A Message from Fr. Jay
Dear Friends,
On Ash Wednesday, we reflected on Prayer, Almsgiving and Fasting.
On this first Sunday of Lent, we have a deeper reflection on fasting with the help of the Gospel. Jesus had many occasions for temptation. Not only the temptations in the desert as we read in the Gospel today, but Jesus faced them directly, fought them, took the pain and agony, and yet never yielded to weakness, successfully winning them all over.
Satan directed anxiety and temptation to Jesus on several occasions. For instance, when announcing His upcoming passion and death, or when people wanted Him to be their King after being fed with His miracle of multiplication of bread, or when pharisees and scribes, or even one of the thieves on the cross directly challenged His authority etc. Despite this, He fought with prayer, charity (His miracles) and fasting (physical and spiritual).
In the Gospel, we find Jesus showcasing His highest morale to fight against temptation. Fasting plays a major role in building up our morale. Fasting from food (and certain other needs as well), is a powerful tool to practice willful resistance to temptations. Fasting, as a practice, helps fight our ego. The devil questioned Jesus, ‘if you are the Son of God….and if you worship me…’. Jesus fought back by refusing to yield to His temptation of egotism. He tells us that the real food is the word of God (for now, and later in the Holy Eucharist), to fight against temptation.
Let us continue to reflect on fasting….the world needs fasting not starvation. We need fasting not only from food but from many forms of addiction to different evils. Each of us, and the world, need to find the real food that nourishes our morale, resist evils and builds our relationship with God and others.
What evil would I like to remove from myself and how does it relate to my ego? How am I going to make my fasting meaningful during this Lenten season?
May God bless you and your family during this grace-filled season.
God Bless,
Fr. Jay Raju
Reading 1: Deuteronomy 26:4-10
Reading 2: Romans 10:8-13
Gospel: Luke 4:1-13
