“At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry.” (Matthew 4:1-2)

The major theme for this 1^st Sunday of Lent Year A focuses on the meaning, the reason, and the spiritual practices of Lent, inviting us to deepen our personal relationship with Christ, to imitate him to conquer our temptations and to eliminate our sins. 

The word “Lent” denotes the forty days of fasting preceding the Holy Week. Lent starts on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Thursday before Mass of the Last Supper.

The purpose of Lent is to engage us, Christian disciples, to the spiritual exercises of prayer, fasting and almsgiving, to imitate our Lord who spent 40 days in the desert, battling against the forces of evil, fighting against temptations, and to prepare us for the Easter Triduum to the joyful, triumphant, victorious celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday.

Lent is a time for us to reflect on our life, to look at our temptation, sin, and its consequences. We are challenged to die to sin, so that we can rise again to the new life in the Risen Christ.
 
God does not want us holding a relationship of Transaction but Transformation. Therefore, Dynamic Christian disciples are those who (1) BELIEVE, (2) GROW, (3) SERVE, (4) LOVE and (5) LEAD others to Jesus. Today’s topic invites us to practice the spiritual exercises of prayer, fasting and almsgiving during Lent, to imitate and follow our savior Jesus Christ, to repent our sins, to exercise our Christian stewardship, to use our time, treasure, and talents to love God above all and to love our neighbors as ourselves, participating in the works of mercy, to accomplish God’s will in our lives to glorify God. 

How can we help each other conquer our temptations as Jesus did? 

Wishing you a very happy and blessed week in the Lord.