On his first Sunday of Lent (Feb. 26, 2023), in his address to pilgrims in St. Peter's Square before the Angelus, Pope Francis spoke about the spiritual struggle and explained how Jesus defeated the temptations of t he devil in the desert, the Independent Catholic News website reports.
He illustrated how we too must respond to temptation to sin by recalling the Word of God and putting our trust always in the Lord who is ever ready to help us in our journey to faith.
The pope pointed out how the devil tries to "divide" or separate Jesus from His union with the Father. Jesus received His baptism from John and was called by the Father "My beloved Son," with the holy Spirit descending upon Him in the form of a dove, the pope recalled, showing the three divine Persons joined in love. Jesus came into the world to help us partake in this union of love, while the devil instead tries t o divide Jesus from this unity and His mission of unity for us, the pope added.