First Sunday of Lent: Gospel B

The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan. 

· The same Spirit that descended upon Jesus after his Baptism now moves Jesus internally to go into the desert to prepare for his forthcoming mission.

· The forty days of prayer and fasting is reminiscent of Israel’s forty years in the desert before entering the Promised Land.

· Why do you think that the first experience of Jesus after his “desert training” was facing temptation? If Jesus, True Man and True God, is our model, then he shows us how we are to deal with temptation in our own lives.

· Mark’s account doesn’t go into detail about the temptations Jesus endured. Read Luke 4: 1-13.

· What is the basic temptation that Jesus will face? Not to fulfill the Father’s call in his life as Messiah through death on the cross.

· What is our basic temptation? Not to fulfill the call of God in our life as his son or daughter to be with him eternally.

· In his humanity Jesus experiences the grace of the Spirit and the onslaught of the Evil One.

· Where the first Adam failed when tempted, the second Adam remained faithful to the Father.

· How often have we failed to heed the move of the Holy Spirit and yielded instead to the lie of the evil spirit?

He was among wild beasts, and the angels ministered to him. 

· Recall how God sent his angel to provide nourishment to Elijah on his journey in the desert.  (1 Kings 19:5-7)

After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: "This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel." 

· John’s ministry was a preparation for Jesus’.  Recall the words of John: “He must increase and I must decrease.” (Jn 3:30)

· What does the “kingdom of God” mean to me? Where is God the Lord in my life and where is he not?

· As we begin this Lenten season we are reminded:

a) that we are being led by the Spirit during this forty-day journey to Easter;

b) that we are to pray and fast like Jesus to prepare for the purification to come;

c) that we are to come to a deeper repentance of our sins;

d) that we are to come to a deeper commitment to live as the Gospel calls us.

As we begin this Lent, what grace do you want to ask of God?