A Faith Journey Fueled by Fasting from Noise

Sherry Hayes Peirce discusses a Lenten sacrifice designed to allow room to hear the Lord speaking.

How’s your Lenten journey going? Our Lord was alone in the Desert, praying and fasting as the devil tempted him. None of us are on this journey alone. On Ash Wednesday, I began my 40 days to Easter with a group of women experiencing a retreat. Then, I joined the thousands of people at my parish at Mass that day, still not alone.

As we move closer to Christ, our Lord is moving in us. If we are not taking steps to move closer to Jesus and just going through the motions of giving up chocolate, fasting, and eating fish on Friday, then we are alone on the journey. Satan tempted Jesus with hunger, trust, and faith.

Seeking the Silence of the Heart

Walking the Camino de Santiago last year, I chose to walk alone rather than in a group. I desired to feel the presence of God and hear his voice with each step on my pilgrimage. I felt hunger as my body burned the fuel I consumed to power my walk. Sometimes, I got lost on the way and had to trust that the Lord would lead me back to the right road — that was my struggle with surrender.

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If we really want to pray we must first listen, for in the silence of the heart God speaks. (Mother Teresa, Do Something Beautiful for God: The Essential Teachings of Mother Teresa)

On the First Friday in Lent, I listened to the Hallow Lenten Challenge, and listeners were called to fast from “noise” to hear the Lord speaking to us. Listening to this triggered an immediate response to fast from television from midnight to noon. Every morning, I turn on the Today Show and watch it for three to five hours. While I might be doing other things, it served as noise in the background.

Jesus Was Tempted by the Devil

During the season of Lent, we are encouraged to fast from things that anchor us to worldly things and to feast on things that feed our souls instead. The word of God nourishes us with the knowledge of what we are called to do to live a Christian life. Time in prayer, reflection, or meditation on Jesus during your journey is transformative. Spending a few minutes in Adoration or silently focused on the Tabernacle connects us to Christ. Reading a spiritual book or choosing a book of the Bible to learn about our history of faith grows our faith. When the devil tempted Jesus to satiate his hunger by turning rocks into bread to eat, He responded, "One does not live on bread alone but every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).

Satan then tempted the Lord with a desire to test the Lord’s ability to save Him if He did something that would be harmful to Himself. Sometimes, we believe that we are so beloved and cherished that we can do anything, and the Lord will protect us from anything we do. It can harm us when we do things like not honoring the Ten Commandments, taking care of our bodies, or loving one another as we should. Trusting our Lord to keep us safe is a fruit of loving relationships with God and Jesus. Yes, we are cherished, but just as Jesus responded to the evil one, “You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test” (Matthew 4:7).

Lastly, the devil offered Jesus dominion over the whole world if he worshiped the evil one over his Father God. Jesus responded, “The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve” (Matthew 4:10). What would you do if you were provided millions or billions of dollars to stop practicing your Catholic faith? The answer to this question might be a resounding no, but who or what do you serve or give time, talent, or treasure to? Do we know better than God what is best for our lives without praying for God’s will? Your responses could reveal you may worship something other than God.

I struggle with deluding myself that I know better than God what path to follow on my life journey. I pray the Litany of Humility and the Suscipe to help me surrender to God’s will.

You shall not make for yourself an idol or a likeness of anything in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters beneath the earth; you shall not bow down before them or serve them. (Exodus 20:4-5a)

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Jesus spoke to my heart to reveal that television was the noise that kept me from being in communion with Him in silence; shutting off the noise provided me time to enter in silence with Him from midnight to noon. I am not walking this journey alone because Jesus walks with me. What noise in your life do you need to silence to make room for God to speak to you?

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