Working With the Word

Focusing the Gospel

Key words and phrases: tempted by the devil, If you are the Son of God, Jesus answered him, Jesus said to him, Jesus said to him

To the point: Twice the devil entices Jesus to give into temptation by saying, “If you are the Son of God ... ” True, Jesus is divine, but he is also fully human. Jesus resists the devil's temptation to put aside his humanity and act like God, thus remaining true to himself and to why he came. But Jesus' resisting the temptations has implications for us, too. By fully embracing his humanity Jesus lifts us up to be who we are in our relationship with God. Only from this relationship do we have the inner strength and conviction to make right choices in face of the temptations that are an inevitable part of being human.

Connecting the Gospel …

... to the first reading: In the Gospel the devil sets himself up as Lord when he tempts Jesus to worship him. Paul reminds us in the second reading that the One whom we are to profess.

... to experience: All temptation presents us with a choice in the face of a perceived good. We are able to see through the ruse of the perceived good to the inherent sel!shness of all temptation when we spend our lives deepening our sense of who we are in relation to God.

**From Saint Louis University