Today's Gospel March 1 2020 with comment

From the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Matthew 4,1-11.
At that time, Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.
And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.
The tempter then approached him and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, say that these stones become bread."
But he replied: "It is written: Man will not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God."
Then the devil took him with him to the holy city, placed him on the pinnacle of the temple
and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written: To his angels he will give orders about you, and they will support you with their hands, lest he strike your foot against a stone."
Jesus replied: "It is also written: Do not tempt the Lord your God."
Again the devil took him with him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world with their glory and said to him:
«All these things I will give you, if, prostrating yourself, you will adore me».
But Jesus answered him: «Go away, Satan! It is written: Worship the Lord your God and only worship him ».
Then the devil left him and behold angels came to him and served him.

Hesychius the Sinaita
said of Batos - sometimes assimilated to Hesychius presbyter of Jerusalem - (XNUMXth century?), monk

Chapters "On sobriety and vigilance" n. 12, 20, 40
The struggle of the soul
Our teacher and incarnate God gave us a model (cf. 1 Pt 2,21) of each virtue, an example for men and raised us from the ancient fall, with the example of virtuous life in his own flesh. He revealed all his good works to us, and it is with them that he went up into the desert after his baptism and began the struggle of intelligence with fasting when the devil approached him as a simple man (cf Mt 4,3: 17,21). In the way he won it, the teacher also taught us, useless, how to fight the spirits of evil: in humility, fasting, prayer (cf. Mt XNUMX:XNUMX), sobriety and vigilance. While he himself had no need for these things. He was in fact God and God of gods. (...)

Whoever wages an inner struggle must have these four things every moment: humility, extreme attention, refutation and prayer. Humility, because the struggle puts him against proud demons, and in order to have the help of Christ within the reach of the heart, since "the Lord hates the proud" (Pr 3,34 LXX). Attention, in order to always keep the heart pure from all thoughts, even when it seems good. Refutation, in order to immediately challenge the evil one forcefully. Since he sees it coming. It is said: “I will respond to those who insult me. Will my soul not be subject to the Lord? " (Ps 62, 2 LXX). Finally, prayer, in order to beg Christ with "inexpressible moans" (Rom 8,26:XNUMX), immediately after refutation. Then whoever fights will see the enemy dissolve with the appearance of the image, like dust in the wind or smoke that fades, driven out by the adorable name of Jesus. (...)

The soul puts its trust in Christ, invokes it and is not afraid. For not fighting alone, but with the terrible King, Jesus Christ, Creator of all beings, those with the body and those without, that is, of the visible and invisible.