Every year the Lenten journey begins in a desert and ends in a garden, when, on Easter morning, we too will go, with Mary of Magdala, Peter and the beloved disciple, to the garden where, according to the Gospel of John, Jesus is buried. The desert is a desert of temptations, in which Jesus is led by the Spirit and is tempted by the devil. The desert is a time of discernment and trial: even Jesus must discern which voice to hear: either the Spirit, which puts him in communion with the Father, or the adversary, who tries to separate him from the Father. In fact, Jesus is tested first of all in his filial relationship with the Father. On it depends the way in which he will live his messianic ministry. Instead of the tempter, Jesus listens to the Spirit and remains a son. He does not procure bread by himself, but awaits it from the promising word of the Father; he does not need to test the reliability of God, because he trusts him; he does not raise himself through the logic of power and possession, since he recognizes that only one is the Lord. Worshiping him frees us from the illusory power of idols. Adam, in the garden, had not known how to remain a son, and behold, the garden had turned into a desert. Jesus, tempted in the desert, remains a son, even making a garden out of the desert.

Commentary by Comunità di Dumenza

Translation by f. Mark Hargreaves, Prinknash Abbey