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On this First Sunday of Lent, we hear of Jesus’ time spent being tempted by the Devil. Here we must note that after being led into the desert, Jesus fasts for 40 days. This one short passage alone is Christ’s direct example for how we are to pray during Lent. He leaves his home, enters the hot, dry desert, lives in discomfort, and fasts for 40 days. If this alone is not hard enough, Our Lord is then tempted directly by the Father of Lies. Satan tempts Christ to use his power to end the suffering being caused by His fast. Many of us would jump at the idea of being able to break fasts when we have an opportunity, but Christ knows the power and healing that comes with the extreme form of prayer. In the Collect for today according to the Extraordinary Form of the Mass, the priest prays that the Church is purified through our 40 day’s observance, our self-denial, and our good works. This is how we must follow God’s example. We follow in Christ’s footsteps in observing 40 days of fasting. Many of us have the custom of “giving something up” for Lent. This is a small act of self-denial. Sometimes it is something as small as sweets for those who struggle with self-discipline, or as big as cutting to a single meal a day. No matter where your personal penances fall between these, we act in self-denial because of the immediate effect it has on our spiritual lives. The extra time or mental freedom we receive from these self-denials should be immediately returned to God. This can be through attendance of daily Mass, increased prayer time, or even just beginning a basic prayer routine if you don’t have one already. Either way, our Lenten self-denial is the removal of a temporal want to give to God what is rightfully His. The final part of our Lent is our good works. This comes in many forms. For all, we can give a monetary donation to the Church. The immediate value of this may depend on the particular situation of a person, but all can give something of what they have back to God. Our good works can also come in forms of donation of volunteer time. For those of us who are experiencing extreme low temperatures right now, I would push you to help at homeless shelters and food banks. Both of these places need extra help during the coldest months of the year to keep everyone safe from the weather. Some of us may have fallen from our Lenten promises already. We must remember that although we are not perfect, we must strive to be. Luckily for us, we have that example. Our Lord, who is perfect, never fell to Satan’s temptations. We must imitate Our Lord and hold strong against the Devil’s tricks and lies. 
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