“Giving Something Up Is Doing Something Positive: The Spiritual Side of the Pain-Pleasure Principle”
Homily for the 1st Sunday of Lent, Year “C”
March 9, 2025; St. Mary’s Cathedral
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Introduction
“What did you give up for Lent?” This is the question that we kids would always ask each other at this time of the year when I was growing up. I imagine it was probably a common question for all Catholic kids back in that bygone era. Later on in my growing up and young adult years I would sometimes hear priests and parish leaders say, “Instead of giving something up, do something positive.” I’ve always thought, though, that “giving something up” is doing something positive.
Fasting is a positive thing, that is, refraining from eating for a spiritual motive, even in its mitigated form when one refrains from eating some favorite type of food (or drinking some favorite type of beverage, or even fasting from a legitimate type of entertainment). “Do something positive” is thought to mean carrying out a certain act of charity or kindness. But all of this is a part of our Lenten practices, as we heard last Wednesday, and as we do every year in the Gospel reading for Ash Wednesday: fasting, prayer and almsgiving (and other forms of charity).
The Pain-Pleasure Balance: Building Resilience
We know that fasting is something positive because we have the example from our Lord himself! The Gospel reading for this First Sunday of Lent is always an account of our Lord being tempted by the devil in the desert. The Sunday readings are on a three-year cycle, and this story is recounted for us in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, so we hear from each one of them every three years. This year we hear Luke’s account of the temptation, who, like Matthew, explains in more detail the ways the devil tempted him (what he used to try to lure our Lord into worshipping him).
Before going there, though, let us consider what Lent means for us: a time to join ourselves in this desert retreat with Jesus, and join with him in fasting. Of course, fasting, again, means abstaining from eating (or, in mitigated form, from some type of food or drink) for a spiritual motive, and it fits the pattern of the Church’s way of marking the great mysteries of our faith: a period of preparation with a penitential character to it, followed by the celebration of the feast day of the mystery and a period of time to observe it – the cycle of “fast and feast.” But fasting also has a benefit in terms of physical health. This should be no surprise if one understands that all of the dimensions of our life are interconnected – the physical, the mental, the emotional, the moral, the spiritual, and so forth. Such that what is healthy in one dimension will have healthy consequences in the others.
Interestingly enough – but not surprisingly, given the principle of the interconnectedness of all of the dimensions of our life – modern research into neuro-science reveals how the brain is wired precisely in this way. Researchers use the image of a seesaw, with pain on one side and pleasure on the other. The brain seeks to have a balance of the two, held at a steady horizontal level, what they referred to as “homeostasis.” This means that if we do something to push down on one side, the brain will release chemicals to push down on the other side. The result is that when we seek pleasure, thereby pushing down on the pleasure side of the seesaw, the brain pushes down on the pain side in order to balance it out. If we resist that and try to compensate by seeking more pleasure, the brain will push down all the harder on the pain side.
This explains, they tell us, why, at least in part, there is so much depression, anxiety and other forms of mental illness in wealthier countries such as our own, where we have an abundance of everything all the time. In times past people used to have to work more to obtain pleasures in life, even if in little ways. But nowadays, for example, you can watch any movie any time in the comfort of your own home. No longer a need to go to the movie theater, stand in line to purchase a ticket, and wait for the time that the movie is scheduled to begin. Ironically, over time, one ends up being addicted to the pleasure that one is seeking and so thereby becomes incapable of experiencing the pleasure in it. The result is that, for the first time in history (as I just mentioned), people in wealthier countries are less happy than people in poorer countries.
The solution to this problem? The logic is obvious: actively seek to push down on the pain side of the seesaw. “Pain” in this sense does not mean something destructive, seeking to harm oneself, but rather what is called “healthy pain,” a mild to moderate pain, a sense of any kind of physical duress or facing and overcoming a challenge. So think about physical health: regular exercise and a balanced diet pushes down on the pain side, that is, there is a certain restraint and exertion required, self-discipline, but the result is the pleasure of good health. Research shows that spiritual forms of this kind of “healthy pain” are also effective, such as prayer and meditation (which are explicitly mentioned).
Pleasure results from the secretion of dopamine. If that comes first, the body will compensate by the reaction on the pain side of the scale. But instead, we can pay the price ahead of time, a “dopamine fast” as they call it, that is, fasting from what gives pleasure, in order to enjoy all the more the pleasure that comes from the rush of dopamine that the brain will secrete in balancing the equation. Just think how good food tastes when you first eat after having fasted! Much more than if you eat more after you’re already full! The body itself, and the brain in particular, are wired for “fast and feast.” And the researchers tell us that this is what builds up resilience, and can even bring health and healing to one who is addicted even without further treatment with medication or chemicals.*
Think, again, about how this principle applies to all the dimensions of life. Athletes excel when they live by the motto, “no pain, no gain.” Musicians are wont to remind each other, “if you don’t pay your dues, you can’t sing the blues.” And we Christians know how this applies on the spiritual level: “no cross, no crown.”
Applied to the Spiritual Life
Now, what happens when we apply all this to what we hear about in today’s Gospel? We gain a very valuable insight into how the devil operates, and we see this played out in the lures he uses to tempt our Lord, as described by Luke (and also Matthew in his presentation of our Lord’s temptation in the desert). What does the devil use to tempt our Lord? First of all, precisely that, to eat after he had been fasting: that is, physical pleasure, indulging in what, in classical theology, we call the “appetites,” the bodily desires. “Command this stone to become bread.”
Next, he tempts Jesus with riches and glory and luxury: “Then he took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant. The devil said to him, ‘I shall give to you all this power and glory … if you worship me.’” This is the pleasure that comes from an abundance of material things. The devil then tempts Jesus to show his supernatural power by making a spectacle of himself, in order to win the accolades of the masses: “Then [the devil] led [Jesus] to Jerusalem, made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here.’” This is the temptation to fame and notoriety, the feeding of one’s ego to show oneself to be superior to others.
It’s not that riches, fame, glory, power, and legitimate pleasures are bad in themselves, as long as they are partaken of with proper moderation and in a morally responsible way. What the devil induces us to do, though, is to push down on the pleasure side of the seesaw, and push down hard, push down all the way and keep it there. The spiritual counter-reaction is an unconscious pushing down on the pain side of the seesaw, constantly and hard, so that we eventually become depressed, anxious, lonely – and, ultimately, miserable.
That is exactly what the devil wants, he wants us to be miserable. And he’s very clever about it: he lures us into that trap by tricking us to seek only pleasure and to do so all the time, and do everything possible to avoid pain in all its forms (even simple inconveniences or personal sacrifices). That’s the trick: an endless and relentless pursuit of pleasure only ends up making one incapable of experiencing pleasure. We become miserable. Which is a very big danger in the society in which we live, not only because it constantly shouts at us to pursue pleasure always and in all ways, but also because it is possible, indeed for most people very easy, to do so.
The Purpose of Lent
Which brings us back to Lent. Yes, Lent is a season in the Church’s liturgical calendar, a certain period of time every year with its own unique character as are the other liturgical seasons. But it is also more than that: it is a lesson for all of life. Notice what St. Luke tells us: “the devil departed from him for a time.” The devil never stops trying! Attaining that proper balance and the resilience we need to stay spiritually strong is not a “once and done” deal. It is a constant effort. Just as is the effort for maintaining good physical health, so the effort for maintaining good spiritual health. We need to work at it constantly in order to build up the spiritual stamina to stay healthy and resistant to the wiles of the evil one, and to have the resilience to bounce back if we do stumble along the way.
That, truly, is the history of God’s people, going back to the very beginning, to our ancestors who were first called by God to be His people, the ancient people of Israel. We heard in our first reading from the Book of Deuteronomy, the book of the Bible that narrates Moses’ long speech to the Israelites after they finally finished their forty years of crossing the Sinai desert, and now are about to cross the Jordan River and enter into and take possession of the Promised Land. What did we hear him speak to the people then? “When the Egyptians maltreated and oppressed us, imposing hard labor upon us, we cried to the Lord, the God of our fathers, and he heard our cry and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. He brought us out of Egypt with his strong hand and outstretched arm, with terrifying power, with signs and wonders.”
Yes, He heard His people’s plea and rescued them. But remember, they had to wait for 400 years! That’s how long they were held in the bondage of slavery in Egypt. The Lord comes to the rescue of those who wait upon Him, but always according to His own timeline and His own plan. That waiting is the asceticism we need to prepare ourselves for the joy of the encounter with Him in the liberation He offers us. That is a principle of all of life, spiritual as well as physical. And when it comes to spiritual health, what do you suppose is the most impactful, the most effective, way of pushing down on the pain side of the seesaw?
If you’ve figured out that I’m asking this question at the beginning of Lent, a season of penance, for a reason, then you’ve probably figured out the answer: the sacrament of Penance. Frequent confession, and especially during this season of Lent, must be a part of life for anyone who wishes to attain and maintain good spiritual health. You might say that it opens us up to the torrent of spiritual dopamine that God wishes to lavish upon us.
Conclusion
So, yes, “giving something up” pushes down on the “healthy pain” side of the seesaw, which is always “doing something positive,” because it will yield positive results for our spiritual life. Carrying out an act of charity or kindness pushes down on pain side of seesaw, and a very healthy pain it is – not even the right word. But it is “healthy” pain in the sense that it is giving something up: time, energy, attention, exercising patience – that is, when done only for the good of the other, without seeking any reward in return. So, just as giving something up in the form of fasting is doing something positive, so doing something positive in the form of an act of charity is also giving something up.
Ultimately, of course, our spiritual health is not confined to this world, as if religion were just another, but less expensive, form of therapy. Our whole life here is a fast before the great feast of heaven. The practice of ascetism in this life, observing the cycle of fast and feast, will make us capable of the joy of the true and lasting spiritual health: life on high with all the saints, worshipping God face-to-face in His Kingdom of eternal beauty, light and peace. And that is the point of it all.
RESUMEN EN ESPAÑOL
A menudo pensamos en la Cuaresma como el momento del año para “renunciar a algo”. Eso suele significar abstenerse de comer algo que disfrutamos o de hacer algo que nos parece divertido. Algunas personas dicen que, en cambio, deberíamos “hacer algo positivo”, es decir, hacer algo bueno por alguien, especialmente por gente con la que no nos llevamos bien. Pero las dos cosas van de la mano, es un equilibrio de hacer sacrificios para obtener una experiencia positiva.
Es un principio espiritual, pero también uno que se aplica a la salud física y mental. Los investigadores de la neurociencia utilizan la imagen de un sube-y-baja, con el dolor en un lado y el placer en el otro. El cerebro busca un equilibrio entre los dos. Esto significa que si hacemos algo para empujar hacia abajo un lado, el cerebro liberará sustancias químicas para empujar hacia abajo el otro lado. El resultado es que cuando buscamos el placer, empujando hacia abajo el lado del placer, el cerebro empuja hacia abajo el lado del dolor para equilibrarlo. Si nos resistimos a ello y tratamos de compensarlo buscando más placer, el cerebro presionará con más fuerza hacia el lado del dolor. Si esto continúa, el resultado será la adicción e, irónicamente, se da la pérdida de la capacidad de experimentar placer en absoluto. Uno se vuelve miserable.
Y esto es exactamente lo que el diablo quiere. Vemos cómo todo esto se aplica a la lectura del Evangelio de este primer domingo de Cuaresma: cuando el diablo tienta a nuestro Señor en el desierto. Observemos lo que usa para tratar de atraer a nuestro Señor a que lo adore: comer después de haber ayunado, es decir, placer corporal; riqueza y gloria; y popularidad mostrando al pueblo sus poderes. Así es como trabaja el diablo: nos atrae hacia su trampa engañándonos para que busquemos estos tipos de placeres y que lo hagamos todo el tiempo, y que hagamos todo lo posible para evitar el dolor en todas sus formas (incluso los simples inconvenientes o sencillos sacrificios personales). Ese es el truco: una búsqueda interminable e implacable del placer solo termina haciendo que uno sea incapaz de experimentar el placer, y así nos volvemos miserables.
Esto nos lleva de nuevo a la Cuaresma. Sí, la Cuaresma es una temporada en el calendario litúrgico de la Iglesia, un período de tiempo determinado cada año con su propio carácter único como lo son los otros tiempos litúrgicos. Pero también es más que eso: es una lección para toda la vida. Observen lo que nos dice San Lucas: “el diablo se retiró de él, hasta que llegara la hora”. ¡El diablo nunca deja de intentarlo!
Las prácticas que nos recuerda la Cuaresma –la oración, el ayuno y otras formas de penitencia, y la limosna y otras formas de caridad– son formas de empujar hacia abajo el lado doloroso del sube-y-baja, pero de una manera positiva, no autolesionándonos o haciendo algo destructivo, sino haciendo sacrificios que requieren abnegación, esfuerzo adicional y disciplina, para poder disfrutar de la recompensa que viene después.
Así es como funciona con la salud física: el ejercicio regular y una dieta sana requieren esfuerzo y disciplina, pero la recompensa es el placer de la buena salud. Lo mismo sucede con la salud espiritual. Sobre todo, es el sacramento de la Penitencia, la confesión regular, la forma más eficaz de hacer bajar el lado doloroso del sube-y-baja de una manera positiva. Nos abre al torrente de gracias espirituales que Dios quiere derramar sobre nosotros.
Así que ya ven cómo van de la mano: “renunciar a algo” empuja hacia abajo el lado del “dolor positivo”, pero eso siempre está “haciendo algo positivo”, porque rendirá resultados positivos para nuestra vida espiritual. Llevar a cabo un acto de caridad o bondad empuja hacia abajo el lado del dolor del sube-y-baja en el sentido que renunciamos a algo: tiempo, energía, atención, ejercitar la paciencia –es decir, cuando se hace sólo por el bien del otro, sin buscar ninguna recompensa a cambio. Entonces, cuando renunciamos a algo en forma de ayuno hacemos también algo positivo, y cuando hacemos algo positivo en alguna forma de caridad también renunciamos a algo.
En última instancia, por supuesto, nuestra salud espiritual no se limita a este mundo, como si la religión fuera sólo otra forma de terapia, pero menos costosa. Toda nuestra vida aquí es un ayuno antes de la gran fiesta del cielo. La práctica del ascetismo en esta vida, observando el ciclo de ayuno y fiesta, nos hará capaces de la alegría de la verdadera y duradera salud espiritual: la vida en lo alto con todos los santos, adorando a Dios cara a cara en su Reino de eterna belleza, luz y paz. Y ese es el sentido de todo esto.
*For a presentation on this science, you may access the two-part podcast series on “Hidden Brain” at: https://hiddenbrain.org/podcast/the-paradox-of-pleasure/ (Part 1), and https://hiddenbrain.org/podcast/the-path-to-enough/ (Part 2).