Vatican City, Feb 21, 2021 / 05:35 am
Like Jesus was tempted by Satan in the desert, Christians must be prepared to battle evil, knowing that "with faith, prayer, and penance," the victory is assured, Pope Francis said Sunday.
In his weekly Angelus address, the pope reflected on the day's Gospel reading from St. Mark, which says "the Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan."
During these 40 days, which take place immediately after Christ's baptism, "the 'duel' between Jesus and the devil begins, which will end with the Passion and the Cross," Francis said Feb. 21. "Christ's entire ministry is a struggle against the Evil One in its many manifestations: healing from illnesses, exorcising the possessed, forgiving sins. A fight."
"Every year, at the beginning of Lent, this Gospel of the temptations of Jesus in the desert reminds us that the life of the Christian, in the footsteps of the Lord, is a battle against the spirit of evil," he underlined.