1st Sunday of Lent (Year A)
Genesis 2:7-9,3:1-7 | Psalm 50(51):3-6,12-14,17 | Romans 5:12-19 | Matthew 4:1-11
Today’s Gospel recounts the temptation of Christ in the desert. I experienced what should’ve been a severe temptation yesterday, but an Lenten act unexpectedly “saved” me.
As I mentioned in a recent blog post, I’m fasting Ramadan-style throughout this Lent. One side-effect is that I’m actually less hungry during the day than I was even before Lent, as the lack of water input quietens my growling stomach. I now understand how Muslims can keep this up for a whole month; it’s really less stressful on the body than fasting with water.
Anyway, my old friend asked me to meet him at Marina Bay Sands today, instead of our usual cafe haunt. When I asked why, he just said that he wanted to check out something before our usual Saturday meeting.
So I met him at the appointed place, only to discover that he was headed to a food expo, the kind where both of us usually run riot in, sampling pretty much all the wares on display.
OK, I thought, this should be a good test of my Lenten resolve.
It turned out to be a cakewalk (pun intended), to my (and my friend’s) surprise.
You see, one other side-effect I’d only just realized is that my fast left my mouth and nose in a rather dry state, and that muted my ability to smell.
Aromatic coffee all around? Nah, I barely sensed it.
Fragrant tea leaves that I would’ve craved a cuppa of? Nope, not doing anything for me.
So to our collective amusement, my friend went round sampling the teas and coffees, while I followed in his wake, looked with interest at all the wares on display, and politely declined everything that was offered.
But both of us skipped all the free luscious cakes and ice creams, as well as the sweet sodas and fried starches for the taking. Neither one of us wanted to walk down that sugar-laden road.
✞ ✞ ✞ ✞ ✞
I may not be experiencing now the sort of hunger Jesus suffered, but I did in my previous years’ seasonal fasts, and I have some idea of the unbearable cravings the body develops after such a long fast.
But this year is different. This time around, I’ve found a way to “die to myself” without the sort of literal gut-wrenching I experienced in years past.
This time, I can refuse to partake in the midst of incredible temptation, yet still be content. After all, Lent is a time to reflect, renew and reconcile, not turn into a miserable git through pious suffering.
As today’s scripture says:
Man does not live on bread alone
but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. (Matthew 4:4)
Amen.