Wednesday, February 22, 2012
The Temptations of Jesus in the Desert
Dear Friends,
Please read this passage from St. Matthew’s Gospel (4:1-11):
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry. The tempter approached and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread.” He said in reply, “It is written: ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city, and made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: ‘He will command his angels concerning you and ‘with their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.'” Jesus answered him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.'” Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence, and he said to him, “All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me.” At this, Jesus said to him, “Get away, Satan! It is written: ‘The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.'” Then the devil left him and, behold, angels came and ministered to him.
Today we begin the season of Lent, a very important 40 days in preparation for the great Feast of Easter. Spend the days of Lent in the spiritual desert in prayer.
(Below you will find the message of Our Lord and Savior given to Father Melvin. Jesus spoke to him these words.)
“As you begin the season of Lent, I call you all to follow Me into the desert, especially you My brother Melvin and all My brothers and sisters spread throughout the world. This is in imitation of Me as I spent 40 days in the desert in prayer to My Father without eating or drinking. You know that the Jewish people spent 40 years in the desert after they left Egypt. It was there in the desert that they became the People of God. My forty days was in preparation for My public life and how important it was that I have a strong union with My Father. I am both human and divine and I had to prepare Myself for My mission. I was also tempted by the devil three times.
You too, My brothers and sisters, come to the desert with Me and spend time in silence to come to know Me. This is a time of prayer especially Contemplative Prayer, and through this prayer your relationship with Me will grow daily. You need to experience My love, My peace and My joy. Your life will be blessed. But offer yourselves to Me and come and obey all that I have taught you. I died for you because I love you.”
Father Melvin