A meditation preached at Ernescliff College by Fr. Eric Nicolai on Sunday March 9, 2025.

Luke 4, 1: Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit through the wilderness, being tempted there by the devil for forty days.

We picture now led by the spirit, docile and at one with God’s plan. He is not resisting. As man, as the word incarnate, he is fulfilling his purpose, that now starts within moment of human detachment. 

Why does Jesus go to the desert? Why did he need to go out?

Music: Michael Lee of Toronto 

Thumbnail: Roualt, 1937