In The Desert

Then Jesus was led by the spirit into the desert, to be tempted by the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterwards he was hungry. And the tempter coming said to him: If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. Who answered and said: It is written, Not in bread alone doth man live, but in every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God. Then the devil took him up into the holy city, and set him upon the pinnacle of the temple, And said to him: If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down, for it is written: That he hath given his angels charge over thee, and in their hands shall they bear thee up, lest perhaps thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said to him: It is written again: Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Again the devil took him up into a very high mountain, and shewed him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them, And said to him: All these will I give thee, if falling down thou wilt adore me. Then Jesus saith to him: Begone, Satan: for it is written, The Lord thy God shalt thou adore, and him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil left him; and behold angels came and ministered to him.
Matthew 4:1-11 (Douay-Rheims Bible)

Prayer Reflection

Dear Father those trials Jesus underwent in the desert show us the depths of his love for you. His faithful love that denies what the world could give him. Is our love for you this strong too? When we are beset by trials how do we fare? Do we accept what satan offers or do we deny out of love for you. Dear Father, when trials come to us in the way of calamaties, sickness, devastation we find out where our heart really is. Is it in the way of being thankful to you for the life we have? Or are we more concerned with the loss of our material possessions. When these trials come it's easy to see that you are giving us moments to recover our love for you and the importance of the gift of life. How we choose in these trials as we undergo our own desert experience will determine who we serve. Think about it, how would we choose if presented with the things Jesus was showed by satan. Is our love for God foremost in our thoughts and in our hearts to deny the worldly goods that are offered. Do we adore and idolize the material wealth that is always available. If we lost it all would we go before our Lord and thank Him for saving us. The gift of life.