“Get away, Satan!”

On this First Sunday of Lent, we are reminded that Lent is a spiritual battle. In Genesis, the serpent appears as the tempter. He does not force Adam and Eve to sin; he deceives them. He twists God’s word, creates doubt, and makes disobedience look attractive. That is how the devil works. He rarely attacks openly; he whispers, confuses, and distorts the truth. In the Gospel, we see the same tempter confronting Jesus in the desert. After forty days of fasting, when Jesus is physically weak, the devil strikes. He tempts Him with comfort (bread), pride (testing God), and power (the kingdoms of the world). These are the same temptations we face: pleasure, ego, and control. The devil is real. Satan is the tempter who seeks to separate us from God. His goal is simple, to make us doubt God’s goodness and rely on ourselves. If we fail to recognize him, we will easily fall into his traps. Lent, therefore, is a time to become spiritually alert. We must recognize his voice, the voice that encourages resentment, impurity, dishonesty, discouragement, and pride. But the Gospel also gives us hope. Jesus does not argue endlessly with Satan. He confronts him with the Word of God. He stands firm in obedience to the Father. And finally, He commands: “Get away, Satan!” With authority, He expels him. To succeed in these forty days, we must do the same. We expel Satan through prayer, fasting, and the Word of God. We expel him through confession and the Eucharist. We expel him by rejecting sin immediately, not negotiating with it. Temptation is not sin, but entertaining it is dangerous. St. Paul reminds us that through Adam sin entered the world, but through Christ grace overflows. We are not fighting alone. Christ has already conquered. When we cling to Him, the devil must flee. This Lent, let us be vigilant. Let us recognize the tempter, reject his lies, and boldly say with faith and authority: “Get away, Satan!” And when we do, angels will minister to us, and grace will lead us to victory.