Readings: First Sunday of Lent | USCCB

The Gospel for the first Sunday in Lent is always the account of Jesus’ time in the wilderness, this year from Luke. To understand this text, it is important to remember what comes immediately before it, i.e., Jesus’ baptism by John in the River Jordan, his experience of the Holy Spirit resting on him like a dove, and his hearing a voice from heaven declaring, “You are my son, my beloved; with you I am well pleased.” Today’s text follows this cluster of experiences, proclaiming, “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tested by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over he was famished.”  

 Some details to note here: First, Jesus is filled with the Holy Spirit following his baptism; second, it is that same Spirit who leads him into the wilderness; third, his reason for being in the wilderness is to be tested (a much better translation than “tempted”); finally, the tester is the devil or diabolic one. The text suggests that this testing continued for Jesus’ entire time in the wilderness but reaches its conclusion at the end of this time, when he is most vulnerable, “famished” after fasting for 40 days. 

What is being tested during these wilderness days? Scholars suggest that the test is how Jesus will fulfill his vocation as the Spirit-filled Son of God. What kind of Son of God will he be? One who chases after social, political, or religious power, or something more? The devil’s three tests raise these challenges. It is important to affirm that each of these kinds of power could be means to do good. The hardest tests are between good and good, not good and evil. In each case, Jesus’ vocation calls him to go deeper.  

President Rob Vischer regularly speaks about the ways the University of St. Thomas helps students to discern their vocations. As he pointed out at the university’s Employee Recognition event last week, this discernment is not just for students, but for staff and faculty as well.  

Filled with the Spirit and armed with Scripture, the Lenten wilderness which we have entered this week may invite each of us to test our identity as beloved daughters and sons of God and discern the ways in which our vocations call us to go deeper.