What does the Word of God tell us this Sunday? First Sunday of Lent, February 21

The text that presents Jesus in the desert facing the temptations of his mission is the one that introduces us to this special time of Lent. From this experience of Jesus, time calls our attention: “forty days” in a lonely place… like the forty days that the flood lasted, purifying humanity of its evil; like the forty years that the people of Israel passed before get to the promised land. It is also mentioned that he has no other companions than the wild animals that inhabited that region. And finally, he has the assistance of God's messengers, the angels who serve him, as an announcement that, at no time, no matter how hard and difficult it may be, God will not abandon his Son.

Jesus begins his public life with these words: “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” He repeats these words to us today, as we are called to find those moments of encounter with God and with ourselves. This season of Lent is an opportunity to review how we are spending life, what decisions we are making and, above all, what mistakes we have made.

As Lent begins, the urgent message addressed to us today is: "Repent! Change your heart, convert! Do not give in to the temptations to do the evil you do not want to do, or to neglect or abandon the good that you should do. Let us ask God that the Holy Spirit help us overcome our temptations and make us stronger than sin.