WEEKLY REFLECTION – Jesus 40 Days in the Wilderness: Can you remember the last time you struggled to successfully complete a task at home, at work, or at school? Do you remember the relief that you felt when it was done, particularly to the satisfaction of a spouse, parent, boss, or teacher? The hours of work, perhaps accompanied by an excess of anxiety and stress, yielded a positive outcome. Such a process can energize a person to begin again, renewed, prepared to take on future challenges.

In today’s readings we are reminded that perseverance yields fruits and we as Christians are called upon to persevere, not alone, but with God.

Lent invites us to a greater intimacy with God that we might more acutely recognize His presence in our lives as we persevere. Lent is a time that tests us. We are asked to put energy into becoming more faithful to all the Jesus asks of us. We show that energy–to ourselves, not to others–by taking up some small practices that will help us remember that we belong to the Lord and rely on His strength. We do not fast and pray and do penance so that others can admire us. No, we fast and pray and do penance so that we can move from the slavery of sin to the freedom of grace, the freedom of living in the power of Jesus Christ. Fasting and praying require perseverance, as exemplified by the early Hebrews who persevered against great odds, and with and through God they were delivered from their sufferings.

The Letter to the Romans, gives us the way in which we can persevere from slavery to freedom. The way in which we can resist temptation is clearly revealed in the Bible: everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. To pray in the name of Jesus is to invoke him as Savior, to welcome him, and carry on a dialogue with him. How much easier it is to persevere through our difficulties with Jesus than without him!

This First Sunday of Lent is a time to reflect on the Lord Jesus and His struggle with the devil and for us to resolve to struggle against the devil and all evil in our own lives. We can bring our struggles to the Lord and set them before Him and bow down in his presence. Through our perseverance and with God, we may one day enjoy His everlasting grace and love.