One does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.

At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert
to be tempted by the devil.
He fasted for forty days and forty nights,
and afterwards he was hungry.
The tempter approached and said to him,
“If you are the Son of God,
command that these stones become loaves of bread.”
He said in reply,
“It is written:
One does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes forth
from the mouth of God.”

Then the devil took him to the holy city,
and made him stand on the parapet of the temple,
and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down.
For it is written:
He will command his angels concerning you
and with their hands they will support you,
lest you dash your foot against a stone.”
Jesus answered him,
“Again it is written,
You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.”
Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain,
and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence,
and he said to him, “All these I shall give to you,
if you will prostrate yourself and worship me.”
At this, Jesus said to him,
“Get away, Satan!
It is written:
The Lord, your God, shall you worship
and him alone shall you serve.”

Then the devil left him and, behold,
angels came and ministered to him.

Let us talk about the Garden of Eden from the Book of Genesis where Adam and Eve, the first man and woman created by God, lived.  It was of course very beautiful with trees and orchards,  gardens and fresh, running waters.  There was no sickness, and there was no sting of death. 

Of course the Devil, looking like a snake, convinced both Adam and Even to eat the from the tree of the forbidden fruit, and they listened to the Devil and thus disobeyed God, having known full-well that they had sinned, and they felt shame. Because they sinned, they lost the beautiful garden of Eden. They then experienced sickness and death. 

And because of their original sin, the world became darker, and again darker still with the sin of Cain murdering his brother Abel, and darker still with the destruction of the world by flood, save only the good family of Noah and the animals aboard his ark.  The evil in the  world continued this darkening until God called upon Abraham, our very first Father in the Faith, to form the People of God out of which would come in the proper time Jesus, Son of God, Savior of the world. So to speak, Jesus is the new Adam.  

And wouldn’t you know it, just before our Lord Jesus was about to begin his work, the very same Devil shows up again.  The Devil tempted even God Himself but does not win this time! Jesus does not give in to the temptations of the Devil, and then begins His public ministry to save the world from the original sin of Adam and Eve.  

Loud and clear, our Lent is to accept the grace of God, to discipline ourselves in the face of all the temptations of the world.  And the world is filled with all kinds of temptations. It is so many, I have lost count.  

But more reason for us to take Lent seriously, to look within ourselves, to encounter with courage and faith our sins and our imperfections, and turn to our Lord who is the new Adam.  Examine your conscience. The Word Among Us, the publication we passed out on Ash Wednesday, has a good examination on page 69. Receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation this Lent. Talk to a priest or deacon for counsel. 

Of course, seek also more prayer in your life — like the daily Lenten Mass, like the Stations of the Cross. Reach out to the poor, make a voluntary fast — whatever it takes for you to experience that inner conversion you are being called to, and allow yourself to experience the Garden of Eden reclaimed for us; experience the new Adam in your life Who is Christ our Lord.

And seeking her prayerful intercession, ask Mary, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, who is the new Eve, to walk with you in the Garden this Lenten Season.

Monsignor Michael J. Cariglio, Jr., Pastor and Rector, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Basilica – Saint Anthony Parish

The LORD God formed man out of the clay of the ground
and blew into his nostrils the breath of life,
and so man became a living being.

Then the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east,
and placed there the man whom he had formed.
Out of the ground the LORD God made various trees grow
that were delightful to look at and good for food,
with the tree of life in the middle of the garden
and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the animals
that the LORD God had made.
The serpent asked the woman,
“Did God really tell you not to eat
from any of the trees in the garden?”
The woman answered the serpent:
“We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden;
it is only about the fruit of the tree
in the middle of the garden that God said,
‘You shall not eat it or even touch it, lest you die.'”
But the serpent said to the woman:
“You certainly will not die!
No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it
your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods
who know what is good and what is evil.”
The woman saw that the tree was good for food,
pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom.
So she took some of its fruit and ate it;
and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her,
and he ate it.
Then the eyes of both of them were opened,
and they realized that they were naked;
so they sewed fig leaves together
and made loincloths for themselves.

R. (cf. 3a) Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
For I acknowledge my offense,
and my sin is before me always:
“Against you only have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight.”
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not out from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me.
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
Give me back the joy of your salvation,
and a willing spirit sustain in me.
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

Brothers and sisters:
Through one man sin entered the world,
and through sin, death,
and thus death came to all men, inasmuch as all sinned—
for up to the time of the law, sin was in the world,
though sin is not accounted when there is no law.
But death reigned from Adam to Moses,
even over those who did not sin
after the pattern of the trespass of Adam,
who is the type of the one who was to come.
But the gift is not like the transgression.
For if by the transgression of the one, the many died,
how much more did the grace of God
and the gracious gift of the one man Jesus Christ
overflow for the many.
And the gift is not like the result of the one who sinned.
For after one sin there was the judgment that brought condemnation;
but the gift, after many transgressions, brought acquittal.
For if, by the transgression of the one,
death came to reign through that one,
how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace
and of the gift of justification
come to reign in life through the one Jesus Christ.
In conclusion, just as through one transgression
condemnation came upon all,
so, through one righteous act,
acquittal and life came to all.
For just as through the disobedience of the one man
the many were made sinners,
so, through the obedience of the one,
the many will be made righteous.

It has long been a Catholic understanding that when circumstances prevent one from receiving Holy Communion, it is possible to make an Act of Spiritual Communion, which is a source of grace. Spiritual Communion is an ardent desire to receive Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament and lovingly embrace him at a time or in circumstances when one cannot receive Him in sacramental Communion. The most common reason for making an Act of Spiritual Communion is when a person cannot attend Mass. Acts of Spiritual Communion increase our desire to receive sacramental Communion and help us avoid the sins that would make us unable to receive Holy Communion worthily.

Spiritual Communion Prayer

My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.

I love you above all things and I desire to receive you in my soul.

Since I cannot at this moment receive you sacramentally,

Come at least spiritually into my heart.

I embrace you as if you were already there

And unite myself wholly to you.

Never permit me to be separated from you.

Amen.