Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan
and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days,
to be tempted by the devil.
He ate nothing during those days,
and when they were over he was hungry.
The devil said to him,
“If you are the Son of God,
command this stone to become bread.”
Jesus answered him,
“It is written, One does not live on bread alone.”
Then he took him up and showed him
all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant.
The devil said to him,
“I shall give to you all this power and glory;
for it has been handed over to me,
and I may give it to whomever I wish.
All this will be yours, if you worship me.”
Jesus said to him in reply, “It is written:
You shall worship the Lord, your God,
and him alone shall you serve.”
Then he led him to Jerusalem,
made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him,
“If you are the Son of God,
throw yourself down from here, for it is written:
He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,
and:
With their hands they will support you,
lest you dash your foot against a stone.”
Jesus said to him in reply, “It also says,
You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.”
When the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him for a time.
and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days,
to be tempted by the devil.
He ate nothing during those days,
and when they were over he was hungry.
The devil said to him,
“If you are the Son of God,
command this stone to become bread.”
Jesus answered him,
“It is written, One does not live on bread alone.”
Then he took him up and showed him
all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant.
The devil said to him,
“I shall give to you all this power and glory;
for it has been handed over to me,
and I may give it to whomever I wish.
All this will be yours, if you worship me.”
Jesus said to him in reply, “It is written:
You shall worship the Lord, your God,
and him alone shall you serve.”
Then he led him to Jerusalem,
made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him,
“If you are the Son of God,
throw yourself down from here, for it is written:
He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,
and:
With their hands they will support you,
lest you dash your foot against a stone.”
Jesus said to him in reply, “It also says,
You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.”
When the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him for a time.
Luke 4:1-13
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During meditation, I noticed in today's gospel reading that Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit before being tempted. I was reflecting on my life and the times that I was tempted and overcame and the times that I was tempted and fell.
I need God's grace to overcome temptation. Like Jesus, I need to call upon the word of God in the midst of temptation. I need to deny myself physical pleasures and be thankful for what I have. I need to ask God to sustain and guide me, because I can not do it alone. I need to left go of my "self" and keep God in the center of my daily activities.
How can I be filled with the Holy Spirit this Lent? Daily Mass, Confession, Morning and Evening Prayer; the Catholic faith has many great opportunities for us to be filled with God's grace. Will I take advantage of them? I pray I do. Pray for me.
you HAVE been filled with the H.S. !! Tap into that grace flowing from the True Vine into your soul. You keep that sap flowing by those sacraments! This should be a fruitful Lent for you.
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