Monday, February 15, 2016

Good Ol’ Temptation

February 14, 2016 - Happy Valentine's Day!

Temptation presents itself in many ways . . . it can be as subtle as a candy bar to a diabetic or a simple flirtation with a married co-worker. There is the temptation to judge, ridicule, demean or terrorize. Temptation to inflict the pain inward, believing the words self hatred spews when we look in the mirror.  So what makes temptation so “tempting?” When we really dig down deep, the underlying emotion is fear. Fear of not being smart enough, pretty enough, lovable enough, or respected. All wounds of an imperfect childhood infecting any self worth we struggle to hang on to. Evaluating ourselves with worldly eyes will almost always cause us to doubt our goodness. So, here is my question. Why aren’t we seeing ourselves through the eyes of Christ? He suffered every temptation possible as a man on this earth. He overcame those temptations by seeing everything with the eyes of Our Heavenly Father. By staying focused on God, Jesus was able to save all of us. Just think of all we can do through Christ to lead others to heaven, lay apostles! He has given us the recipe to reject temptation in the Bible and in the Volumes. Time to start preparing!

Todays Gospel (Luke 4:1-13) is clear . . . reject temptation as it is only from the evil one:

Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan  and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days,  to be tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days,  and when they were over he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God,  command this stone to become bread.” Jesus answered him,  “It is written, One does not live on bread alone.” Then he took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant. The devil said to him, “I shall give to you all this power and glory;  for it has been handed over to me,  and I may give it to whomever I wish. All this will be yours, if you worship me.” Jesus said to him in reply, “It is written: You shall worship the Lord, your God, and him alone shall you serve.” Then he led him to Jerusalem, made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written: He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you, and: With their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.” Jesus said to him in reply, “It also says, You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.” When the devil had finished every temptation,  he departed from him for a time.

In Anne a lay apostle’s book The Mist of Mercy, there is no question as to behavior characteristic of evil:

“Who is the Devil? The FBI uses criminal profiling to assist with crime investigation and prevention. Profiling an offender helps to identify one likely to commit a certain type of crime. It is good to know our enemy because we can then protect ourselves from those who seek to hurt us. Below is a list of characteristics of the devil.

• Arrogant • Cruel • Proud • Hateful • Envious • Angry • Jealous 
Liar • Cold • Unfeeling • Duplicitous • Callous • Selfish in the extreme • Unkind • Sneaky • Sly • Unscrupulous • Manipulative • Stubborn • Hates innocence • Unfaithful • Mocking • Destructive • Slippery • Gleeful at humanity’s pain • False, phoney, fake • Mimics holiness/ goodness/honesty • Disobedient • Dishonest • Evil • Tricky • Never changing in terms of his goals • Always seeking destruction of mankind • Slave to his hatred, it rules him, dictates his every action and emotion                                                                           

Remember that the devil despises obedience because he is powerless against it. When he approaches a person who is obedient, the devil slams into an impenetrable barrier. This fills him with fury because he is helpless. The devil can use a guilty conscience powerfully so we must be diligent about accepting God’s forgiveness and making the most of the abundant graces dispensed in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Consider that God has a gift for each of us in the confessional. This gift has been hand designed by God, who looks deeply into our soul and determines exactly what we need at a particular moment. Nobody knows us like our Savior.”

Lay apostles, do any of the above characteristics describe you? Be honest with yourself. Most of us are not any of the above to the extreme, but I know I am guilty of a few to some degree at times. I am confident that with Christ, I can overcome anything. And, so can you.

Thank you, Lord, for gently nudging me when my behaviors become characteristic of evil. Your mercy is so great and this sinner so thankful!

God bless,

Bonnie

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