A common philosophy of our world today, is to view difficult situations or experiences as something evil and therefore to be avoided as much as possible. In this philosophy we "thank God" for "saving us" from these situations or experiences. Last year, not having to face the devastation of hurricane Ivan, we loudly proclaimed: "God spared us because we are a praying people".

The gospel for this, the First Sunday of Lent invites us to view difficult or "wilderness" experiences from a different theological perspective. Jesus was not afraid to enter " the wilderness to be tempted by the devil ," because he was conscious that God was in charge of every situation of his life.

Therefore it is the "Spirit of God" that " led " him into the wilderness. In this recognition, Jesus was able to trust God completely and thus receive the grace that sustained him as he faced all the temptations of the devil.

A friend of mine, whom I have known from childhood, had a very difficult time in his early life. He grew up in poverty and in school he did not achieve much academically. Growing into early adulthood he acquired a trade and was therefore able to survive. He got married and, partly because of his economic difficulties, his marriage did not last.

Throughout all the years I have known him, his most powerful witness to me has been his unwavering trust in God. I remember well talking with him one night. In the course of our conversation, I asked him what was it that gave him the ability to cope with his situation.

His words to me were, "Glen, God is in charge of my life and he will sustain me in everything that I must face." Because of this his life has been a righteous, God-fearing one. In spite of his life situation he has never contemplated breaking the law as a means of easing the worry of his life.

I lost contact with him for a number of years until we met at a seminar late last year. As we got to talking I found out he was now permanently employed, had purchased his own home and was involved with a rural parish community, teaching young people the trade, which he had mastered, and empowering them so that they are able to deal with their own difficult life situations.

His life story is reflective of Jesus' experience in today's gospel. Having been led by the Spirit of God into the wilderness, God's grace sustained him as he faced the tempter. Having been sustained, angels appeared and looked after him.

As we begin our journey this Lenten season, we are invited to examine our lives and reflect on the extent to which we abandon ourselves completely into God's care.

Are we as individuals, a parish community and a Church so trusting of God that we freely enter into the most difficult of situations, actively engage the experience and remain faithful to the way of God?

Lent has traditionally been associated with "entering into the wilderness" and "facing the tempter. Unfortunately we are losing this tradition and we are no longer prepared to enter into the experience of Lent. We now "fete" right through Lent beginning with the various "Ash Wednesday cool downs".

We look for the slightest excuse to avoid fasting and we generally avoid all the sacrifices associated with Lent. This is so because unlike Jesus we no longer trust God completely; we are therefore unable to experience him as leading us in every area of our life, particularly the difficulties of our life.

The celebration of the Eucharist and meditating on the Gospel of this weekend invite us to pattern our Lenten journey this year after the way of Jesus, to so entrust our lives to God that we will know that it is his Spirit which leads us into the wilderness.

That knowledge may cause us to be open to his sustaining grace so that we may remain faithful to his word in the face of the various tests we face.

Lord, we ask your forgiveness for the many times when we have abandoned the word of God and accepted rather the philosophies of the world:

•  We no longer remain committed to marriage because everybody is "shacking up."

•  We fail to enter into Lenten observances because "feteing is we culture."

At those times it is as though we have knelt down at the feet of the devil and worshipped him. Give us the grace to know like Jesus that we "must worship the Lord our God and serve him alone."

Father, we thank you for the people we have known who have completely trusted in you. In every situation they have faced they remained faithful to your word. May their example be an inspiration to us so that we too, in our time of difficulty, will be able to trust your grace to sustain us.

Gospel Meditations for February are by Glen Cazoe, a member of the Maloney Parish Council and chairman of the Spirituality Committee.