Friends, welcome to Word on Fire, Catholic Ministries. Word on Fire is an

apostolate dedicated to the mission of evangelization, using media both old and

new to share the faith on every continent and to facilitate and encounter with

Christ and His Church. The efforts of Word on Fire engage the culture and bring

the transformative power of God's Word where it is most needed. Today we invite

you to join Bishop Robert Barron as he preaches the gospel and shares the

warmth and light of Christ with each one of us. Peace be with you. Friends, our

gospel for this first Sunday of land is a very important one and the church

always gives us powerful gospels, especially at the very beginning of land as

we enter into this very important penitential season. So the gospel for this

Sunday is Saint Mark's version of the temptation in the wilderness. Now see

I'm like Matthews and Luke's which are full of rich detail about Jesus

confrontation with Satan. Mark's account is like the rest of his gospel sort of

spare and unadorned, understated. He don't for all of that I think it's in some

ways more powerful. He's like a fine abstract painter with just a few strokes.

He'll suggest the spiritual power of a story. So what we hear from Mark is

simply this that the spirit drove Jesus into the desert where he was tempted by

Satan. It's very important this first observation isn't it? That it was the

spirit who drove Jesus into the desert. What's going on there? Why would the

spirit of God? Why would the Holy Spirit drive him into a place of temptation?

Well, think of it from the standpoint not so much of Jesus divine nature but of

his human nature. So Jesus is we know fully human like us in all things but sin,

...