satan offers Jesus an earthly kingdom in exchange for Jesus’ worship.

It is the same for us.

Many times we are tempted to turn away from God in order to obtain wealth, power, and prestige. We are tempted to put God aside to pursue worldly ambitions and to satisfy our own agenda. We are tempted to allow pride and greed to cause us to trample God’s law of love. We are tempted to worship the false Gods of self, money, and possessions rather than God. We are tempted to selfishly serve ourselves rather than selflessly serve God and others. But eventually we come to realize what Jesus always knew – that it is a humble and selfless spirit that God desires, a spirit that compels us to tend to those needier than ourselves, a spirit that will take root in us only if we place God at the center of our lives and open ourselves to God’s Spirit.

Through all of these temptations, what allowed Jesus to triumph was his intimate relationship with his Father, and the Spirit dwelling within him.

And it is the same for us.

The key to our faithfulness is to turn ourselves to God like the children that we are – in trust, obedience, and dependence.  It is through our constant communion with God, and our opening to his Spirit that we receive the grace we need to persevere when faced with life’s temptations and difficulties.

With his Father by his side, Jesus overcame all of those temptations and empty promises.  Jesus did not waver from his mission.   With Jesus by our side, we can do the same.  There’s no doubt that we will stumble and fall.   There’s no doubt that we will stray from the path.  But if we stay close to God, he will, in the end, ensure that we find our way.

So with this in mind we now travel with Jesus and each other this Lent.  We travel from the desert to the cross, and finally to the empty tomb.  We go forward with God’s Spirit working in us.  We proceed with Jesus in his mission to save us, as we open ourselves to the salvation he offers.