Holy Father Pope Francis while addressing the faithful gathered for the Holy Mass, conveyed that Jesus went into the desert to prepare Himself for His mission. The Lord had no need of conversion but was led by the Holy Spirit to be tested, in order to obey the will of the Father and to give us the grace to overcome temptation. His Holiness Pope Francis reflected on the temptation of Jesus and highlighted that we are called to face the Evil One with prayer so that, with God’s help, we might be able to overcome him in our daily life.
As reported by Vatican Radio, Holy Father Pope Francis remarked that “In this life, we are always in need of conversion and during Lent, the Church has us pray for this conversion. In order to do this, we need to have the courage to reject all that leads us astray and must entrust ourselves to the Lord, to His goodness, and to His project of Love for each one of us.” Further, His Holiness added, “Lent is not a time of sadness. It is, instead, a joyful and serious commitment to strip ourselves of selfishness, of our old man, and to renew ourselves according to the grace of our Baptism.”
His Holiness Pope Francis concluded his remarks by reminding the faithful that we are invited to listen attentively and to take up this appeal of Christ to be converted and to believe in the Gospel.
