Luke 4:1-13 Temptation in the Desert

"Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan
and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days..."

These lines remind us of Jesus' baptism at the Jordan when the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus and the Voice of God the Father was heard saying, "This is my son in whom I am well pleased."  The Spirit then brings him to the desert where he is tempted. 

We are all temped every one of us, even once we are baptized.  We are given the fruits of the Spirit to help us in our life's journeys.  What are these gifts from God that we should be aware of and be comfortable employing in face of temptations and life's troubles?  They are wisdom, understanding, fortitude, counsel, knowledge, piety, and fear/awe of the Lord.  These gifts can help us so much.  They helped Jesus in the temptations in the desert.  These gifts of the Holy Spirit helped to lead Jesus our of the desert.  They help us too in our tough times.  When we lose our pride and ask God for help, that is when we can be led by the Spirit the best. 

We are called to conversion and our Lenten journey should help us there.  Let the Spirit guide you in his love and mercy, through acts of kindness and charity toward others. 

Matthew 11:16-19

The university is rife with arrogant intellectuals who often think they are God's answer for the world.  This is a generalization of course, but one that for many is true.  Those feelings seem to seep into the students too who are often very opinionated and don't like to listen to others.  It makes discussion difficult as they are not willing to look at other perspectives.  They value themselves on their own self importance.  They look down on others and judge them by their intellectual understanding of math, science, refinement, and general intellectual excellence.  It is rare to find students on campus with a good moral compas.  Those who do fall into the category of having morals are often shunned, at least in the USA, because they are the 'downers' the ones who ruin the 'fun' of others by asking the difficult questions of whether their friends think what they are doing is truly right, truly just.

We see this same sort of thing in today's reading as Jesus reflects upon the generation.  The generation is so sophisticated and caught up in their own superiority, they are missing the picture.  Jesus tells us, "Wisdom is vindicated by her works."  He is encouraging us to stay our course and continue to follow our moral compass for we are showing wisdom in doing so, and in God's mercy will be vindicated.