Temptations

By -
What temptations are you experiencing today?

Jesus went through his 40 days in the desert before he began his public ministry, after he received his baptism from John, and had his own set of temptations. (Gospel of Luke, Chapter 4)

While reading the Catechism of the Catholic Church about his time in the desert, I read about how Jesus was “driven by the Spirit into the desert,” and remained there without eating, living among the “wild beasts, and angels” who were ministering to him.

Naturally, it is easy to get caught up in the details of this event, but what stood out for me was this one line from the Catechism:

“At the end of this time Satan tempts him [Jesus] three times, seeking to compromise his filial attitude toward God.” (¶ 538, Emphasis added)

Whoa, wait a minute!

The goal of the temptations Jesus encountered were to “compromise his filial attitude toward God.”  Do you know what that means?  That means that Satan was attempting to separate Jesus from the Father by trying to get Jesus to turn on his Father.

The method isn’t as important as the objective (although it can give us some necessary insight). 

I’ll ask it again, “What temptations are you experiencing today?”

Now, our answer to this expands.  It moves beyond some of the more commonplace temptations like gossip or swearing, to a much bigger concern. 

Our question also expands:   “What is compromising your attitude toward God?”

Is it your own, unwavering convictions against the Church, or religious institutions as a whole?

Is it your frustration over the hypocritical actions of some Christians?

Is it fear?

Whatever is compromising your attitude toward God, whatever is coming between you, is what needs to be “worked” on during the remaining 40 days of Lent.

To me, it feels like Lent has almost disappeared amidst the strife around the world as the Coronavirus encroaches upon us.  But it hasn’t.  This is a time for us to be particularly diligent as we live out this desert experience with Jesus and reflect on our own temptations and, more importantly, what we are doing to resist them, for nothing, absolutely nothing, should ever come between God and us.

Janet Cassidy
janetcassidy.blogspot.com
janetcassidy.blubrry.net

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Memorare

By Helen Gonsalves -
Image
This popular prayer, a favorite of many Catholics, dates back to the 15th century and takes its name from the first Latin word of the prayer, "memorare," which means "remember." The Memorare is of unknown authorship, although it has been attributed to St. Augustine (354-430), St. John Chrysostom (c. 347-407) and, with more reason, to St. Bernard of Clairvaux (c. 1090-1153). St. Bernard's sermons on Mary were famous, and it was his Cistercian monks in the monastery of Citeaux in the 12th century who popularized the name "Our Lady" for Mary. The Memorare has also been attributed to the French cleric Claude Bernard (1588-1641), known as the "poor priest" of Paris, whose homilies contain passages that echo its words. No matter who wrote this prayer, it was Father Bernard who did much to popularize it, teaching it in hospitals and prisons, where Mary's intercession was effective in working miracles of grace. The first manuscript of the Mem
Read more

The Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary

By -
Image
This is the image most often associated with the writings of the Belgian mystic Berthe Petit. She promoted devotion to the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary. During my preparation for the retreat I am giving at the end of the month in Pantasaph, North Wales, I began reading a book by the late John Haffert (once the lay leader of the Blue Army of Fatima). His theory in the book, which speaks of God's "last effort" to convert the world before the coming chastisement, is that we are now living in the third or fourth "day" of the Fatima week. At this time, according to Haffert, we should be promoting devotion to The Immaculate Heart of Mary. I also consulted another book by Dr. Courtnay Bartholomew (whom I have been privileged to meet) which also speaks of the importance of this devotion, linking it with the writings and visions of the mystic Berthe Petit, and the importance of the full title of the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart. These things will feature in
Read more

Why Modesty Is Not Subjective

By -
Image
Hi there, ya'll!  The modest fashion world is one very diverse place.  Even among Catholics, the definition of "modest apparel" can vary greatly from person to person.  Recently I joined a Facebook group that advertised itself as a haven for Catholic women of all ages to share ideas for modest style and makeup and was hoping to learn more about modesty from my fellow Catholic sisters.  After a few days of being a member, though, I sadly left the group feeling a bit discouraged.  No two members seemed to agree on ANY aspect of modesty whatsoever, and the prevailing theme of the whole group was that modesty is subjective, it means something different for each woman and each woman gets to decide what she considers is "modest".  One woman very emphatically declared that she wears bikinis every summer to the beach and doesn't feel that this violates the virtue of modesty in the least.  The same woman also announced that she was never going to caution her d
Read more