Matthew’s account of Jesus being tempted in the desert and overcoming these trials bring us back to the Old Testament where the people of Israel underwent the same tests in the desert and failed. Jesus quotes scripture (Deuteronomy 8:3 ; 6:16; 6:13) likening His temptation in the desert to that of Israel’s, but in this case not relying on His messianic power to deliver Him from temptation as He could have, but as man, remaining dependent on His father and fully faithful to His commands to deliver Him from evil.
It is also noteworthy that the Spirit that descended upon Jesus at his baptism in the
We often feel “spirit-filled” after a prayer meeting, an SE weekend, or when a prayer intention has been answered in the way we have hoped for. We fail to realize that the same Spirit that is upon us during all those uplifting experiences is the same Spirit that brings us face to face with trials/temptations that put your faith into action – financial problems, death of a loved one, the trap of habitual sins. But Jesus in his humanity gives us hope and shows us how these trials can be overcome - with obedience and abandonment to the will and protection of the Father.
Reflection Question:
1. What has been my attitude towards the trials and temptations in my life as a renewed Catholic
2. What current situation/temptation am I experiencing that the Lord is asking me to abandon fully in order for His will to be done?
No comments:
Post a Comment