Filled with the holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days, to be tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they were over he was hungry. The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread." Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'One does not live by bread alone.'"

"I don’t wanna be the girl who laughs the loudest, or the girl who never wants to be alone. The sun is blinding, I stayed up again. Oh, I am finding that’s not the way I want my story to end. I’m safe up high, nothing can touch me, but why do I feel this party’s over? How do I feel this good sober?"   

Jesus was as human as you and I are human. Therefore he experienced pain, and he was able to experience the pleasure of overcoming the pain to feel better. At one time, when he was tempted, he was hungry, and the tempter suggested to him that he experience the pleasure of being satisfied by doing what he was capable of doing. Jesus must have considered what the devil said, but rejected it because he knew, and perhaps wanted to teach us, that there was more to life than pleasure.

It has been reported that the reason for Pink's song "Sober" came from a party that she hosted, a party in which there was a lot of drinking and fun, but the song becomes philosophical, asking the question in effect: "How do I feel good with just me, without anything else to lean on?" And, in particular, the song deals with the question of why we have to get high in order to feel good. That is, why is it that we feel good in life only because of some chemical substance that we place in our bodies?

It is a good question. Why can’t we enjoy what God has given us and be happy with who we are and the situation of living? Yes, there will be moments of pain, but is it not true that we can be happy that we are alive, and it is great to be that way? It turns out to be the way to live our story well...and the way to end our story.

Jesus no doubt wanted to eat the bread that he could have made from the stones, but he chose not to because God's Word was enough for him. As you and I work with what we have in our lives, and want what is pleasurable, perhaps one of our determining thoughts must be that there is more to life than pleasure, and controlling some pleasure might be a way to a better life.                   

THOUGHT
 
PRAYER

Good and gracious God, we are people who like pleasure and to feel good. It is not bad, but we can desire too much of it. Help us study your Son more, and realize that he likewise wanted pleasure, but was able to control it for the sake of something better. Be with us, we pray. 

Questions, comments? Let me know. Email Fr. Mike

©2007 Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America