In this week’s Gospel passage, we are reminded of three Lenten qualities that we are encouraged to adopt if we want Lent to be a meaningful experience: prayer, fasting, and reconciliation. You know the story in this Gospel passage…we are told of Jesus being tempted in the desert by the devil. When Jesus went into the desert, He fasted and prayed for 40 days. Why? No doubt, He wanted to strengthen His resolve to be “one with the Father”…and to resist any temptations that might come His way. And did they ever “come His way.” The devil tried three times to sway Jesus from His devotion to the Father. The devil offered Jesus the “things of this world” (those things that we often go after…mainly power) in return for turning away from God and turning toward Satan. Jesus resisted and stayed true to His heart. And what does all of this mean for us? Lent is a time to look at our own lives with all of its temptations, sin and the consequences. During Lent, we are challenged to “die to sin” so that we may rise again to the new life in the Risen Christ. None of us escapes temptation in our lives. Every one of us is tempted to seek sinful pleasures, easy wealth and a position of power. WE are tempted as well to use any means, even unjust or sinful ones, to gain these things. Jesus serves as a model for us in conquering temptations by strengthening Himself through prayer, penance and fasting. So, during this Lent let us confront our temptations to sin by prayer, by penance and by an honest assessment of our spiritual life. Let us endeavor to find time to be with God every day of Lent, speaking to Him in sincere prayer and let us also listen to Him as He walks by our side. In addition, let us each “make ourselves right” with the Lord by being reconciled with Him through the sacrament of reconciliation and reconciled with others by asking their forgiveness when we have offended them. Lastly, let us all make a concerted effort to share our love with others through selfless and humble service, almsgiving and helping those in need. God will help us…if we ask for His help! A comical, but illustrative, story shows us how adept we are at rationalizing our actions: A very overweight man decided that it was time to shed a few pounds. He went on a new diet and took it seriously. He even changed his usual driving route to the office in order to avoid his favorite bakery. One morning, however, he arrived at the office carrying a large, sugar-coated coffee cake. His office mates roundly chided him, but he only smiled, shrugged his shoulders and said, "What could I do? This is a very special cake. This morning, out of my forced habit, I accidentally drove by my favorite bakery. There in the window were trays of the most delicious goodies. I felt that it was no accident that I happened to pass by, so I prayed, 'Lord, if you really want me to have one of these delicious coffee cakes, let me find a parking place in front of the bakery.' Sure enough, on the ninth trip around the block, there it was!" Temptation is strong, but we must be stronger. GOSPEL QUESTION FOR THE WEEK: Are you up to “fasting, praying, and reconciling this Lent?”