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Saint Josemaria
Quotations from Saint Josemaria

Temptations in the Desert

Tags: Gospel, Jesus Christ, Ascetical struggle
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And he fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.
But he answered, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Mt 4:1-4).

«The whole episode is a mystery which man cannot hope to understand: God submitting to temptation, letting the evil one have his way. But we can meditate upon it, asking our Lord to help us understand the teaching it contains.

«Jesus Christ being tempted... Tradition likes to see Christ’s trials in this way: our Lord, who came to be an example to us in all things, wants to suffer temptation as well. And so it happens, for Christ was perfect man, like us in everything except sin. After forty days of fasting, with perhaps no food other than herbs and roots and a little water, he feels hungry – he is really hungry, as anyone would be. And when the devil suggests he turn stones into bread, our Lord not only declines the food which his body requires, but he also rejects a greater temptation: that of using his divine power to solve, if we can express it so, a personal problem.

«You have noticed how, throughout the Gospels, Jesus doesn’t work miracles for his own benefit. He turns water into wine for the wedding guests at Cana; he multiplies loaves and fish for the hungry crowd. But he earns his bread, for years, with his own work. And later, during his journeys through the land of Israel, he lives with the help of those who follow him.

«St. John tells how after a long journey when Jesus arrived at the well of Sichar, he sent his disciples into town to buy food. And when he sees the Samaritan woman coming, he asks her for water, since he has no way of getting it. His body, worn out from a long journey, feels weary. On other occasions he has to yield to sleep to regain his strength. How generous our Lord is in humbling himself and fully accepting his human condition! He does not use his divine power to escape from difficulties or effort. Let’s pray that he will teach us to be tough, to love work, to appreciate the human and divine nobility of savoring the consequences of self-giving.»
Christ is Passing By, 61


«In the hour of temptation, practice the virtue of Hope, saying: For my rest and enjoyment I have the whole of eternity ahead of me. Here and now, full of Faith, I will earn my rest through work and win my joy through suffering. What will Love be like in Heaven!

«Better still, you should practice your Love by saying: What I want is to please my God, my Love, by doing his Will in all things, as though there were neither reward nor punishment – simply to please him.»
The Forge, 1008