Daily Gospel Reflection
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March 10, 2019
Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan
and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days,
to be tempted by the devil.
He ate nothing during those days,
and when they were over he was hungry.
The devil said to him,
“If you are the Son of God,
command this stone to become bread.”
Jesus answered him,
“It is written, One does not live on bread alone.”
Then he took him up and showed him
all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant.
The devil said to him,
“I shall give to you all this power and glory;
for it has been handed over to me,
and I may give it to whomever I wish.
All this will be yours, if you worship me.”
Jesus said to him in reply,
“It is written:
You shall worship the Lord, your God,
and him alone shall you serve.”
Then he led him to Jerusalem,
made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him,
“If you are the Son of God,
throw yourself down from here, for it is written:
He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,
and:
With their hands they will support you,
lest you dash your foot against a stone.”
Jesus said to him in reply,
“It also says,
You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.”
When the devil had finished every temptation,
he departed from him for a time.
“Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan.”
As we move through our Lenten journey, I believe we can find strength and guidance by following Jesus’ example of how he prepared over forty days for facing these temptations. First, he was filled with the Holy Spirit, thus not making the journey on his own, but depending on the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit. Then, as Satan came after him, Jesus relied upon the word of God to effectively answer each of the temptations.
Earlier this year, I prayed and reflected on a word that could help guide my 2019. The one that came to me clearly was “trust.” This focus has helped me to simplify each day and provide a guide through change in my family—aging parent’s health, navigating children’s health and learning—as well as change in work obligations. My word this year has also been a challenge as there have already been a number of moments of decision and testing. When things don’t seem to be going so well, will I remain faithful and trust?
May we, like Jesus, be filled with the Holy Spirit and walk our Lenten days in his power and authority to help us answer each of life’s tests and temptations with faith and trust.
Prayer
Loving Father, like Christ in the desert, the world will always tempt us with pleasure, power, and fame. It will seem to offer us a more immediate gratification to the desire in our hearts that can only be filled by you. As we begin our Lenten journey, may our prayer, fasting, and almsgiving help us to keep our eyes fixed on you and the promise of your kingdom. May we, like Jesus, have the strength to see through the deceptions of the evil one and seek you alone. Amen.
Saint of the Day
The 40 Martyrs were Roman soldiers who were put to death in Sebaste, which is in Armenia today. The account of these martyrs is well-documented historically, and inspired great faithfulness in the ancient Church.
Around the year 320, the emperor of the eastern Roman empire, Lucinius, issued a decree ordering every Christian to renounce their faith or face death. When this decree was announced to the Roman army, 40 soldiers of different nationalities—all part of a famous “Thundering Legion”—refused to comply with the order to sacrifice to Roman gods. They were brought to trial in Sebaste, and the governor there threatened them with disgrace if they continued, and promised promotions for any who renounced their faith. They all stood firm.
The governor then devised a plan to test their faith. They were to be placed upon a frozen lake, naked and exposed to the howling wind, until they either changed their minds or froze to death. The 40 did not wait to be stripped, but undressed themselves, and encouraged one another in the ordeal. A fire and warm baths were prepared at the edge of the lake, and they were told that they could come in from the ice and warm themselves if they turned away from Christianity.
For three days and nights, the group endured. One young soldier decided to leave the group for the warmth of the baths, but the shock to his system killed him. One of the guards, seeing this disgrace, was inspired by the resolve of the remaining 39. When he was off-duty, he fell asleep by the fire and had a dream in which angels descended upon the soldiers on the lake and crowned them. He counted only 39 crowns, and decided to join them. He put down his arms and cloak, proclaimed himself a Christian, and walked out to the group on the ice, bringing the number of martyrs back to 40.
By the morning of the fourth day, most were dead, and the remaining were killed. All the bodies were burned in a furnace, and their ashes thrown into a river. The Christian community recovered some of the charred remains.
The family of St. Basil the Great—whose parents and three siblings are all saints—were among those who helped to gather what remained of these martyrs. The witness of these soldiers moved this holy family, as well as many other Christians, to greater faithfulness.
Forty Martyrs of Sebaste, who froze to death on an ice-covered lake instead of renouncing your faith—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste is in the public domain. Last accessed February 6, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
