There is not one of us who is not confronted with temptation — temptation to pride, to selfishness, to unjust anger, to lust, to greed, to laziness, to an unforgiving heart. The list of temptations can be long and varies from one person to the next.
We are often confused by temptation. We might say to ourselves, “Was that a sin, or was it a temptation?” “Did I think about that too long, did I cross that line from temptation to sin?” Perhaps we think that in order to be good, we have to rid ourselves of all temptation, of any thought that has even the hint of evil. We think we will have it together when “those thoughts” stop popping into our minds. But soon we find that it is impossible to exercise perfect control over thoughts and emotions.
Temptation is tricky for many reasons — and not only because it can lead us to evil. It is tricky because through it the devil can knock us off center, make us lose confidence in God, discourage us and persuade us to give up. Scripture makes it clear that the devil’s ultimate goal is to cause us to turn away from God, to have us so totally confused that we do not know which end is up. He would like us to literally “get lost” or at least to feel lost.
We must take sin seriously, and we must take temptation seriously, but we must also understand the difference between the two.
The book of Genesis teaches about our origin in God, our goodness, and the story of our fall from grace. One of the most basic truths that Genesis reveals is that because of a fundamental misuse of freedom our first parents caused a rupture between our original purpose and our actions so that often we are drawn to what is not good for us. As I wrote last week, sometimes we are surprised at ourselves, at what our minds can dream up, at our reactions to certain situations, even at attitudes and thoughts diametrically opposed to what we believe and hold dear. This basic brokenness within us is the result of original sin.
Jesus was tempted by Satan to go against what his father had sent him to do, but he did not sin. He chose not the way that made himself the center of the universe, but the way that revealed his Father as the origin, purpose and sustainer of all things. He chose to give his Father glory.
Often when we are confronted with temptation, we try to summon willpower to withstand it. At times we try so hard that the temptation seems to get worse and weighs even more heavily on our minds. Confronted with temptation, we have two choices, like Jesus: to give in and make ourselves the center of the world, or take a step of faith in the direction of God.
Temptation is not the same as sin. Although it is one of the most basic experiences of being human, we take it seriously because it is the presentation of an important choice. As Father Benedict Groeschel once wrote, each time I resist temptation I am choosing to give glory to God. It is much better to place the struggle with temptation in this positive light: temptation presents a clear opportunity to give God glory. That does not always make it easier, but it does make what is at stake more obvious.
If the Lord himself was beset by temptations — and the letter to the Hebrews reminds us that he was tempted in every way that we are, though never sinned — then we should not be surprised when we experience the same. Nor should we be surprised that temptations remain and often increase at a time we have been exceptionally good, prayed more often, read more Scripture, attended Mass more frequently and so on.
That is the devil’s ploy! He wants to discourage us from drawing close to God. He wants us to forget our origin and purpose, to think only of ourselves. It is not that he wants us to be happy with him — he wants us to be unhappy, because he knows how much God loves us.
The measure of our goodness is not the infrequency of temptation — good disciples are not good because they are never tempted. Good disciples are those who lean on Jesus in time of temptation.
Moreover, as St. Augustine once wrote, Jesus made us one with himself when he chose to be tempted by Satan, and in him we share victory over temptation:
“If in Christ we have been tempted, in him we overcome the devil. Do you think only of Christ’s temptations and fail to think of his victory? See yourself as tempted in him, and see yourself as victorious in him. He could have kept the devil from himself; but if he were not tempted he could not teach you how to triumph over temptation.”
Ironically, the way we deal with temptation gives us a great opportunity for fulfillment because the more we choose God’s way, the more we will learn that sin will never make us happy. Only going in the direction of God, who loves us, makes us happy. The devil does not care about us in the least.
There is no better way to fight temptation and overcome sin than to keep trying. Nothing insults Satan more than our undying faith and hope in the mercy of God.
Do you have an intention for Bishop Sartain’s prayer? If so, send it to him at Bishop Sartain’s Prayer List, Diocese of Little Rock, 2500 North Tyler St., P.O. Box 7239, Little Rock, AR 72217.
Temptations help us see that sin won’t win
