The Poor Man had been tempted by the currents and ideas of the time. But through a process of prayer and discernment in the solitude of the desert, he had discovered that his path was different. One by one, he had bypassed the traps of the tempter. The Spirit of “his Father” had permeated and confirmed the framework of his ideas, his programs, and his projects. Fasting and prayer had fortified him. He was ready.
“Tomorrow,” he thought, “I will go down to the valley to undertake the route marked out by my Father.” But the tempter, who had not lost sight of him, seeing his firmness and determination, prepared to subject him to one final temptation; and on his last night in the desert, he had his final dream.
The Poor Man was walking alone across a green plain, among anemones and daisies. In the distance, a solitary and towering mountain could be seen, for which the Poor Man suddenly felt a sharp and sudden seduction, and he decided to climb it.
During the ascent, the strange character once again appeared by his side. The Poor Man, overcoming his repugnance, humbly allowed himself to be accompanied. While ascending, the Other wove his trap with mysterious words.
They reached the summit. Two vultures stood guard atop a crag. The Poor Man breathed deeply. Turning around, he beheld a panorama that was simply dazzling. His heart fluttered with emotion and happiness, though slightly disturbed by a certain unease. The Other, extending his arm, began to tempt him: “Everything shall be yours.”
-Only he who dies in the roots, beneath the snow, will see the burst of spring-8 the Poor Man replied humbly.
“You are losing your last chance. Are you not the Messiah? Is it not your place to captain all the caravans, to break every scepter, to trample with your feet all kingdoms with their riches, squadrons, monuments, and temples? Everything is mine; I am the god who disposes and administers it all, and I offer it to you on a silver platter so that your messianic destiny may be fully fulfilled. You will be obeyed by priests and kings. All races will serve you; and then you will be in a position to establish the messianic reign of your God Yahweh from one end of the earth to the other.”
-Not by treading heavily, but by loving silently- the Poor Man concluded; “not with military helmets, but with the rags of beggars; not to the sound of trumpets, but with airs of mercy; not in the company of splendid maidens, but surrounded by lepers and the sick, must the Messiah of God be made present among us. His kingdom will not come through victorious highways, but through the path of works of mercy. We have reached the final frontier. Be gone, Satan! You shall not tempt the Lord your God!”
He awoke. He let out a wild, triumphal cry of joy, an alleluia that made the bare hills tremble. He stood up and immediately set out on the journey back. He was a gale-force wind advancing over the mountains and the valleys.
Taken from the book “The Poor Man of Nazareth,” Chapter 3: “Under the Sun of Satan” by Father Ignacio Larrañaga.
