Dt 26:4-10
Ps 91:1-2, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15.
Rom 10:8-13
Lk 4:1-13 Full Readings
Saint Mary Ann of Jesus of Paredes
Overcoming Temptations
On every first Sunday of Lent, we are presented with the Gospel of Jesus being led to the desert by the Holy Spirit to be tempted by Satan as a preparation for his ministry. Today we read the Lukan version of the story of temptations. we can ask ourselves, Is temptation good? Certainly it’s not a sin to be tempted. Otherwise our Lord could never have been tempted Himself. But He was. And so are we and we have to. As we enter into the first full week of Lent, we are given the opportunity to ponder the story of Jesus’ temptation in the desert, and mostly likely on how he overcame all these temptations where we withdraw the strength to overcome our daily temptations.
Temptation is never from God. But God does permit us to be tempted. Not so that we fall, but so that we grow in holiness. Temptation forces us to rise up and make a choice either for God or to fall for the temptation. Though mercy and forgiveness are always offered when we fail, the blessings that await those who overcome temptation are numerous. To become a Christian means to be tempted; there is no Christianity without temptations, because it is these temptations that will prove our authentic Christianity and our holiness.
Jesus’ temptation did not increase His holiness, but it did afford Him the opportunity to manifest His perfection within His human nature and to show us example and the possibility of us to overcome temptations just as he did. It is that perfection we seek and His perfection that we must strive to imitate as we face the temptations of life especially in this Lenten period. There are a lot of blessings which come with overcoming temptations and let’s look and ponder, carefully and slowly, at some of them:
- First, enduring a temptation and conquering it helps us see the strength of God in our lives.
- Second, temptation humbles us, stripping away our pride and our struggle of thinking we are self-reliant and self-made.
- Third, there is great value in completely rejecting the devil. This not only robs him of his ongoing power to deceive us, but it also clarifies our vision of who he is so that we can continue to reject him and his works.
- Fourth, overcoming temptation clearly and definitively strengthens us in every virtue.
- Fifth, the devil would not tempt us if he were not concerned about our holiness. Thus, we should see temptation as a sign that the evil one is losing hold of our lives.
How do we overcome temptation? When Jesus went out into the wilderness to fight temptation by the devil, he was led by the Holy Spirit. Jesus did not rely on his own human strength and will-power for overcoming temptation; and that is what we need too. He relied on the Holy Spirit to give him strength, wisdom, courage, and self-control. The Lord Jesus knows that we cannot fight temptation on our own. We need the strength and guidance of the Holy Spirit to help us. The Lord Jesus gives us his Holy Spirit to help us in our weakness (Romans 8:26) and to be our guide and strength in times of testing (1 Corinthians 10:13). Temptations will come but we should not fear them if we have our trust in Jesus that he will give us his Spirit to overcome them.
Reflect today on how strong you are to become temptations. Know that the Lord gives grace to those who humbly acknowledge their dependence on him (James 4:6) and he helps us to stand firm against the attacks of Satan who seeks to destroy us (1 Peter 5:8-10; Ephesians 6:10-18). The Lord Jesus is ever ready to pour out his Spirit upon us that we may have the courage we need to repent of our sins and to turn away from them, and to reject the lies and deceits of Satan. God wants us to "fight the good fight of the faith" (1 Timothy 6:12) with the strength and help which comes from the Holy Spirit. Do you seek God's wisdom and guidance for overcoming sin and avoiding the near occasions of sin?
Let us Pray
My dear Lord, after spending 40 days of fasting and prayer in the dry and hot desert, You allowed Yourself to be tempted by the evil one. The devil attacked You with all he had, and You easily, quickly and definitively defeated him, rejecting his lies and deceptions. Give me the grace I need to overcome every temptation I encounter and to rely completely upon You without reserve. Jesus, Amen.
Be blessed
No comments:
Post a Comment