1st Sunday in Lent

The first three Sundays in Lent are devoted to the consideration of temptations, the many ways in which we are all tempted. On the first Sunday we think of the temptations coming from the devil. Second Sunday – temptations of the flesh, and the third Sunday – temptations of the world. In today’s gospel, we have the account of the temptations as given by St. Matthew. We will consider this afternoon the first temptation. Jesus was a young man barely 30 years of age when he started his ministry. He had the consciousness that he was born to be the Saviour of His people. The question that occupied his mind was, the line along which he should pursue his vocation. How should he set about the redemption of men? The question haunted him day and night, and he withdrew into the wilderness that he might think on it free from the distractions of men. When he was meditating on this subject he began to feel hungry. While he hungered, the devil came to him and reminded him of the widespread hunger in the land, of social inequalities, the difficulty with which some men found their bread, and the oppression under which they groaned day by day. “Your vocation is to be a Social Reformer,” the devil said. “It is yours to bring the people bread. Let that be your destiny. Choose that as your road. Set up the standard of Social Reform and live, and labour, and die for social emancipation.” It was a temptation to ignore the distinctively spiritual and to give himself to purely materialistic ends. What was the answer of Jesus? “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” It is not that Jesus ignores the necessity of bread, but he refuses to give it exclusive emphasis. Man can live fully only in the intellectual and moral and spiritual; in the realm of thought and ideas. Not by bread alone, but by service. Not by bread alone, but by sacrifice. Not by bread alone, but by communion with the living God. Now this temptation to ignore the spiritual and emphasize the material is ever with us and it was never more powerful than it is today. There is always a temptation to live entirely in the material world, to pile up money as if that alone mattered in life, to seek material concerns and to be content with them. It is a temptation to ignore the spiritual and to shut it out of our life.

Everywhere in the world people want social security. People want to insure their lives and make provision for the future for themselves and for their families. The Atlantic Charter proclaims freedom from want as one of its four main features. In England there are schemes of National Insurance to protect the weekly wage earner from want and starvation. There is the Beveridge Scheme put forward by Sir William Beveridge which proposes to give to the weekly wage earner help in times of sickness or unemployment. The plan is eminently Christian because it rests on the central principle of the supreme worth of man and of each individual. When the Beveridge Scheme is accepted there are signs that our own government in Ceylon will be compelled to improve the condition of the poor and to give them a greater sense of security. But it is important to remember that there are limits to all schemes of social security. Indeed there are other kinds of security that matter more. In a modern novel this thought is well illustrated in a conversation between Joe Kelly, a worker in a mill, and Emily Blair, a member of the family owning the mill. Joe, the worker in the mill, says, “You have always had this thing they call security. You have never known what it is to wonder where your next meal is coming from, or a new pair of shoes, or a place to sleep for the night.” Emily, the member of the mill owning family replies, “May be not, but there are other kinds of security that matter more.” “Man shall not live by bread alone.” Man certainly wants bread, but that alone is not enough. Social security alone will not give man peace and contentment and happiness. There are other things which are even more necessary for life. Take for example the problem of living together happily in a home. It is a mistake to think that an ample supply of material things is the secret of a happy home. No doubt sufficient income is necessary for happiness, but there are other things which are even more important than money. Mutual consideration, respect and love – these alone can guarantee happiness in a home. Many agricultural and industrial schemes are being put forward with a view to making Ceylon more prosperous than it is now. It is believed that with greater prosperity and wealth in the country there will be greater contentment and happiness among people. No doubt we should work for greater prosperity, but that alone will not bring in greater happiness. There is the problem of the different races and communities living together as members of one family and sharing with one another the fruits of the earth. The art of living together in a society in spite of our differences in outlook and upbringing depends on spiritual factors. Consideration for others, tolerance of other people’s opinion, self-forgetfulness – these are the qualities that will enable us to live together in friendly relationship with one another. No scheme that man can evolve could ever meet the spiritual needs of any one. No material provision can satisfy the needs of a broken heart or a guilty conscience. The only security that can satisfy man is the confidence in the love of God. It is the assurance of God’s love that must remain our eternal security. It is the security that matters most. In these anxious days this is our strength and our stay. The temptation to rely entirely on the material resources and ignore the spiritual comes to all of us. When we have insured our life or made ample provision for the future in other ways we think that all is well with us and our family. There are other more important things in the spiritual sphere that we will have to work for and acquire for ourselves in order to be happy.

The season of Lent is an opportunity given to us to strive after things that are spiritual. Let us resist the temptation that comes to us to rely on material resources alone for our happiness. Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.