The Baptist had promised that Jesus would baptise with the Holy Spirit, and at his baptism the Holy Spirit had descended on him. Now that same Spirit drives Jesus into the wilderness. He is not the master of his own destiny. He is the object of the action of God. There is no murmur of opposition to this. Jesus accepts God’s Spirit and God’s will. As a consequence, the harmony of creation is restored and Jesus ‘is with’ the wild beasts. It is a fulfilment of the prophecy of Isaiah that ‘the wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the lion and fatling together’ (Isaiah 11:6–7). The new creation has begun in the person of Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God. Indeed, he proclaims that the Kingdom of God is close at hand. But Jesus also summons his followers to repent and believe the Good News. Lent is a time to listen attentively to the Gospel and to turn back to the ways of the Father. It is a time for us to consider how close we are to the Kingdom of God. What is ‘good’ for you at this point about the Good News of Jesus Christ? Jesus heralds the new creation. What would be the perfect world for you? Describe what might be different from our present reality in the Kingdom of God. How can you help to bring this about? What tempts you away from the Good News?