March 1st, 2020. 1st of Lent. Mt 4, 1-11
There are times in our lives when we have to choose between two options. Deep down inside we know which one is right, but we find more than enough reasons to choose the other, either because it is more attractive, because it obliges us less, because it gives us a better image or because it is less sacrificial. It is a temptation. The Evil One presents us with the other option so that we feel compelled to choose it. We fall into the trap. We allow ourselves to be seduced by the easy, the immediate, the pleasant.
Like Adam and Eve in paradise. Like everyone throughout history. Well, not everyone. Jesus, no. Although he was like us, he felt like us, he fought and suffered like us, he was very clear about what God was asking of him. And he heard His Word and not that of the Evil One. He fought and overcame temptation.
One more year, Lent is the opportunity to follow the path that our heart points out to us, to which the Spirit of God urges us. Let the Word of God show us the way and give us the strength and confidence to choose the right one.
Juan Ramon Gomez Pascual, cmf
