The first one is "the path of greed for possession. This is always the devil’s insidious logic. He starts from the natural and legitimate need to feed oneself, live, seek fulfilment, be happy, and ends by pushing us to believe that all this is possible without God, indeed, even against Him."

The second is "the path of human glory. The devil says: ‘All this will be yours, if you worship me’ (Lk 4:7). One can lose all personal dignity, let oneself be corrupted by the idols of money, success and power, in order to reach self-affirmation. One enjoys the exhilaration of an empty joy that soon fades away. This is why Jesus replies: ‘You shall worship the Lord, your God, and him alone shall you serve’ (Lk 4:8)".

The third temptation is "to exploit God for one’s own advantage. Against the devil who, invoking the Scriptures, invites him to seek a dazzling miracle from God, Jesus opposes again the firm decision to remain humble and confident before the Father: ‘It also says, “You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test” (Lk 4:12). Thus, he rejects perhaps the most subtle of temptations, that of seeking ‘to pull God to our side’, asking him for graces that actually serve to satisfy our pride."