“Then Jesus was led by the spirit into the desert, to be tempted by the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterwards he was hungry.”
Jesus, filled with the power of the Holy Spirit of love, goes and immediately exhibits the might of love by subjecting Himself to trials in the desert to enter further into the human condition. He realizes that many, immediately after baptism, enter into grave trials, and wants to join with you in the times when you are without. It shows that, when you realize the Father’s unfathomable love for you, that you are His child with whom He is well pleased, and have the gift of the Holy Spirit with you, it will quickly be put to the test: “When thou comest to the service of God, stand in justice and in fear, and prepare thy soul for temptation. Humble thy heart, and endure” (Ecclesiasticus 2:1-2). This is a service which ancient Israel failed, as their trial in the desert was marked by frequent movements away from the Lord, complaining, speaking against Him, and a lack of courage. Now, these respective exiles also show your journey through the school of love that is life as you walk through this exile to your heavenly homeland. While Israel’s failure shows that “without me you can do nothing,” (John 15:5), “greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4). Christ’s victory is your victory, and your victory is His victory, for you do not journey alone. Now, it is the nature of those who have the Holy Spirit to undertake a work in which they will meet the devil head-on, for in doing a work out of an abundance of love, the enemy will rear his head to see it fail. Your work for the service of God is your personal desert, be this a service of ministry, prayer, receiving the sacraments on a frequent basis, etc, and you will meet resistance to your quest towards God. This is all done to show the awesome might of love, for despite the many adversities into which you will run, that love still emerges victorious shows how unbreakable it is. Fasting also has an importance here, of which much has been said by better authors, but it is interesting to note that it manifests a spiritual reality in that by the body becoming lean through fasting, the devil may be repelled, and by making one’s soul little, the devil in his pride is confounded and repulsed. It is of great humiliation to the ancient serpent to be overcome by someone that simply runs to their Father like a child: “Amen I say to you, unless you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3). Your dear Abba is mighty, all-powerful, and will rush to your aid when you cry out to Him as His dear child. To go against the devil with a full belly or a full soul, thinking that you can match an intellect far superior to your own, is a snare that he will gladly watch you run into, but to turn, as God’s beloved child, to your Father and ask Him, “Judge thou, O Lord, them that wrong me: overthrow them that fight against me. Take hold of arms and shield: and rise up to help me” (Psalm 34:1-2) is a cry for help He will not ignore. It is not so much in a glorious amount of prayer and a mighty demeanor that the devil is vanquished, but by emptying yourself of all that makes you feel strong and important, laying in the arms of your Father, and trusting in His merciful protection. While mild penance is certainly beneficial, such as not eating between meals, it is more in littleness of soul that keeps the enemy from infiltrating: “My sister, my spouse, is a garden enclosed, a fountain sealed up” (Song 4:12). Therefore, love yourself in your littleness and brokenness, realizing that you are a child in the arms of a loving parent who does not love you for your works or glory, but because you are His. When you dispossess yourself of all that puffs you up and hunger for God’s love alone, it will be given to you in volumes unspeakable, against which the serpent is powerless.