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Exploring the word

21 Feb 2010 - First Sunday of Lent, Cycle C

Mark recorded the story of Jesus in the desert first. He tells us Jesus spent 40 days there and was tempted by the devil. Matthew and Luke add that Jesus actually fasted all that time, at which point he was mighty hungry. When temptation came to him, it arrived first in the form of bread. Jesus isn’t the only one to experience intense hunger. Chronic hunger worldwide is expected to rise to over 1 billion as a result of the current economic crisis. It’s been called the “silent hunger crisis” because it makes no sound in the news or in the mindset of global policy-makers. If 24,000 people died from an act of terrorism, the world’s attention would be riveted to the event. Yet the same number die daily from hunger and related causes, earning barely a ripple of notice. Seventy-five percent of these deaths are children under the age of five. And if it’s tempting to imagine these statistics concern faraway places where leaders made foolish choices, then consider that one out of ten American households experience hunger or are at risk for hunger, where meals are skipped or people eat poorly because they can’t afford otherwise. According to the Christian anti-hunger organization Bread for the World, “research shows that . . . children who experience severe hunger have higher levels of chronic illness, anxiety and depression, and behavior problems than children with no hunger.” Even if you’re personally indifferent to the suffering that involves, 12 million children growing up hungry in this country spells societal problems that will prove very costly in the long run. Unfortunately statistics tend to numb rather than motivate us. They seem too big to overcome, their causes too complex to unravel. Multiply that with the realization that hunger is no new crisis: Every generation has known it, and even Jesus is on record saying we’d always have the poor with us. That we can’t eradicate want altogether, however, doesn’t absolve us from sharing what we have. If hunger is the silent crisis, then responding to it might be the silent commandment, etched within every injunction to love one another, show mercy, and give alms. Jesus refused to leave a crowd when they were hungry, even if it took a miracle to feed them. Jesus knew hunger firsthand: its immensity and vulnerability. Maybe that is why Luke’s gospel is replete with meals, as Jesus eats his way through two out of every three chapters. Jesus’ personal experience of hunger may have prompted the selection of bread and wine as his own lasting presence in the world. As our R.C.I.A. elect complete their journey this season to join us at the table, may we act together in Christ to answer the world’s hunger with hope. Related scripture links God’s take on going it alone: Gen. 2:18 The interdependence of Christian community: 1 Cor. 12:12-26; Phil. 2:3-4 Belonging to God in Christ: John 17:6-26 The power of the divine word: John 1:1, 14, 15:7; Heb. 4:12-13 Catechism links Temptation: CCC 333; 394; 538; 2083; 2096; 2119; 2835; 2855; 2849

Authors Alice Camille

bread for the world child hunger Temptation jesus in the desert

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In other words

05 Mar 2017 - First Sunday of Lent, Cycle A

Next Jesus was taken into the wild by the Spirit for the Test. The Devil was ready to give it. Jesus prepared for the Test by fasting forty days and forty nights. That left him, of course, in a state of extreme hunger, which the Devil took advantage of in the first test: “Since you are God’s Son, speak the word that will turn these stones into loaves of bread.” Jesus answered by quoting Deuteronomy: “It takes more than bread to stay alive. It takes a steady stream of words from God’s mouth.” For the second test the Devil took him to the Holy City. He sat him on top of the Temple and said, “Since you are God’s Son, jump.” The Devil goaded him by quoting Psalm 91: “He has placed you in the care of angels. They will catch you so that you won’t so much as stub your toe on a stone.” Jesus countered with another citation from Deuteronomy: “Don’t you dare test the Lord your God.” For the third test, the Devil took him to the peak of a huge mountain. He gestured expansively, pointing out all the earth’s kingdoms, how glorious they all were. Then he said, “They’re yours—lock, stock, and barrel. Just go down on your knees and worship me, and they’re yours.” Jesus’ refusal was curt: “Beat it, Satan!” He backed his rebuke with a third quotation from Deuteronomy: “Worship the Lord your God, and only him. Serve him with absolute single-heartedness.” The Test was over. The Devil left. And in his place, angels! Angels came and took care of Jesus’ needs (from Matthew 4). From A New Message 4 Next Week (actapublications.com) based on The Message: Catholic/Ecumenical Edition by Eugene Peterson (ACTA Publications, 2013).

jesus in the desert Devil

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Word of the Week

24 November 2024

Solemnity

\sə-'lem-nə-tē\

From Latin sollemnis for “fixed ceremonial,” highest-ranking day of the church calendar that celebrates a mystery of faith such as the Trinity, an event in the life of Jesus, Mary, the Mother of God, or another important saint. Solemnities override every other feast or memorial, including Sundays in Ordinary Time. The church assigns Sundays and solemnities three readings—from a prophet, apostle, and gospel—to instruct the faithful in the work of salvation.

Pronunciation Read more

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