Why the desert? In scripture, the desert is not only a place of trial and challenge, but the dwelling of the evil spirits and desert predators. Well, in the desert, Jesus encountered the greatest of predators—the Devil—of whom Saint Peter says “lurks like a prowling lion looking for souls to devour”. This is the same predator that lurked in the garden of Eden under the form of a serpent.
Why did Jesus go to the desert? After all, it’s the very first thing he does after his baptism in the Jordan. He goes to the desert—into Satan's territory—deliberately—to show us that he has come to defeat evil. In his first New Testament letter, St. John says that Jesus has come to destroy the works of the devil. If his baptism marks the beginning of his public ministry, the Lord’s time in the desert shows us that he has embarked on a campaign against the powers of evil.
Now, you might say, well, what kind of fight is that anyway, Jesus who is God versus some fallen angel? There’s no challenge there. The devil is not God's equal. “By the blast of God his enemies perish, and by the breath of his nostrils are they consumed,” and all that. Of course Jesus is going to be come out victorious. But Jesus doesn’t confront Satan with a blast of divine lightning, but with his frail human nature.
St. Lawrence of Brindisi, a good Italian Franciscan saint from the 16th century comments: “Christ came into the world to do battle against Satan…He could have accomplished this by using the weapons of his divinity …but in order that his victory might be the more glorious, he willed to fight Satan in our weak flesh. It is as if an unarmed man, right hand bound, were to fight with his left hand alone against a powerful army; if he emerged victorious, his victory would be regarded as all the more glorious. So Christ conquered Satan with the right hand of his divinity bound and using against him only the left hand of his weak humanity.”
Weak humanity when coupled with divine life results in victory. And that’s the great lesson for us all. So often, we excuse sin as simply a result of human nature. Two friends become embroiled in gossip, “it’s only human nature”. Drinking too much and falling into drunkenness, “it’s only human nature”. Giving in to lust or greed or gluttony, “it’s only human nature”. But no, our relationship with Christ changes us. Christians are not slaves to fallen human nature. In the desert, Jesus shows that weak, frail human nature can emerge victorious even in a battle with Satan himself, if we rely on faith and the grace of God.
Christian tradition has always recognized the spiritual battle as a dimension of the Christian life. Just as Jesus was tempted and tested, so are his disciples. Just as Christ was opposed by the hostile powers of evil, so are his disciples. But, just as Christ was victorious over the powers of sin and death, so, shall his disciples be, when we are in union with Christ.
One of the reasons the devil hates the season of Lent, is because it is during this season that the Church takes up powerful weapons against evil: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving—the very same weapons as Jesus wielded in his spiritual battle.
The prayers on Ash Wednesday alluded to this battle: the opening prayer said, “grant, O Lord, that we may begin with holy fasting this campaign of Christian service, so that, as we take up battle against spiritual evils, we may be armed with weapons of self-restraint”.
Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are powerful spiritual weapons, and the devil hates them.
Why does the devil hate prayer? Prayer cultivates a personal relationship with God, making us more receptive to God’s grace. The devil—whose aim is to separate us from God—detests seeing us grow closer to God, for that intimacy dispels the isolation and despair that evil tries to sow in our hearts.
In prayer, we encounter the truth of who God is and who we are before Him—beloved children. This awareness counters the enemy’s tactic of distracting us from our Christian identity and mission. When we pray—especially in times of temptation or hardship—we open ourselves to receive divine help. Jesus calls His disciples to “watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation” (Mark 14:38). Prayer thus becomes a shield, thwarting the enemy’s attacks by keeping us spiritually alert.
The devil hates prayer, and The devil hates fasting. Fasting confronts one of the devil’s primary strategies: to keep us enslaved to appetite, comfort, and immediate gratification. By voluntarily limiting ourselves—be it from food, certain forms of entertainment, or other attachments—we exercise self-denial and grow in freedom. This freedom terrifies the devil because an “unencumbered” soul can focus more wholeheartedly on God and charity.
Fasting disciplines the body and strengthens the will. A disciplined Christian is less easily manipulated by sudden urges or passions, making temptations lose their grip.
By temporarily giving up what sustains us physically, we learn a deeper trust in God as our ultimate sustainer. The devil wants us to think we must rely on ourselves alone. Fasting teaches us that “man does not live by bread alone” (Matthew 4:4). We rediscover that God’s grace is our true strength, loosening the enemy’s hold on our fears.
And certainly, the devil hates almsgiving. Almsgiving—the practice of giving time, resources, or material help to those in need—is directly opposed to the selfishness, greed, and indifference the devil wishes to sow in our lives. Charity expands our hearts in compassion and generosity.
When we give alms, we participate in God’s love for the poor and vulnerable. Concrete works of mercy bring the presence of God into the lives of others. The devil hates actions that strengthen solidarity and unity among people, because that unity reflects God’s own communion of love (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).
And of course, the devil hates almsgiving because it is a reflection, and manifestation of Christ’s total gift of himself on the cross which destroyed the devil’s stronghold on humanity.
Ultimately, the devil hates prayer, fasting, and almsgiving because they draw us into deeper communion with God, free us from the tyranny of disordered desires, and cultivate a spirit of generous love toward others.
So again, take these Lenten practices seriously. Every day of Lent is an opportunity to take up the weapons of the Lord so that the kingdom of evil may be defeated ever more definitively in our own lives and in the world for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.
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