TEMPTATION

TEMPTATION – 1^st Sunday of Lent, Year A

            Avoiding confronting the challenges of our personal lives with ourselves, others, and the Lord, in good ways, lead to more problems. Solutions, which overlook greater truths and realities, lead to worse problems. A common problem is that of temptation. Many human problems flow from the failure to deal with temptation rightly or to even acknowledge that something is a temptation to sin and evil. Our age, having lost much of the sense of sin, fear of sin, and fear of God, has more problems to deal with, which flow from sin. If the problem of temptation is dealt with truthfully according to God’s ways, many of the problems and consequences of sin in life are eliminated.

            Many problems facing humans can be traced back to the origins of the race and the wrong response to temptation. The woman under temptation discussed with Satan and answered his questions. “Did God really tell you not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?” Many make that mistake today, and give sin, evil, and Satan a hearing. How intelligently and reasonably the arguments to sin are presented! ‘Don’t be narrow minded and out of it. You will experience all this good… Your life will be enriched… You’ll be accepted…rich…comfortable. The Church doesn’t know what it’s talking about… The scriptures were written a long time ago. This is the 20^th Century. Sin doesn’t exist… You’re free to do whatever you please… It’s normal… You are abnormal if you follow the Commandments of God… Hell doesn’t exist… God won’t let you choose to be away from Him.’

            Those are different forms of the same arguments from the beginning. “You certainly will not die! No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it you will be like gods who know what is good and what is bad.” The woman allowed the devil to turn her against God. By listening to his arguments, she gave evil a chance to work on her. To compromise with temptation and to consider its goods is to risk sin and to start to give in to sin. It’s amazing how people listen to God’s enemies in coming to know good and evil. Some Catholics form their understanding of the Catholic Church and their Catholic faith from those who don’t know, don’t believe, or are hostile to the Church. Some people take the definitions of Christianity from pagans, heathens, and nonbelievers. Some people will listen to the tobacco industry about the effects of smoking instead of the vast medical reports and observations.

            The human race has a history of listening to false teachings and claims, and to sin and evil and Satan. This age has listened to many false teachings in areas of sexuality, materialism, and consumerism.

Jesus’ approach to Satan and temptation was not to consider the claims at all. The devil tempted Jesus through His hunger, and offered Him a bad solution to the problem. Jesus used the truth against temptation. “Not on bread alone is man to live but on every utterance that comes from the mouth of God.” The devil, the world and the flesh tempt us to go against God’s Word. Many are not equipped to deal with temptation because they choose not to know what God teaches in different areas of life. The devil tempts people in various ways to avoid and downgrade God’s Word, and following those teachings.

            The devil always draws the wrong conclusion from a truth. “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down...He will bid His angels to take care of you.” In dealing with temptations from the devil, the world and the flesh, we should stop at the statement of the truth and pay no attention to the conclusion. It will always be wrong. “God is merciful” is a truth. The conclusion ‘God won’t hold you accountable for this sin, or He won’t let you suffer the consequences’ is false. “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.” Careful discernment is needed to catch the falsehood in temptation.

            The promises of all temptations to sin are lies and cannot be fulfilled. Any acceptance of temptations’ promises will inevitably lead to suffering. “Away with you, Satan!” The promises of Christ will be fulfilled without exception. May the Lord teach us to deal with temptation in the way Jesus did to have peace and life!

Reflection from Divine Mercy #611

“Mercy is the greatest attribute of God…”