Lent 2019: Reflections from Current and Former Volunteers 2019 Lenten Reflection Guide | Page 4
By Mara Scarbrough, Bon Secours Volunteer Ministry
“Jesus returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert
for forty days, to be tempted by the devil...” - Luke 4:1-13
of the Church’s Liturgical Seasons we have an opportunity to examine ourselves and
reflect on different aspects of Jesus’s life. During Lent we create a space to reflect on His suffering and sacrifices.
In today’s Gospel reading the Spirit led Jesus into the desert. For forty days Jesus lived in the wilderness, and faced
the devil’s temptations. He was tempted with pride, power, and popularity; however, Jesus knew that He was called
to follow God’s will and resist the empty promises the devil offered.
I find comfort that the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the trial. The forty days were meant to prepare Jesus for the work
that was to come, and a part of that preparation included temptations. Jesus relied on His knowledge of the
scriptures and combatted the temptations with Truth. Turning a stone into bread seems like an innocent action, but
Jesus knew that the temporary satisfaction would be empty and in defiance of God’s will. Jesus understands what it
means to face temptation, and in His resistance provides a model of following God’s will that we should all ascribe
to. Jesus was tested, and responded without sin. When I find myself facing a trial, I can draw comfort in the
knowledge that the same Holy Spirit that led Jesus into the wilderness is in me.
In His resistance in the wilderness, we have a foretaste of Jesus’s victory to come. At Easter we celebrate Jesus’s
victory over death; in the meantime Lent provides us with a time to fast and prepare our hearts for the inevitable
temptations of the world. Lent provides us with the opportunity to spend forty days in our own “wilderness”,
fortifying our own hearts through sacrifice and prayer.
Throughout Lent we focus on all that Jesus has done
for us. In today's Gospel we see that Jesus resisted each
temptation, not just for Himself, but for us. Each of the
temptations the devil proposed were designed to
distract Jesus from His humanity.
Each temptation involved Jesus using His divinity for
personal gain and separating Himself from the human
community.
The temptation of individualism is something that we
are all called to resist. The Lord created us as social
beings with a responsibility to care for one another.
Lord, you created us to love and worship. Help
me cling to the truth that I am Yours in the
midst of trials. When I walk through the valleys
help me remember the joys from the mountain
tops, and place my hope in the knowledge that
Your will is for my good.
Stir in me a heart that longs to discern Your
will. Help me to work Your justice rather than
personal gain every day of my life. Bless our
bodies for Your service, and our service for
Your Glory.
My Mom has always been a model of service I aspire to follow. She embodies the principle of placing others
first, stressing to me and my siblings that “where your treasure is your heart will also be.” Mom’s treasure is
rooted in the love she has for our community, and it is important to her that she actively invests her time to
show the love. It could be as simple as caring for our school garden, or as involved as organizing our Church’s
homeless outreach ministry.
Mom has always found a way to make time for the causes that matter to her, and in doing so has shown the
importance of committing time and resources to love others in her care for all of God’s Creation.
First Sunday of Lent | 2019