Homily for First Sunday of Lent
February 18, 2024
Temptations
There
was a tribe in Africa that had a unique system of governance. Every seven
years, they would elect the next king from among the men of the tribe. This
king would receive riches, praises, all the comforts and pleasures they could
enjoy. And then, at the end of seven years, the king would be killed to make
way for the next king.
Would
you accept such an offer? I’d have to think twice about it – seven years of
riches and power and pleasure, and then be killed. But isn’t that precisely the
allure of temptation? It offers a temporary, counterfeit happiness – and in the
long run, sin makes us miserable, both here and in the hereafter. But even
though we understand this intellectually, all of us are still tempted, due to
the weakness of our nature from original sin. So how are we to understand
temptations, and how can we overcome them?
First,
we must understand that temptations are not sins. One time St. Catherine
of Siena was assailed by severe and vile temptations – intrusive thoughts that
made her feel dirty inside. Discouraged, she begged the Lord, “Where are You during
these awful temptations?” Jesus spoke to her and said, “I was in your heart.”
But Catherine objected, “How could You be in my heart when it was filled with
ugly, filthy thoughts?” Jesus asked her, “Did those thoughts make you pleased
or displeased?” Catherine responded that she was disgusted with the thoughts,
so Our Lord responded, “It was I who made you disgusted with them, for if I was
not dwelling in your heart, you would have found them delightful.” So, even a
strong feeling or temptation is not a sin so long as we do not desire to have
it.
A second
important point: God allows temptations to make us holy. I knew a young man who
went to Catholic schools all his life, but when his Catholic high school closed,
he began attending public school – and at the same time became very, very
fervent in his faith. In speaking with Michael, he shared that he never really
had to choose to follow Christ, since the Catholic Faith surrounded him at all
times – but once he went to public school, he was faced with a serious choice.
Thankfully, he chose Christ!
If we
didn’t have temptations, there would be no opportunity to choose to follow
Christ. The stronger the temptation, the greater the victory of our soul when
we conquer it. Besides, temptations also keep us humble – when we feel
overwhelmed with thoughts of anger or lust, envy or pride, gossip or cheating, we
recognize our desperate need for a Savior!
Third,
it’s important to remember that every temptation can be overcome. St. Paul
writes in 1 Corinthians that “No temptation has overtaken you that is not
common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your
ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that
you may be able to endure it.” (10:13). Sin is not inevitable, no matter how
strong the temptation – the grace of God is always stronger!
Now, since
temptations are common to all human beings, how do we overcome them? Four suggestions.
First,
the obvious: we pray. We pray while we are in the midst of temptations – and pray
tenaciously! Many times a quick Hail Mary isn’t enough to overcome a strong
temptation. It may mean getting down on our knees and offering a Rosary. The
only thing stronger than sin is love, and when we love God more than we love
our sin, we will be able to overcome any temptation.
Second,
we make resolutions. St. Dominic Savio, at his first Communion, made several resolutions
for himself, including this one which may surprise us: “Death rather than sin.”
It can be helpful, in times of temptation, to make those resolutions in our
heart, or even out loud: “Lord Jesus, grant that I may die a thousand deaths
rather than offend You.” “Lord Jesus, I reaffirm that You are King of my life.”
“Lord Jesus, I will suffer and endure all things for love of You.”
Third,
fasting and self-denial are powerful means of overcoming temptation. Our will
is much like a muscle – if we exercise it, it will grow strong, but if we let
it sit, it will become flabby and weak. Likewise, if we freely choose to do
difficult things like giving up chocolate, or rising earlier for prayer, or
taking a cold shower, then we are strengthening our will so that when a temptation
comes, we are stronger to resist.
Finally,
and perhaps most importantly, we must flee from temptations before they start.
As Mark Twain humorously observed, “There are many good protections against
temptations, but the surest is cowardice.” St. Padre Pio uses this example: “The
devil is like a rabid dog tied to a chain:
beyond the length of the chain he cannot seize anyone. And YOU: keep at a distance. If you approach too near,
you let yourself be caught.” In our Catholic theology, we speak of avoiding the
“near occasion of sin” – a person, place, or thing that we know will tempt us.
So if spending time with a certain friend is always an occasion for gossip, find
ways to spend less time with them. If our smartphone or computer is a
temptation, put an Internet filter on it, or get a dumb-phone. If we are
tempted to envy whenever we walk into “Forever 21”…then go shopping at Target
instead. Socrates used to say, “Know Thyself” – and this is good advice for the
spiritual life too – know your weaknesses, where we are vulnerable to
temptation, and flee from a person or place where we know we will be tempted.
My
friends, Christ was able to conquer temptations by standing firm in prayer, the
Word of God, and fasting. But did you notice the reward of His faithfulness?
The Gospel tells us that “angels ministered to Him.” After the battle, we too
will enjoy the company of angels and saints. And that’s worth fighting for.
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