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“Afterwards he was
hungry.”
(Matthew 11:2)
I don’t know about
you, but if I was to fast for forty days and forty nights, I’d sure be
hungry. But, since that’s most likely not going to happen, let’s
consider a couple of other ways that we could fast for forty days and
forty nights and find ourselves starving.
How about turning
off the television for forty days and forty nights? Think about
everything you’d miss!
How turning off the
video games, DVDs, radios, and all other forms of entertainment? That’d
give a case of withdrawal, wouldn’t it?
Well, when Jesus
fasted for those forty days and forty nights, our minds hearken us to
hunger in a “physical” sense. But, when we hear that Jesus left the
desert to head for the holy city of Jerusalem to begin living out his
vocation by preaching the Good News of salvation, we need to consider
hunger in a “spiritual” sense. When Jesus was tested by Satan to turn
his back on his vocation, Jesus didn’t allow the physical things he
desired to hold him back; instead, because Jesus was hungry and thirsty
to fulfill his vocation, Jesus showed his disciples the way they are to
fulfill their vocations. The challenge is to satiate the hunger of our
souls by fulfilling our vocations, not by allowing the hunger of our
desires to distract us from doing God’s work.
Just as Jesus was
tested to allow the things he desired to distract him from fulfilling
his vocation, so too, as the days, weeks, months, and years of our lives
pass so quickly by, it’s so easy to become distracted by what we desire
that it becomes very difficult to recognize not only how hungry our
souls are but also what our souls are hungering for.
For young people,
although “kid-dom” seems to last forever, all of the birthday parties,
friends, Christmases, and summer vacations quickly vanish. Then,
burdened with the responsibilities that come with being adults, young
people discover that their souls are hungry. And what are they
hungering for? The souls of young people are hungering to experience
again those very simple things that once filled their souls with great
joy.
Marriage is like
that too. The ritual of dating and courting seems so long when two
people are in love. The days, months, and sometimes the years seem to
last forever. But, then, the wedding day arrives and, subsequently, as
spouses experience the weight of shouldering the burdens that come with
living out what the words “I do” really mean, husbands and wives find
that their souls are hungry. And what are their souls hungering for?
Spouses’ souls are hungering to return to those days when “living for
the other” filled their souls with joy.
The birth of a
child, especially one’s first child, is a lot like that, too. Beholding
this miracle of God’s love powerfully transforms the lives of new moms
and dads. Not only is this newborn one’s flesh and blood; not only is
the breath of God embodied in this innocent-looking newborn. Along with
this recognition comes the life-transforming realization that one no
longer lives solely for oneself. But, what once was a miracle quickly
grows into a distinctive person with distinctive interests, preferences,
and opinions. Suddenly, raising a child increasingly challenges each
parent’s selfishness. And, as this happens and a child does what one
wants rather than what the child’s parents know is best, parents
discover that their souls are hungry. And what are their souls
hungering for? The souls of parents hunger to return to halcyon days of
yore when denying oneself for one’s baby seemed so easy and brought so
much joy.
On this first Sunday
of Lent, the gospel reminds us about how Jesus spent forty days in the
desert fasting and praying in order to discover what would satisfy the
hunger present in his soul. As each new day came, it surely must have
seemed like an eternity.
Likewise, as each
new day dawns and the burdens of “taking on the day” make their weight
felt upon our shoulders―whether we’re young people, spouses, or
parents―we oftentimes get so caught up in ourselves and what we want
that we fail to recognize just how hungry our souls are for the joy that
characterizes a simple and uncomplicated life, for the reciprocal love
that characterizes a strong marriage, and for the selfless love of
neighbor that characterizes strong family life. Then, as we go about
each day, we confuse the hunger for those things that fill our souls
with abiding joy with the desire for happiness. Having succumbed to
this temptation, we then deceive ourselves into believing all of the
things that make us happy will bring us the abiding joy that God alone
gives.
The forty days of
Lent―oftentimes thought about as time to “give up” and “do without” as
Jesus did during his forty days in the desert―are, more importantly, a
time to stop this cycle of seeking to be happy, to recognize what our
souls are hungering for, and to prepare ourselves for battle against the
forces of evil that would have us be happy as we starve our souls to
death.
Young people know
this all too well.
How many times do
young people find themselves desiring the latest and greatest thing they
believe will make them happy? It could be a toy. Perhaps it’s some
particular type of clothing or jewelry, perhaps an automobile, or even a
body piercing or tattoo. But, instead of keeping them happy, young
people quickly discover that this latest and greatest possession has
only made them desire other things, the newest and even more
unbelievable gizmos.
Lent is a time for
young people to contemplate the ash heap of all of those old trinkets
and toys and to recognize before they starve their souls to death that
although all of those possessions brought momentary happiness, no
possession they once so desperately wanted filled their souls with the
abiding joy that young people know they really need, what only God can
give. As Satan said to Jesus: “All these I shall give you, if you will
prostrate yourself and worship me.” And prostrate themselves many young
people do.
Lent is the time for
young people to get their priorities straight by seeking what their
souls are hungering for rather than seeking everything young people
believe will make them happy. Then, on Easter Sunday, you will be
strengthened in your resolve and capable of saying, “Get away, Satan!
It is written: ‘The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone
shall you serve.’ ”
This is how young
people build strong, healthy, and loving bonds with God. This is also
how young people grow in grace and holiness before God and man, as Jesus
did. And, in return, God will satiate the hunger present in the souls
of young people with joy that can never be taken away.
Spouses know this
all too well.
How often do spouses
find themselves taking one another for granted, filling each day with
activities that have little or nothing to do with strengthening their
marriage and everything to do with engaging in what interests them as
individuals? Then, discovering that there is so much happiness to be
found in all of those things, to wake up one day believing that you
really don’t need your spouse to feel satisfied in your life?
Lent is a period of
forty days for spouses to assess their “day planners” and to contemplate
what these really say about “I will love you, honor you, and obey you
all the days of my life.” All of those activities that fill our days
really have the effect of leaving our souls hungry as spouses
increasingly don’t experience the kind of abiding joy that comes as they
fulfill their marriage vows. As Satan said to Jesus: “All these I shall
give you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me.” And prostrate
themselves all too many spouses do.
Lent is the time for
spouses to get their priorities straight by seeking what their souls are
hungering for rather than engaging in everything they believe will make
them happy as individuals and none of which has anything to do with
their marriage. Then, on Easter Sunday, you will be strengthened and
capable of saying, “Get away, Satan! It is written: ‘The Lord, your
God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.’ ”
This is how spouses
build strong, healthy, and loving marriages. And, in return, God will
satiate the hunger present in the souls of spouses with joy that can
never be taken away.
Many parents also
know this all too well.
How often do parents
find themselves looking upon their children not as a divine gift but as
a burden, filling their days with all sorts of responsibilities that
have little or nothing to do with their own interests, hobbies, and
career? Then, inventing all sorts of reasons to explain away one’s
parental responsibilities, to wake up one day believing that you really
don’t need your children to be happy?
Lent is a period of
forty days for parents to contemplate what they need to be for their
children rather than seeking to fulfill their own desires and careers as
if parenthood is “all about me.” As Satan said to Jesus: “All these I
shall give you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me.” And
prostrate themselves all too many parents do.
Lent is the time for
parents to get their priorities straight by seeking what need to do as
parents rather than everything they want to do as individuals. Then, on
Easter Sunday, you will be strengthened and capable of saying, “Get
away, Satan! It is written: ‘The Lord, your God, shall you worship and
him alone shall you serve.’ ”
This is how parents
build strong, healthy, and loving bonds with their children each and
every day. And, in return, God will satiate the hunger present in the
souls of parents with joy that cannot be taken away.
By tradition, Lent
has become known as a season when Catholics “give up” and “do without.”
Most likely, this is why the forty days of Lent pass so slowly. Looking
forward to Easter Sunday, it’s understandable that an individual who is
giving up and doing without some (or all) of the things one so much
desires is prone to wonder, “Will Easter never get here?” Focusing upon
the happiness that is forsaken by giving things up rather than focusing
upon the joy for which one’s soul hungers, the forty days of Lent seem
endless!
In light of today’s
gospel and the hunger Jesus experienced as he prepared to battle the
insidious power of evil in the holy city of Jerusalem, I believe the
idea of “giving up” and “doing without” is a very grim way to think
about the forty days of Lent. In reality, these days should pass like a
flash of lightning across the night’s sky because, as we contemplate our
lives as young people, as spouses, and as parents, we quickly can see
how desperately hungry our souls are. In turn, this sense of
desperation can engender within us a sense of urgency to get
accomplished during these forty days everything we need to get
accomplished. The question is not “When will Lent end?” but “Will I be
able to do all that I need to do in order to experience God’s abiding
joy filling the hunger that I experience today in my soul?” Lent is the
time for each of us to focus intensely upon the way we ought to live our
days, what is in reality a time of probation without one moment we can
afford to waste.
If the season of
Lent is to mean anything, it has to be a season for renewing our souls.
No wonder St. Paul
gave the Romans an ultimatum. He wrote, "We beg you, once again, do not
neglect the grace of God that we have received. Now is the favorable
time. This is the day of salvation.” It’s really easy to have ashes
imposed on our foreheads on Ash Wednesday, but the ensuing forty days of
Lent can seem endless. In reality, however, each day of Lent provides
us the opportunity to become more aware of that for which our souls
hunger, the joy that comes as we turn away from serving ourselves and
recognize our need to love God above all else God. For it is written:
“The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.”
The forty days Jesus
spent in the desert taught him―and the forty days of Lent can teach
us―about the dangers associated with becoming enslaved by the desire to
be happy. These are the days to strengthen ourselves so that all of us
will be able to say on Easter Sunday, as Jesus said when he returned to
the holy city of Jerusalem, “Get away, Satan! It is written: ‘The Lord,
your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.’ ” |
HOMILY
