“During that time he ate nothing and at the end he was hungry.” Luke 4:2
After spending forty days in the desert, we are told in today’s gospel that Jesus was hungry. Son of God and yet fully human, he shares and understands the pain of all those among us who struggle to get enough food.
While there, Jesus is tempted. Encouraged to turn a stone into a loaf of bread to eat. But Jesus refuses, saying: “Human beings live not on bread alone.”
He is not downplaying the importance of food to our physical survival. But Jesus is also calling us to live lives nourished by his word – a word that speaks of the importance of loving our neighbour, of reaching out to those who are vulnerable or on the margins of our society.
So this Lent, as we read or listen to his word, we hope that it may fill us and lead us to do what we can to care for one another.
And as we approach Family Fast Day on Friday, may we be inspired to stretch out a hand to support others with love. Let us act in solidarity with those among us who struggle to get enough food and play our part so that no one goes hungry.