In the face of temptation, Jesus said, “It is written: One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.” Jesus’ reply to the tempter speaks of great trust. What might it mean to live “on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God?” How might we be called to change the pattern of our daily interactions if we take Jesus’ response to the tempter to heart? The Gospels are full of illustrations of living with the faith that God will provide sustenance, strength, healing, forgiveness, love. In other words, God will give us what we need. We simply must trust this to be so, rather than challenging God when we don’t get what we want. Why is it that we often try to take matters into our own hands (again, the example of Adam and Eve rings in our ears) rather than following Christ’s way? Could it be that we place a distance between ourselves and the real nature of discipleship because we intuitively know that allowing Jesus’ words to sink deeply into our hearts will radically change our lives? Is it possible that, while sitting politely at Mass on Sunday, we really don’t listen, we really don’t permit ourselves to experience God’s presence, full-strength, undiluted, because to do so would mean to alter our priorities? “One does not live on bread alone…” Christ sustains us through life’s most difficult moments, and more, when we follow Jesus’ example with the tempter: simple trust that when we are weak, God will care for us in ways we cannot anticipate. What do you need to adjust in your way of life in order to more completely trust in God?
Posted on: Mon, 10 Mar 2014 13:40:21 +0000
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