Each year on the first Sunday of Lent the Church turns our attention to the mystery of Christ’s forty days in the Judean desert. There the Lord battled against Satan’s allurements and fortified himself for his sacred ministry, leading up to his Passion, Death and Resurrection.
The image below is by the Russian painter Ivan Kramskoi, completed in 1872. It captures splendidly the strength of the Lord in his wilderness exodus and his confidence in combating the Devil.
For a further reflection on the “Christ in the Desert” theme, see the Homily Page for this Sunday on our website.
Blessed Sunday and week ahead.
Abbot Christian and the monks
