Jesus' ministry was marked by temptations...there were many invitations for Him to move away from the Father's way and plan. His affiliation with the Father was always put to trial and questioned.

The insertion of the "three temptations" at the beginning of His ministry indicate a constant in His life, that is, that he would be tempted to the end of His earthly journey. However the narration of today's Gospel has another important element. Jesus will be faithful to the Father until the end and will not give in to the temptation to deviate from the Father's will.

Dear fellow disciples,

Jesus’ fundamental mission was to reconcile everything in His Person (cf. Col 1:20). Reconcile men with each other, and with the Father.

The tendency to live distanced from each other in hate and enmity is present among us since the beginning of humanity. The capacity of unity is not written in human nature. It must be learned through difficult, continuous, daily exercise. When you least pay attention, violence overcomes the human heart and vengeance inspires the cruelest acts in humanity.

Dear Fellow Disciples, peace.

Jesus is not attached to the letter of the Law but rather in the spirit of the Law. What is really important for Him is what is behind our observance of the Law. What correspond to the will of the Father for each one of us. That’s why He dared to reinterpret it according to the hidden desire of God and His though behind each commandment.

Dear Fellow Disciples, peace.

Jesus did not intend to found a community, a church which was closed to itself like a sect, out of touch with the world. On the contrary he founded a group, the Church, to be salt and light in the world, in continued contact and dialogue with the world. In this way the metaphors of salt and light in the Gospel today indicates the activity of the disciples, who though few and hidden like the salt make a great difference in the food (in the world). On the other hand the absence of salt in the food in compared to the incapacity and omission of the disciples in bear witness in the world.