In his Angelus address, His Holiness Pope Francis said the three temptations Jesus faced “indicate three paths that the world always proposes, promising great success”. After Jesus had fasted for forty days, the devil tempted Him to turn stones to bread. This, the Pontiff said, is “the path of the greed of possession”. The devil always begins with our natural and legitimate needs, he explained, “in order to push us to believe” that we can find fulfilment “without God, and even contrary to Him”. Jesus, however, responds by quoting Scripture: “Man shall not live by bread alone”.
As reported by Vatican news, The second temptation is “the prospect of becoming a powerful and glorious Messiah”, which His Holiness Pope Francis describes as “the path of human glory”. Bowing down before the “idols of money, of success, of power” can corrupt us. This leads to “the intoxication of an empty joy that soon fades away” – and this, the Pontiff says, is why Jesus responds, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve”. Finally, the devil leads Jesus to the pinnacle of the Temple in Jerusalem, and “invites Him to cast Himself down” in order to demonstrate His divine power. His Holiness Pope Francis calls this the path of “instrumentalizing God for one’s own advantage”. Jesus rejects the devil’s temptation, “with the firm decision to remain humble and confident before the Father”.
Jesus overcomes these three temptations by personally facing them, “in order fully to adhere to the Father’s plan”. In doing so, His Holiness Pope Francis said, Jesus shows us the remedies for temptations – namely, “the interior life, faith in God, the certainty of His love.” With the certainty that God is Father, and that He loves us, “we will overcome every temptation”.
