As we begin another Lenten season, it is important to consider the issue of temptation. As Catholics, we decide to “give something up” for Lent, and often struggle with the temptation of giving in, maybe just once, since we’ve been good up ‘til then, or we had a long and stressful day, etc.

However, this is how I look at it. In the Gospel on this First Sunday of Lent, we read how Jesus went into the desert, alone, with no food. Satan himself came to tempt Jesus. He offers three temptations: for Jesus to turn rock into bread, all the kingdoms of the world if he bows to Satan, and to test God’s protection of him by throwing himself from a cliff.

All three of these temptations are important in Jesus’ journey, but the first two really strike at something in me.

Jesus responds to the first temptation by saying that man does not live on bread alone. When shown all the power on Earth, Jesus refuses, saying we are to worship God alone. In both instances, Satan gave Jesus a choice— a very difficult one.

We often find temptation too great to bear, but Jesus’ temptation was probably infinitely more difficult to bear. Yes, he was fully human, but we also have to remember that as the Son of God, Jesus also had infinitely more power at his disposal. And as our Savior, he also had more pressure not to fail.  And, as the Holy One of God, he had the much more direct, convincing and skillful temptation of Satan himself.

So if Jesus was able – and chose – to resist, there must be something important here for us to reflect upon.

Since Jesus was fully human, he knew full well the power temptation can have on a person, especially any who is weary from time in a [proverbial] desert. What’s more, this is certainly not the only time Jesus is tempted to use his power for selfish reasons. Even when he was hanging on the cross he could have chosen to free himself, but he knew the power of sacrifice.

This also means that Jesus knew he had an infinite amount of pressure not to fail in his task. When we stumble, it may have consequences on ourselves and those around us. But for Jesus to fail, everyone would be affected—everyone.

What’s more, many of our temptations, though at times spurred by external forces, are largely produced within ourselves. The human mind can play wonderful tricks on itself—but Satan is much more diabolical at tempting. So imagine, whenever we encounter some difficult path, that instead of our own reasoning to tempt us, we have a physical manifestation of temptation itself, standing there, offering “encouragements” at every turn. Jesus experienced this, and yet resisted.

Jesus’ refusal to submit speaks of something very profound; he knew that there is something much more important than this world—God’s kingdom. St. Thomas Aquinas wrote that the temptation of Jesus was very important for several reasons. For one, if Jesus himself was tempted, no man or woman on Earth can think of themselves as above temptation, no matter how holy they may be.

Another important message in Jesus’ temptations is that we can overcome temptation, and we can look to his example for hope. Jesus’ time in the desert also shows that God knows the challenge of temptation, however, if Jesus believes that we must focus not on the short term pleasures but on the deeper purpose behind all of our actions, that is what we must always strive to achieve.

The corporeal things of this life are but distractions to living for a higher purpose. This is not just a Lenten idea; this is something we must always work for. The small act of a Lenten sacrifice holds two important things: 1) our acknowledging, in a small way, that this life is full of but mere distractions to living for God’s kingdom, and 2) using these small things to prepare us for when we do have bigger difficulties to overcome.

By making small sacrifices, we strengthen our ability to make sacrifices in general. Whether it be Lent, Advent or any other time of the year, sacrifice for the sake of good, and to help build God’s kingdom, is what we are to always progress toward. That is the true challenge of living up to Christ’s message.

We must work, not only when it is popular, or when others are there to assist us. We must be giving ourselves to something, and someone greater, even when we are alone, when no one else can see our actions, or acknowledge how much we are willing to do.

To be sure, we will stumble, and fall, or even reverse our steps, in our constant progress toward God. We just have to understand that even if perfection isn’t attainable for us in the same way as it is for Jesus, it is the power of sacrifice and our attempt any way that makes our journey important; and as long as we are not afraid to ask for help (from above, and even from those around us) we will always be able to overcome our own deserts.

Polizzi is a junior at The College of New Jersey. For more reflections, visit www.40daysofLent.org.