In the Gospel, Jesus says that his food is to do the will of the Father. The image is striking. For Jesus, fulfilling the Father’s will is not simply a duty. It is something he needs, just as he needs food.
We may not think of God’s will in the same way. Often, we see it as something we are obliged to do. But what if we began to see
it differently? What would it mean to desire God’s will as deeply as we desire the food that sustains us? What would it be like to hunger for it?
The invitation of the Gospel is to allow the Spirit to deepen our love for God. The Jesuit Joseph Whelan once expressed this beautifully: “Nothing is more practical than finding God, than falling in love in a quite absolute, final way.”
He went on to explain that when we truly fall in love with God, everything changes. Our choices, our priorities, and our actions begin to flow from that love. What we do and say is shaped by our desire to respond to the Beloved.
Such a relationship is a gift. It is the work of the Spirit within us. Perhaps this Lent the Spirit is quietly inviting us to allow that love to grow in our own hearts.
As we pray today, we might ask ourselves:
What would it mean for me to follow Christ as someone who truly loves him?
What might change in my life if I began to hunger more deeply for God’s will?
