Devils, Beasts and Angels: Reflections on Mark 1:9-13

The same Spirit that descends on Jesus at the Jordan sends him out to the wilderness. The same spirit confirms our identity and sends us to the wolves. In fact, these are not two separate acts, but one act of revealing identity. I’m suspicious of the notion that difficulty builds character. It can, I suppose. But it can equally devastate someone’s faith. The desert fathers usually required monks to spend a substantial amount of time in community before they allowed them to live the life of an anchorite. The desert can kill both body and soul. In his Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius of Loyola points out that the Lenten Retreat can lead to either consolation or desolation, and advises pastors on how to recognize the signs for each. Even the relatively uncomplicated way we participate in Lent can have significant consequences, not the least of which is the temptation to believe that we survive the hardship of our lives alone and by our own strength. Christ didn’t even do that. Angels attended him. Lent, if nothing else, should teach us that even in simple disciplines we need the encouragement of our brothers and sisters in the faith, and temptation requires nothing less than divine assistance. Blessed are the poor in spirit because they realize their predicament both as easy prey for the Great Accuser, and their dependence on all the resources available in Heaven’s stronghold just to get through forty days. Some of my clients with substance abuse issues would argue that all those resources are necessary to survive the next minute. Trials may build character, but they begin their construction by destroying foundational belief in our autonomy. We are, in fact, children of God in need of his words, his servants and his blessing.