Never Hungry

[The Midge]

Hunger craving for food; need or lack of food; strong desire for anything.

Chambers

This is a dictionary definition of hunger because many of us may not remember what hunger is. Foster’s Celebration of Discipline opens the chapter on fasting with these words:

In a culture where then landscape is dotted with shrines to the Golden Arches and an assortment of Pizza Temples fasting seems out of place, out of step with the times.

In other words we are never hungry. We are so content with our lot and full of snacks and our comforts we do not know what it is to hunger after God.



Likewise when Jesus says to us we don’t realise the full impact of what he is saying:

Mt 6:25,26 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

our life is too easy.

Mt

6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

. We hardly ever have to seek for anything. If we are hungry all we have to do is go to the nearest burger flipper and order a cheese burger and fries or raid a bulging larder for a snack! We don’t feel the need to spend time with God because we can be constantly entertained. We don’t need to depend on God because we can always depend on our credit card to provide for all we desire. We don’t need God’s assistance because we invest in insurances for our health care, old age and to protect us against times of disaster. We have an unhealthy sense of self sufficiency. We don’t fell the need for God to be with us because our calendar is full of parties, meetings or failing that we can visit a club or phone a friend.



Since we are never hungry and are always satisfied we lack the inner discipline to deny our appetites in order to seek God. It sometimes takes a major upsetting of the apple cart (loss of job etc), before God can get us to seek after Him.





Lord, please make me hungry for you,

Give me the desire to seek you;

To put You before every day needs,

And legitimate desires.

Help me realize I need You,

More than food,

More than clothes,

More than comfort,

More than any one else.

 

[Blessed-one]

a striking message.

amen.

 

[Peter]

And thus the Church has institued periods of fasting for all faithful, to make us hunger for God. What good is food for the spirit? None. But when we hunger physically, we are reminded to pray, and prayer feeds the souls completely.

For those within Christ's Church, we are currently following the Advent Fast. It will end with the celebration of Christ's Nativity.

Peace.

Peter