By TWE reporter

Pope Francis on the first Sunday of Lent, during the reflections of the Gospel reading, before his traditional recitation of the Angelus, calls for the reawakening of Christian consciousness to the divisive nature of the devil, who stirs sinfulness in the hearts of Christians through temptations.

The Pope said Christians encounter this temptations in their daily lives; Jesus encountered the devil in the desert during His forty days fast, but was able to resist him, likewise, individuals should also be in tune with their study and understanding of the Word of God to enable them overcome falling into sin.

During Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist, the Pope said “the three Divine persons joined in love” when the Father acknowledged Jesus as His Son, and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in form of a Dove.

This union the devil sought to divide, the Pope added when Jesus resisted him in the wilderness.

“Jesus came into the world to help us partake in this union of love, while the devil instead tries to divide Jesus from this unity and His mission for us.” He said.

 The weaknesses of human nature predisposes an individual to temptation, when such a person makes room for the devil to take control; just as Jesus was tempted in His moment of hunger and tiredness, but was alert to the wiles of the evil one, the Pope stressed.

The “mission of unity” by Jesus for mankind was fiercely attacked by the devil when he presented three “poisons” to Jesus, making suggestions that could destroy the union Christians enjoy today.

These the Pope said are: attachment to material things, mistrust and quest for power. All these were strategies the devil devised to tempt Jesus, the Pope said and explained further that the children of God also encounters same.

“But that is how it is, for us too: attachment to material things, mistrust and the thirst for power are three widespread and dangerous temptations, which the devil uses to divide us from the Father and to make us no longer feel like brothers and sisters among ourselves, to lead us to solitude and desperation. He wanted to do this to Jesus, he wants to do it to us: to lead us to desperation.” He explained.

For Christians, emulating Jesus in the standard He set are sure ways for resisting the devil and temptations. The Pope said Jesus defeated the devil when He chose not to dialogue with him nor engage in a debate with him, but rather, used scriptural verses to counteract his temptations; this Christians should also imitate.

“The three verses from the Sacred Scripture that Jesus pronounces that oppose the three temptations speak of freedom from goods (cf.Dt 8:3), trust (cf. Dt 6:16), and service to God (cf. Dt. 6:13).”

To overcome the temptations of the devil this Lenten season, the Pope emphasized that:” Jesus never enters into dialogue with the devil, he does not negotiate with him, but he repels his insinuations with the beneficent Words of the Scripture. It is an invitation to us too; one cannot defeat the devil by negotiating with him, he is stronger than us. We defeat the devil by countering him in faith with the divine Word. In this way, Jesus teaches us to defend the unity with God and among ourselves from the attacks of satan the divider. The divine Word that is Jesus’ answer to the temptation of the devil.”

The Pope advised Christians to constantly study the Word of God which will serve as a guide and ministers to the heart in moments of “spiritual struggles”, adding that when faced with “recurring temptation” verses from the Word of God should be recited and applied to various spiritual needs.

“Let us try, it will help us in temptations, it will help us a great deal, so that, amid the voices that stir within us, the beneficent one of the Word of God will resound. May Mary, who welcomed the Word of God and her humility defeated the pride of the divider, accompany us in the spiritual struggle of Lent.”