Jesus in the Desert (Part 1)

I was privileged to give a Lenten sharing last February 3 and since the gospel talks about Jesus in the desert, I thought it might be appropriate to blog about it today, although the passages I used as a guide are from Matthew 4:1-11 instead of Mark 1: 12-15.

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry. The tempter approached and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread.”

He said in reply, “It is written:

'One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.'”

Matt 4: 1 – 4

Jesus was hungry after his forty days in the desert. I experienced hunger too as a child:

• Moderate physical hunger not because of lack of food but lack of appetite. It may have been eco-friendly to serve the same dish again and again until it was gone or spoiled beyond eating but it was not really satisfying; eventually I would shovel a few spoonfuls just to keep the stomach's grumbling to a minimum.
• A hunger of the heart for friendship and freedom. We were not allowed out of the house except for school. I grew up watching other kids play on the street while we stayed inside. I felt like a prisoner.
• A hunger for words of affirmation. “Stupid” was a word I heard many times as the designated kitchen helper. Even today, if I can avoid being in the kitchen, I will avoid it. It's my discomfort zone.
• Hunger for the word of God. There was a time when my family would go to hear mass on Sundays but then it became irregular, infrequent, until such a time we did not go to mass at all. I was also forced to say the rosary every night by an elder who I perceived as verbally abusive and emotionally manipulative. Needless to say, that was not exactly a spiritually filling experience.

So Lent for a lay person like me who lived a very sheltered life meant the whole family stayed home watching religious shows all day on Friday, and no TV after 3 pm until Black Saturday. Easter Sunday we would go to mass. That was it. I had no idea what activities were done by the community. I thought all families were like us. (to be continued...)

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Reflection questions: Are my words nourishing? How can I be God's mouthpiece during Lent?

Am I physically hungry? Emotionally hungry? Spiritually hungry? In my search to fill up this hunger, am I going farther from or closer to God?

Lord, we surrender to your our physical, emotional and spiritual hungers to you. Fill our love tanks to overflowing so that we may be a channel of your nourishment for those who hunger for you.