Scripture Reading
Matthew 4:3-4
And the tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." But he answered, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"
Reflection
The first temptation in the desert is elemental: bread. Jesus's response does not dismiss the reality of hunger but places it in its proper order — physical nourishment matters, but it is not ultimate. Fasting during Lent is a deliberate act of remembering that the Word of God is the deeper sustenance. What appetites in our lives have we let displace our hunger for God?
Prayer for Today
Good Shepherd, we pray for cooperation and support for life-saving assistance to people struggling from food insecurity and hunger around the world. Send life-giving rains at just the right time, create good conditions for families to grow food for their survival, and cease conflict so Your children will no longer go to bed hungry each night.
Amen.