Fr. Eric Nicolai preached this meditation at Ernescliff College, Toronto on March 10, 2024.

We started Lent with the figure of the devil tempting Jesus in the desert.

First , this is an opportunity today to ask for conversion. Like the 40 years of the Jews in the desert, or 40 days of Moses on the Mountain, or Elijah 40 days too. It must lead to conversion, we can’t just roll on and on and stay the same person without real change, without deep conversion. That is the first goal, but ultimately we already know the result: that Jesus conquers this evil, and we too will overcome our demons.

Thumbnail: Juan de Flandes, Temptation of Christ in the Desert, 1500 collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington.

Music: 'Undertow' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com