When we consider our discipleship, how often do we ponder the subject of temptation? It is not a comfortable one, for it reminds us of the ways in which we are not perfect… perhaps even the things we have done that make us feel ashamed.
Yet, like Jesus in the wilderness, each of us is faced with temptations in a variety of forms. They are the things that never go away; the things we pray about constantly; the things which have the ability to bring out the worst in us.
I think sometimes we forget that whatever we are fighting against, we are not alone. Jesus, clothed in our humanity, has already faced all these things and come away victorious, and we, clothed in him through our baptism, are given that same power.
As we walk through the wilderness of our own lives, facing fears and temptations and adversities, we may experience all the attacks Jesus did, and we may sometimes falter, but we are not lost. We are clothed in Christ, who has – for love of us – redeemed our humanity. We are never forsaken. We can come back again and again and – rather than hide in the bushes in shame – confess our sins, ask for forgiveness, and try again.
As we enter into the 40-day wilderness of Lent, I wonder: just as Christ put on our flesh to enter the wilderness for us, how may we more fully put on Christ to enter the wilderness with him?
I invite you to consider ways in which you may take up the threefold disciplines of Lent: prayer, almsgiving, and fasting. Always, but especially in Lent, your clergy are available for private confession, spiritual direction, and pastoral conversation. May we together deepen in faith, know ourselves beloved, and clothe ourselves more fully with Christ in every step of our journey.
Mother Amanda