Not By Bread Alone

" Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. The tempter came and said to Him, ' If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.' But he answered, ' It is written, one does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.' "      [ Matthew 3: 1-4].

I grew up in a house where my family did not believe in God. Decisions were made based on what was the most efficient and expedient option. In most cases, decisions were based on a cost/ benefit analysis. In other words, what will this option cost, and will it bring the most benefit?

This is the wholly secular way of looking at the world. There was no concept that there is a Holy Spirit or a Divine Being, guiding us to do right. My family simply unilaterally decided to do what they felt like. My father would say to me, " Why do you care about what other people think?"

Nor was there any concept that there are dark forces leading us to a way that is tempting, but ultimately disastrous.

Does anyone in our secular world really believe in the devil any longer? Satan has become the stuff of  Halloween costumes. Or, Satan has become a joke, like the times we say that there is a devil sitting on our left shoulder, haranguing us until we make a bad choice.

I spoke to my pastor once about what Catholics believe regarding Satan. He replied, " Well, we do not believe in a little red man running around."

But another pastor, in residence at my church in past years, posed a very provocative question:    'If we believe in the Holy Spirit, why can we not also believe in a Dark Spirit?'

Certainly, Mother Teresa believed in Satan. She responded to him as a real threat. She relied on the words of St. Teresa of Avila, who said," Satan is terribly afraid of resolute souls." Mother Teresa said that to overcome temptation requires a strong resolve. When faced with a temptation to sin, Mother Teresa would say to Satan, " I don't want it."

In the Scripture in Matthew 4: 10, Jesus tells Satan, who is tempting Him : " Get away with you, Satan!" In other words, we can declare, 'Go away!', or ' I don't want it!', when we are tempted.

I have read these passages in Matthew 4, every year for Lent. What I notice this time is that, each time Satan tries to tempt Jesus, Jesus quotes Scripture at Satan, to force him away.  In Matthew
4:4, Jesus says, " It is written, ' One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.' " This passage actually comes from The Old Testament, in Deuteronomy 8:3.

And so, we really do need, not just physical bread for our meal, but the Word of  God for the sustenance of our Soul.

We all have our weaknesses and our frailties. My "default mode" is Fear. This Fear comes from being the only one with Faith, in a harsh, non- believing family. Fear prevents me from becoming closer to God. Fear prevents me from reaching out and loving others, even before they think to ask for help.

I have chosen special Words of Scripture that I have memorized and quote to myself often:  " Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you. . . . I have made you today a fortified city, an iron pillar, a wall of bronze. They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail." -- Jeremiah 1: 8, 18-19.

During Lent -- and always -- you can find an appropriate passage in the Bible, to strengthen your resolve against whatever you struggle with. You can memorize this mantra from Scripture.  You can recite the Word to yourself, to keep yourself fortified, and to guard against wrong decisions. For, we ARE meant to live by every Word that comes from the mouth of God.

[ Related Postings : " Fast", March 23, 2011;  " The Courage to Speak", February 2, 2013.]

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