On Ash Wednesday we began our lenten warfare, our spiritual warfare, the only joyful warfare there is. When one begins a war it is important to ensure that the morale of both army and civil population is high. This is especially true of our Lenten spiritual warfare, 40 days long, 40 long days out of 70 or 80 short years. We are all in the front line and all in the same boat. To raise morale the Church sets before us this amazing scene of Jesus triple victory over the Tempter. A communique of a brilliant success showing the strategy that will bring ultimate victory. It is the way of humility, which recognises and uses God’s gifts to the full.
Jesus was constrained by the Holy Spirit to go forth into the desert, the place where Israel was espoused to the Lord in faithfulness. He went to confront Satan, the accuser. He prepared himself to repel the suggestions of the evil one by his long fast, and went forth armed with the invincible weapon, the Word of God.
Jesus is able to help us because he experienced temptation. He shows us that it is not shameful to be tempted: it is a form of suffering that goes with our freedom of choice. Obviously our own sinfulness weakens us: we do not have the ability to vanquish the Tempter on our own. Here is precisely the lesson we need to learn: we are not on our own. We are members of the Church, living by the life of Christ. Just as Jesus was strengthened for the combat by his anointing with the Holy Spirit, so we, the baptized, are also endowed with Holy Spirit who is making us a new creation. Scripture warns us that those who come forward to serve God must expect the onslaughts of temptation and trial. It is therefore right that we be powerfully motivated, having our hearts set on the gift of eternal life through the renewal of the grace of our baptism at Easter.
Our Lord’s victory is ours. We, the baptized, are endowed with the Holy Spirit. We have the Word of God to enlighten our minds in time of temptation. Jesus was tempted, Adam and Eve were tempted. Temptation is not a moral evil. It is a challenge inseparable from our ability to determine our own destiny. It is a form of suffering, a bit like pain which can give us a feeling of being alone. Feelings are often deceptive: provided we call upon the name of the Lord with all our hearts we may be sure of being saved. Our Holy Father Benedict tells us, the moment temptations arise, to dash them on the rock which is Christ The evil one was constantly at war with Benedict, and by God’s grace those many temptations were occasions of victory. Our divine Physician, who permits us to be tempted, is also our general in the present warfare: he has shown us how to respond to the assaults of the Evil One, being alert to his cunning and drawing ever closer to Christ, for in the crucible of temptation we learn to call on the name of the Lord that he may save us.