THE TEXT BELOW IS THE TRANSCRIPTION OF THE VIDEO COMMENTARY BY FR. FERNANDO ARMELLINI

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A good Sunday to all. 

The narrative of the temptations of Jesus is one of the best-known passages in the Gospels. Even those who do not attend church regularly have heard of Jesus being tempted to turn stones into bread; of Jesus being taken to a very high mountain where the devil showed him all the kingdoms of this world; and of Jesus being invited to throw himself from the pinnacle of the temple. As temptations, they are very strange and very different from ours. 

Naturally, it is not a chronicle but three parables found in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. They are images used by the first Christian communities. They present a very consoling truth for them and for us: that Jesus is our brother and that he had to face all the trials of life and the temptations we must also face. Jesus had moments of pain and moments of joy. From any situation in life, you can come out either mature or defeated. 

From the trial of pain, you can come out defeated and dehumanized. Pain can even make you curse God and lose faith. But you can also be defeated by success, which can make you lose your mind and forget God and your brothers and sisters. This is what the author of the letter to the Hebrews says: Jesus went through all the situations of life with which we must also struggle. There is only one difference: he was never defeated; in everything, just like us, except in sin. 

Sometimes we don’t behave as children of God; we don’t listen to the Spirit within us but follow the impulses of our passions. He, on the other hand, was always faithful to his identity as the Son of God. That is why, at the beginning of Lent, the liturgy presents how he lived each year. Jesus lived through every moment of his life: the joys, the sorrows, the moments when he was accepted and those when he was rejected, the moments when he was loved or betrayed. 

This year, we are offered the version of the temptations of Jesus narrated by the evangelist Mark, which does not present the three parables as Matthew and Luke do, but only two verses in which we will find biblical images that we will have to understand to grasp the message the evangelist wants to convey to show us how Jesus lived through life’s trials. 

Let’s listen: 

“After he was baptized by John, the Spirit immediately drove him into the desert, where he remained for forty days, tempted by Satan. He was among wild beasts, and the angels ministered to him.” 

It is the Spirit that, after resting in Jesus at the time of baptism, drives him into the wilderness. In the desert lived the Baptist, and there were the monks of Qumram who led an ascetic life, scrupulously practicing the whole Torah. Most probably, Jesus, like all these people of austere life, would have spent some time in solitude and silence to reflect on his choices. 

Indeed, it is in this moment of dialogue with his Father, in the silence of the desert, that he decides to begin his public life. But it is not only to recall the time that Jesus spent in the desert, a moment of reflection and prayer. It is for this reason alone that the evangelist Mark presents the desert. 

For those who know the Bible, the desert immediately recalls the Exodus, the journey of the people of Israel toward the Promised Land, a time when God put them to the test to mature their faith in him and first taught them to be content with what is necessary. In the desert, there are no superfluous things; water is water, not Coca-Cola; bread is bread, not a biscuit… only what is necessary to live. The Lord educated his people in the wilderness with manna and invited them to avoid accumulation. 

In the desert, one cannot accumulate goods. Each one lives on what is necessary; all his possessions are what he can carry on his shoulders. The earth does not belong to him. When he takes a step, what he leaves behind is no longer his; it is for others. This is what God wanted to achieve when he made his people cross the desert; he wanted to prove them. The manna could not be accumulated; whoever thought he could accumulate it found it full of worms the next day. Likewise with the water: trust in God, who does not let you lack what is necessary to live. Jesus entered this wilderness and remained there for 40 days. This is a second unmistakable detail that shows us the symbolism the evangelist Mark intends to convey this time: Jesus’s time in the wilderness. 

The number 40 in the Bible signifies a whole generation; in the wilderness, everyone who came out of Egypt died. Therefore, the number 40 represents a lifetime, and now it is clear what Mark wants us to understand. Forty days of Jesus in the wilderness indicate his whole life, a life in which he had to face the same trials as we do. Jesus entered the wilderness after his baptism and began his journey to his Father’s house. And in this wilderness, he undertook the struggle against Satan, a struggle that lasted until the moment he came out of this wilderness, at the moment of his death. 

Now we are interested in what happened in this wilderness. It happened exactly as it does to all of us. Jesus was tested; he was tempted. Let’s pay attention to the verb ‘to tempt,’ which sounds to us a little like setting a trap, a snare to deceive or lead a person astray. If that were the meaning, it would not be right for the Spirit to lead Jesus into the wilderness to see if he would go astray. No, the verb ‘πειραζόμενος’ – ‘peirazómenos’ in Greek does not mean to incite evil but means to go through the trials that we all must face in life. 

In fact, in the Bible, it is often said that God tempts, that is, he tests the people who are faithful to him, not to incite them to evil but to put them in situations of danger that even the righteous must face. These are the moments when one is forced to make decisions, can make mistakes, and cannot escape these trials. If they lived as Jesus lived, they would become a favorable occasion to make our faith more solid and mature. They make us grow, purify us, and strengthen our adhesion to God. The fact that Jesus also passed through our desert brings us very close to him and puts him at our side. 

The letter to the Hebrews, which I have already begun to quote, says something else wonderful: because of what Jesus suffered, he learned how hard it is to remain always faithful to God, and that’s why he understands our frailty and weaknesses. And again, in the letter to the Hebrews, there is a beautiful sentence: “He is not ashamed to call us brethren.” In his exodus, in his wilderness, Jesus met three characters who are quoted by Mark. They are biblical images, of course, and we want to grasp their meaning and message. 

The three characters he met are Satan, the beasts, and the angels. Who are these characters? Satan, who does he represent? In the Old Testament, the term ‘satan’ appears 33 times, and it was a common name, not a proper name. Satan means anything that obstructs a path, anything that opposes a certain way of life. Satan means the adversary, the one who opposes the way that God wills. 

Who is this Satan? Satan is indeed the impulse of the flesh that leads to decisions that oppose the Spirit… that is, Satan. It is also the logic of this world that incites you to think of yourself, disinterested yourself in others, and do what you like. This impulse is ‘satan.’ Satan is also the institution that promotes immoral behavior and finances projects contrary to the good of man; Satan is the organizations that spread drugs and pornography; those who oppose the Gospel obstruct the way of those who want to follow Christ. 

The incarnation of this Satan is Peter… Jesus said to him: You are Satan because you have followed the reasoning of men and you oppose God. Jesus always defeated every Satan he encountered in his life. They are the same Satans that we, too, must face, and we must identify them well so as not to be led astray. 

This is why, at the beginning of Lent, the Church invites us to reflect on how Jesus lived in the desert for 40 days. He also encountered wild beasts there. Some have interpreted this as a picture of the earthly paradise returning with Jesus: the wild beasts becoming tame, the lamb with the wolf… No, that is not the meaning the evangelist Mark intends for the wild beasts. It refers to a memorable passage in the book of Daniel. This prophet imagines himself living in Babylon during the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar, who had destroyed Jerusalem. 

In chapter 7 of his book, he recounts a dramatic vision: he saw four dreadful beasts emerging from the sea. These images are used by the author of the book to describe the succession of kingdoms in this world. Kingdoms based on force, violence, greatness, and courage were defined by the ability to dominate the weaker ones, and all of them behaved the same way. 

What are these beasts? The first, the lion, symbolizes the Babylonians, a bloodthirsty people who deported Israel to Babylon. Then came another, stronger than the first, a bear. They were the Medes. After the bear came a leopard. It began to dominate… the Persians spread throughout the Middle East, reaching as far as Greece. And after this, a leopard came, a beast worse than the previous ones, undefined yet frightening, that crushed all under its feet; it was Alexander the Great. These are the powers of this world based on force. 

How to put an end to this kingdom of the beasts? God sent a lamb with an appointed destiny, but it was the only way to make people understand that they were beasts. He made them face a real man, and the real man is the one who acts like a lamb. Jesus wanted to start this new world, and of course he had to face the beasts, and he got the worst of it: A lamb among wolves has a lethal destiny. And what are the beasts that Jesus had to face? The ones who wanted to perpetuate the old world. We know them very well. They were the holders of political, economic, and religious power, the Sadducees, the Sanhedrin, the high priests, the spiritual guides, and the scribes who boasted of making long prayers and then devoured the houses of widows. 

The Pharisees portrayed God as an avenger and an enemy of sinners. All of this was part of the old world, and Jesus faced it in the desert during his 40 days with these beasts. The evangelist wants to warn his disciples; he tells them: ‘You too, like the Master, will encounter the beasts that follow the logic of the old world, and you will have to face them as Jesus did, who did not flee.’ The economic powers that exploit force the people to live in misery. 

The disciple of Christ does not accept these powers because they are beasts. The crazy ideologies that lead to committing crimes are the beasts of the old world; fanaticism, religious fundamentalism, and racism are all beastly powers; and all those who use authority to dominate and oppress are beasts with whom the disciple of Christ does not make peace. He does not hate these people but wants them to realize that they are not men but beasts. 

Third character: Jesus not only encountered beasts in the wilderness during his 40 days but also angels. Angels often appear in the Bible, but they must be understood in their biblical context. In the Old Testament, angels are mentioned 213 times; in the New Testament, 104 times. Angels do not necessarily designate spiritual beings; an angel is anyone who mediates salvation, love, and the tenderness of God. Moses is called an angel; likewise, the Baptist is called an angel right at the beginning of Mark’s gospel. In the Old Testament, the angels are the prophets; they are all those who collaborate with God’s plan. 

During his 40 days, Jesus encountered beasts and angels by his side. Let us try to identify them; we know them very well. Angels were certainly his parents; angels were the disciples who embraced his proposal of life and placed themselves at the service of the new world; angels are mentioned by the evangelist Luke right at the beginning of chapter 8, where the many women, some mentioned by name, assisted Jesus during his public life and stood by his side; they served him by collaborating in his work of salvation. And there are many angels even today; we know that the Lord places them at the side of each one of us. 

So, let us pay attention and ask ourselves: am I an angel who cooperates with Christ’s plan? Do I share his choices? Do I allow myself to be penetrated by the logic of his gospel? Or am I simply deceived by the fact that I have given him my adhesion through my baptism? Yes, but maybe in my life I often follow many aspects of the beasts’ and the world’s logic. These are the questions we must ask ourselves. 

And now, let’s listen to what Jesus did when he began his public life: 

“After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: ‘This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.’” 

The Baptist was arrested; his mission is over, and now there is a kind of relief. Jesus enters the scene and makes himself known in the place where he begins his public life. He does not return to Nazareth, as he knows his villagers very well; he knows that they are simple people, also very good, but stubbornly clinging to their traditions and religious convictions. It is impossible to introduce them to the newness that Jesus came to bring to the world: a new relationship with God, a new relationship with people, a reversal of reference points and options. 

Nor does he go to Jerusalem because the religious authorities there are convinced, they already know everything, believe they are in their place with God, and don’t want any changes. They are the ones who announce the catechesis, and if someone introduces something new contrary to what they are teaching, they are immediately accused of heresy. Jesus chose to go to the shores of Lake Galilee, where the Galileans were a people despised by the Jews of Jerusalem, who considered them impure and even bastardized because, in the 8th century B.C., the Assyrians came, devastated the region, deported masses of the population, and imported pagan peoples, so the Galileans were a mixed people. And also, religiously, they had their devotions; they were not as pure as the Jews of Jerusalem. 

It is the place where Jesus chose to begin his public life. Along the shores of this lake, he will meet the fishermen, call them to follow him, then go to the customs house in Capernaum and meet Levi. He will also befriend the tax collectors; he will accept the invitation to sit at the table with them; and for all the marginalized, Jesus will have a message of joy and hope from the Lord. This message is scandalous both to the inhabitants of Nazareth and, above all, to the religious authorities of Jerusalem; they would have considered him a heretic if he had begun to announce these things in Nazareth or in Judea. 

How does he begin his announcement? By saying: the time is fulfilled, the preparation time has ended, and the world’s and history’s new age has begun. Then he goes on to say: ‘The kingdom of God is here; it has come.’ He does not explain this kingdom of God because all the people are waiting for it. The people of Israel, for 450 years, had a sad experience of monarchy, except for one or two kings who did quite well. But the way the Bible speaks of all the rulers of Israel is disastrous, because they were unfaithful to God, did not listen to the prophets, and led the people to ruin. In the Old Testament, the prophets announced the coming of the kingdom of God. ‘The Lord will reign forever and ever,’ says the book of Exodus, and in the book of the prophet Ezekiel, God says: “I will reign over you with a strong hand.” This is God’s promise: ‘One day I will take in hand the history of this people.’ 

The government of God is not a change in religious practice; it is a change in history and the way of life. When God comes to reign, He changes the whole way of thinking, evaluating, and reasoning, and He changes relationships with people, within the family, and with money. He changes everything. Previously, in the old kingdom, the reference point was a dominion; now it has changed. The kingdom of God that is announced has arrived. When we think of the rulers during Jesus’ life, we find Tiberius; even earlier, when Jesus was born, the kingdom of Augustus. Who is counted in this kingdom? The humble, the meek, the simple people, the servants didn’t count for anything. Those who counted were those who were able to dominate, because it was the kingdom of the wild beasts.

Now he says: ‘Enter into the kingdom of God, and everything is turned upside down. He who is humble, good, gentle, meek, just, sincere, and loyal is the one who counts, no longer the dominators.’ And this kingdom of God is already present in the world through the person of Jesus, because these new values move him, which are the opposite of what was considered valid in the old world. Jesus is moved only by the will of God, which is that of a new world already present in him. Jesus is not moved by the will to take power, to dominate, to accumulate money, or to be noticed, and he is not afraid of his opponents. He is moved by the will of the Lord, by the divine life he possesses in fullness. Here, therefore, is the kingdom, present in the world in the person of Jesus. 

And what does Jesus desire now? What Jesus desires now is that the kingdom of God, present in him, spread throughout the world. He will begin to make his proposal to the fishermen, who will give him their allegiance. This is the kingdom that now begins to present itself to the world. 

There are two conditions for entering this kingdom of God: conversion and belief in the Gospel. To be ‘converted’ must be understood well, because in the Bible, two verbs indicate conversion. One appears in the Old Testament; in Hebrew, it is ‘shu,’ which means to return, to come back. In Greek, ‘epistrefein’ means to return to God… why? In the Old Testament, conversion was proposed to people who had turned away from their God to serve idols, and the prophets would say, ‘Return to the Lord, return to where you were before.’ 

This verb is never used in the New Testament to express the proposal that Jesus makes. Conversion is presented with another verb: ‘metanoein,’ meaning ‘to change the way of thinking,’ ‘to change completely the scale of values,’ because now a new regime comes in. When the regime changes, we know what happens: what was considered correct before, beautiful… is now turned upside down. When the regime changes, for Jesus the great ones will be the honest, the good, the small, the helpful, and the attentive to others. But before, it was exactly the opposite, where those who crushed the weakest. 

This is the conversion that Jesus proposes, not a return to what was done before, but an acceptance of the proposal of a new world that he makes and that is present in his message, the Gospel that he announces, the Gospel that he incarnates in his person. 

Jesus, therefore, says: ‘If you want to enter into this new world which I am beginning, change your way of thinking, attune it to the Gospel that I announce.’ It is not an adherence to a package of truths but a change in the way of thinking, which then corresponds to a radical change in your own life. 

We are at the beginning of Lent. This is the proposal that Jesus makes to all of us to review our way of thinking. Perhaps on Sunday, Lent Year B, English, we are still tuned to our way of life and the reasoning of the old world, not to the way he proposes to us in his gospel. It is time for conversion, and conversion does not mean returning to what we did before, even our religious convictions or traditions. To convert means to accept Jesus’ proposal of a new world. 

I wish you all a good Sunday and a good week.