As we enter the sacred season of Lent, the Church presents us with two profound passages for our meditation on this First Sunday of Quadragesima: 2 Corinthians 6:1-10 and Matthew 4:1-11. These readings, imbued with the spirit of penance, spiritual warfare, and perseverance, call us to embrace the holy struggle of Lent with fortitude, following the example of Christ and the exhortations of St. Paul.
The Acceptable Time: Embracing the Hardships of Lent
St. Paul, in his epistle to the Corinthians, urges us:
“We exhort you, that you receive not the grace of God in vain. For he saith: In an accepted time have I heard thee; and in the day of salvation have I helped thee. Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Cor. 6:1-2)
The Apostle reminds us that Lent is a privileged moment of grace—a time appointed by God for our purification and sanctification. St. John Chrysostom, commenting on this passage, emphasizes the urgency of responding to God’s grace:
“When he says, ‘now is the acceptable time’, he shows that it is always fitting to repent, but that now especially, when we have been called to this grace, we must not neglect it.” (Homilies on 2 Corinthians, 12)
Lent is not merely a season of external observances but an invitation to deeper interior conversion. The penitential practices of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving are not ends in themselves but means to dispose us to the workings of grace. St. Paul outlines the sufferings endured by true ministers of God—tribulations, necessities, distresses—reminding us that the path to holiness is one of endurance. St. Gregory the Great comments:
“It is through endurance in sufferings that a man is proven, and by temptations he is made strong. For the more he is tried, the more his soul is trained in patience.” (Moralium, 3.15)
Thus, Lent invites us to embrace the difficulties we encounter, knowing that through them, we are conformed more closely to Christ.
The Temptation of Christ: Our Model for Spiritual Combat
The Gospel passage from St. Matthew recounts Christ’s forty days of fasting in the desert and His victory over the temptations of the devil. In this, Our Lord provides us with the pattern for our own Lenten struggle.
St. Ambrose, reflecting on Christ’s fasting, sees in it a model for the Church:
“He did not need fasting for Himself, but He did it for us, that by His example He might teach us how to fast, and that by His struggle with the devil, He might show us how to overcome temptation.” (Exposition on the Gospel of Luke, 4.21)
The three temptations presented to Christ—turning stones into bread, casting Himself from the pinnacle of the temple, and worshipping Satan in exchange for worldly power—represent the threefold concupiscence described by St. John:
- The lust of the flesh (bodily pleasure) – The temptation to turn stones into bread
- The pride of life (vainglory) – The temptation to throw Himself from the temple
- The lust of the eyes (earthly possessions) – The temptation to possess all the kingdoms of the world
St. Augustine beautifully explains how Christ, by overcoming these temptations, teaches us how to resist them:
“He endured temptation, lest the weak should be overcome by it. The devil’s snares are threefold: to be drawn by greed of pleasure, to be ensnared by empty glory, to be cast down by avarice. Christ resisted each, that in Him you might overcome.” (Sermon 2 on the Season of Lent)
Lent: Our Time in the Desert
Christ’s forty days in the wilderness mirror the forty years of Israel’s wandering in the desert. Whereas Israel fell into sin—murmuring against God, worshipping the golden calf, and longing for the fleshpots of Egypt—Christ remained faithful. The Church Fathers see in this a call for us to embrace our own time of purification with trust in God.
St. Leo the Great exhorts us:
“Let us enter with our Redeemer into the solitude of the desert, that there we may share in His fast, and by restraining our carnal desires, overcome the wiles of the ancient enemy.” (Sermon 39 on Lent)
As we begin this holy season, let us take to heart the lessons of today’s readings:
- Now is the time of grace—we must not delay our conversion.
- Sufferings and trials purify us—endurance in tribulation strengthens the soul.
- We must resist temptation—Christ has given us the weapons of fasting, prayer, and the Word of God.
May this Lent be for us a true spiritual combat, leading us to the joy of Easter, where, having conquered with Christ, we may share in His glorious resurrection.
Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis!