Today's gospel tells of Jesus’ temptation in the desert. His forty-day fast becomes the basis of our Lenten pilgrimage. In the early church Lent was a time of intense preparation for those to be baptized at the Easter Vigil. This catechetical focus on the meaning of faith is at the heart of our Lenten journey to the baptismal waters of Easter. Hungry for God’s mercy, we receive the bread of life to nourish us for the days ahead.

Fresco of the temptation of Jesus, (19th century), Altlerchenfelder Kirche, Vienna, Austria. Photo by jozef sedmak. Copyright © Alamy Stock Photo. Used by permission.

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