The following is a beautiful reflection on this Sunday’s Gospel, Mark 1:12-15 from Aid to the Church in Need.
St Gregory of Nyssa wrote in De Spiritu Sancto (On the Holy Spirit) that “we are not to think of the 
Father as ever parted from the Son, nor to look for the Son as separate from the Holy Spirit… it is impossible also to say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are to be known only in a perfect Trinity…” It is with this sense of unified purpose that the Holy Spirit “drove” Jesus or that he was “led up by the Spirit into the wilderness” (Matthew 4:1).
The ensuing struggle with temptations did not overcome Jesus. His fast did not diminish his strength but rather fortified his resolve because the motivation because his self-denial was pure as it was driven by a determination to please God.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church notes the penance of fasting befits a mature Christian because it is directed towards a “conversion of the heart, an interior conversion”. This type of fasting is vital in strengthening Christians on their path.
But the Catechism identifies that in the absence of this heart-felt urge that “such penances remain sterile and false.”
Jesus practiced what he preached.
His life was “the gospel of God” in word and deed.
From his birth and throughout his life the “Word became flesh.” He, like many, ‘talked the talk’, but the key difference that separates him from them is that he willingly – and for the sake of others – walked the Way of the Cross.
This is revealed in Christ’s own words:
“whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave; even as the Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mathew 20:26b-28).
His “redemptive death fulfills Isaiah’s prophecy of the suffering Servant. Indeed Jesus himself explained the meaning of his life and death in the light of God’s suffering Servant” (cf. Catechism 601).
Today, inspired by Christ’s example and his promise that “the kingdom of God is at hand” we are invited to uphold the three pillars of every Christian’s Lenten journey: fasting, prayer and alms giving. Christ encourages the faithful to follow these three actions that will in turn strengthen the three most important relationships in our lives this Lent: with God through our prayers, our neighbours with acts of charity and ourselves by fasting.
The Catechism adds that “Scripture and the Fathers insist above all on three forms, fasting, prayer, and almsgiving, which express conversion in relation to oneself, to God, and to others.”
The book of Tobit notes the key component of righteousness or virtue being required by anyone striving to live a good life: “prayer is good when accompanied by fasting, almsgiving, and righteousness.” Alms giving or helping those in great need is described in the Catechism as “the chief witnesses to fraternal charity: it is also a work of justice pleasing to God.”
Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) is an international Catholic charity under papal jurisdiction, which yearly offers financial support to more than 5,000 projects worldwide. Catholic charities like ACN support the poor and persecuted Church with prayer, pastoral relief and material assistance. Help is given to refugees of all denominations. If you would like to donate to their vital work this Lent please click here.