Lent is beautiful. It does not impose itself as a season of sadness, but rather as a season of new beginnings: of springtime renewal, of life moving straight towards the light of Easter. It is a time of newness, of new, simple, supportive, concrete lifestyles, cared for by the “common home” and all its inhabitants.
Say that these stones become bread! Bread is a good thing, an unquestionable value, holy because it preserves the most sacred thing, life.
What is the problem with bread? Well, Jesus never sought it for himself; he became bread to benefit everyone. He used his power to feed the hungry, stating, “Man shall not live by bread alone.”
Second temptation with Bible in hand: Throw yourself down from the pinnacle of the temple, and God will send a flight of angels. Jesus’ response sounds severe: do not tempt God, do not do so through what seems to be the utmost trust in him, but is instead a caricature of it, the exclusive pursuit of one’s own advantage.
In the third temptation, the devil raises the stakes: Worship me, and I will give you all the power in the world. Worship me, follow my logic, my politics. Take control, occupy key positions, assert yourself.
But for Jesus, all power is idolatry. He doesn’t want to coerce; he wants free and loving children, who make new holy ways to care; they have eyes that shine with forgiveness. They are the faces of Jesus in the world.