It is 14th February 2016. It is the First Sunday of Lent. The readings are from Deuteronomy 26:4-10; Romans 10:8-13; and the Gospel from Luke 4:1-13. It is the time of self-emptying. We have taken up a journey towards God and our neighbour. Lent is the most special time of our Christian living annually. The church invites us to examine our lives personally and calling on all of us to share what we have with the less fortunate. The first reading provides a valuable insight for our giving. Israelites ended the journey to the Promised Land. Moses called on them to give their first fruits as a gratitude to the Lord. Lent is the time to remember what the Lord has done for us and to repay the Lord through our personal spiritual endeavours. The responsorial Psalm prays, “Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.” (Ps.91:15). The second reading cements our faith in Jesus. “No one who believes in Jesus will be put to shame.” (Rom.10:11). Our faith in Jesus is the assurance for our salvation. The salvation is free for all who believe and confess Jesus. The Gospel presents the temptation of Jesus and how he dealt with it. Temptation are inevitable in our Christian living. The temptations to manifest our spiritual powers, to worship Satan, and to manipulate God are growing in us even today. Temptations divert us from God, making us stubborn day by day and finally to be unfaithful to God. In order to deal with the temptations, we must trust God completely. It is better to fall in the hands of the Lord during the temptations. Giving in is pleasurable. Fighting against the temptations makes a difference in our faith. The battle against evil never stops. The tempter leaves a while so as to come with more vicious ambush. With God’s grace we can surly deal with our temptations. When the works of mercy are on the increase in us every moment, the possibility of the exposure to temptations are minimised. May God help us when we are tempted. Have a good day.