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Fr. Ignatius John Schweitzer: The Pattern of Temptations and How to Overcome Them – Brown Pelican Society of Lousiana

Fr. Ignatius John Schweitzer: The Pattern of Temptations and How to Overcome Them

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"Temptation of Christ", by Vasily Surikov. Image from WikiArt. Public domain.

By Fr. Ignatius John Schweitzer, OP, Catholic Exchange, Feb. 20, 2026

Fr. Ignatius John Schweitzer, OP, recently coauthored the book How to Be His: A 33-Day Dedication to Our Eucharistic Jesus with Fr Jesse Maingot, OP, and coauthored a book on St. Elizabeth with Julie Enzler and Dr. Anthony Lilles, called Named for Glory: St. Elizabeth of the Trinity’s Identity and Mission, both of which are available through Sophia Press. Fr. Ignatius is a professor and the director of spiritual formation at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers, New York, the provincial promoter of the Lay Dominicans, and the chaplain for Emmaus Journey. His YouTube channel, Dominican House of Prayer, may be located here.

Editor’s Note: This is the eighth and final article of the CE series “Exegesis of the Word” by Fr. Ignatius Schweitzer, breaking open each Sunday’s readings for eight consecutive weeks. Read the whole series here

 

Fr. Ignatius John Schweitzer, OP headshotAs we begin Lent, Christ’s three temptations in the desert give us the pattern by which we too are tested. Hence this Gospel is paired with the First Reading about the testing of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Where they fail, Jesus is victorious. Jesus’ temptations, like our own, are a testing of our trust.

In this article, we will uncover the core of each temptation by focusing on the Scripture verse that Jesus responds with. As we consider the inner core of each temptation, you might ponder what this can look like in your own life and ask the Lord Jesus to meet you there. In each of these three tests, we will discover the possibility of a blessing hidden within.

A Note on Spiritual Exegesis

While modern historical scholarship rightly looks to the past to examine historical setting and context, spiritual exegesis looks forward from the text into our present life as we live the mystery of Jesus. We live out these mysteries, in which Jesus chose trust and obedience in the trials of life, through His grace, which moves us forward in our destiny by the power He won for us. …

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