Why the Devil prefers you give up Chocolate

When Christ began his Lenten journey, fasting for 40 days and nights in the desert, it initiated a reality that Christ is to open the gates of heaven for all humanity through his death and resurrection on the Cross. Just as Moses spent 40 days and nights on the mountain to receive the law of God and administer the laws to Israel[1], so did the prophet Elijah to prepare for his own mission.[2] Christ’s descent into the desert reveals a penitential reality; sin cannot be passively ignored or disregarded altogether; it must be addressed without reservation because the salvation of the soul is at stake.

St. Paul provides context on the urgency and necessity of the salvation of the soul,  

Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable nature must put on the imperishable, and this mortal nature must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.[3]

From the demand to turn stone into bread, testing the sovereignty and power of God, and the lust for ultimate authority and dominion over all of God’s creation, Jesus provides us with a process of how to address temptation from the Devil by proclaiming that true worship is only offered to the one true God and Lord.[4] In rejecting the temptations from the Devil, Jesus safeguards our path to God the Father through the Son. Where the old Adam fell prey, the new Adam vanquished and destroyed the works of the Devil. Jesus is like us in all things except sin. Yes, Jesus did encounter temptation, but he did not succumb to it and instead vanquished it through His death and resurrection. The entire temptation narrative reveals a spiritual battle between choosing to live according to the ways of man or the ways of God. And this is where the Devil’s preference for chocolate, I argue, comes into view. In the cultural Catholic tradition of preparing for the liturgical season of Lent, a Lenten sacrifice, I have heard ad nauseam, is that of not eating chocolate. Now, giving up this succulent treat is not in itself wrong or evil if someone has an addiction to chocolate that is spiritually and physically unhealthy.

However, if the notion of giving up chocolate will somehow strengthen your ability to address the sins in your life and mature in your relationship with Christ, then I argue this is exactly why the Devil prefers chocolate as the salve for your sins. If anyone associates Lent with the act of giving up chocolate, then any attempt to address and remove any sinful behavior from your life, embrace an opportunity to fast and abstain, develop a sincere prayer life, or increase reception of the sacraments of Confession and the Holy Eucharist becomes a moot point. This is exactly the result Lucifer would pray for. Any deviation from affirming the salvific acts of Christ and prolonging a human being's appetite for the world instead of Jesus Christ is a win for him.

The entire season of Lent is predicated on uniting one’s life to Christ and his Cross. This means that the individual first and foremost views himself as a penitent in need of healing and redemption for his sins. Hence, he begins to seek a path to remove himself from the near occasion of sin, recognize the struggle of his personal sins, and seek to remedy his sinful life by way of making a firm purpose of amendment to change his ways, seek reconciliation through the sacrament of penance, and be renewed sacramentally as a disciple of Jesus Christ.

St. James reminds us of the importance of overcoming temptation,

Blessed is the man who endures trial, for when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life which God has promised to those who love him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted with evil and he himself tempts no one; but each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire, when it has conceived, gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good endowment and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will, he brought us forth by the word of truth that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures. Know this, my beloved brethren. Let every man be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger, for the anger of man does not work the righteousness of God. Therefore, put away all filthiness and rank growth of wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

As we prepare for Lent, let us exercise a sincerity of heart and embrace the Way of the Cross and a penitent mindset, and associate our daily life with the spiritual and corporal works of mercy, and make a daily examination of conscience to avoid sin and embrace Jesus Christ crucified.

Father, 
I abandon myself into your hands; 
Do with me what you will. 
Whatever you may do, I thank you: 
I am ready for all, I accept all.

Let only your will be done in me, 
and in all your creatures -
I wish no more than this, O Lord.

Into your hands I commend my soul: 
I offer it to you with all the love of my heart, 
For I love you, Lord, and so need to give myself, 
to surrender myself into your hands without reserve, 
and with boundless confidence, 
For you are my Father.

St. Charles de Foucauld