Wilderness

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Wilderness

Spirit     Led     Forty-Days

Enter     Acknowledge     Pray

For It Is Written

Lent

(photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   Matthew 4: 1 to 4

The Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  He had no food for forty days and forty nights, and was hungry after His fast.

The devil came to Him and said, "If you truly are the Son of God, tell these stones that they should become loaves of bread."

Jesus replied to the tempter and said, "It is written: One does not exist on bread alone, but on the word that God has given to us."

Reflection

What is Lent all about?

Lent can mean many things to different people: giving up something that we really like; not eating meat on Ash Wednesday, the Fridays of Lent, and Good Friday; fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.

Some use Lent as a time to pray more.

Others see Lent as a time to help those in need with our sacrifices and service.

Many like to attend the Stations of the Cross or do more spiritual reading or journalling.

As we reflect together on this passage from Matthew on the First Temptation that Jesus faced in the wilderness, we can see some more ideas about Lent.

The first thing we can notice is that Jesus is led by the Spirit. A good Lenten starting point for us might be to take some quiet time and ask ourselves, "Where is the Spirit leading me this Lent?"

Jesus was led into the wilderness. It was a place of quiet. Jesus could get away from the everyday routines that He faced. He could be alone with the Father.

Where can we find our wilderness this Lent? Is there a place where we can go (a room in our home or apartment; the beach; a forest or park) where we can be alone with God and listen to God's word for us?

What are the temptations that we have been encountering lately? We can clearly understand his First Temptation that Jesus is facing. He must be really hungry after all that fasting.

Jesus counters this temptation by turning to that which has been written---the Word of God. He shows His love for the Hebrew scriptures as He quotes Deuteronomy 8, verse 3. He lets the tempter know that there are many ways we can be fed and overcome our hunger.

This Lent we are challenged to enter into the wilderness where the Holy Spirit will lead us and to spend some quiet time with God and to allow God to nourish us.

Enjoy the Feast!

1. What does Lent mean to you this year?

2. Where has the Holy Spirit been leading you lately?

3. What are the temptations that you have been facing recently?

4. What do you see as you reflect on Kathy's photo?

(scripture adaptation, reflection, and questions by John J. McNamara)