The Liturgy of the First Sunday of Lent annually presents us with the story of the temptation of Jesus. This year — Matthew’s version. The original version is found in Mark 1:12-13, a very brief note that “The Spirit immediately (after Jesus’ baptism) expelled him out into the wilderness.

This gospel reading completes the series of six Sunday readings taken from the Sermon on the Mountain for this year. The Gospel for the Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time is also taken from the Sermon on the Mountain, but the 9th, 10th, and 11th Sundays in Ordinary Time are omitted this year.

Today’s Gospel reading is the third in a series of selections from the Sermon on the Mountain. Reading between the lines of Matthew’s Gospel it is clear that one of his purposes was to bring about unity in his Christian Community between Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians.