Emphasis Preaching Journal

The first thing Jesus did after his baptism was to go off into the wilderness. There he was tempted by Satan. This parallels our Christian life. Often, the first thing that happens after an event that yields a spiritual high, like baptism or confirmation, is that we are tempted to diminish the importance of that event. The Tempter loves it when the sacraments are transformed into "no big deal." We are encouraged to avoid repenting, to go back to life just the way it was before the spiritual event.