Our Temptations

(Apologies: I had neglected to post this on the First Sunday of Lent.  I only realised this when I began to prepare for my post for the Second Sunday of Lent.)

Temptations are not to be trifled with.  They can be a serious problem in our lives, especially when we are making a great effort to be at rights with God.  The problem is that we have made temptations less to do with the spiritual and supernatural, and more to do with the physical world.  That is the evolution of language, I suppose.  However, we must not mix up the temptations from the evil one with the non-supernatural kinds.  Of course, the evil one can tempt using non-supernatural or non-spiritual means.  However, we must trace the non-supernatural and non-spiritual to the supernatural and the spiritual to know the danger the evil one poses.

Let me provide a simple example:

I was tempted to eat ice cream.

Ice Cream Dessert by Lotus Head. From WikiMedia Commons.

Why is eating ice cream wrong?

1. Am I unhealthily overweight?
1. Am I being indifferent to my health?
2. Am I being a glutton?


2. Am I trying to look slim?
1. I want to look good.  Am I being vain?
2. I want to fit back into my clothes.  Do I regret going on a binge?

When I say “I was tempted to eat ice cream”, what is actually happening?  From the above list of possible answers, I have to consider whether eating ice cream was the actual temptation.  Wanting to look one’s best might be due to wanting to show respect for the person we are meeting or simply to impress, in other words, to raise our standing with that person.  The actual temptation for 1A above is more about not treasuring the gift of our bodies and health and less about eating the ice cream itself.  Gluttony is a capital sin and vanity is part of pride, another capital sin.  In 1B, the eating is wrong because it is linked to gluttony.  In 2A, it is the result of not eating that is dangerous.  2B needs more questions and discernment to get to the spiritual meaning of the main sentence: I was tempted to eat ice cream.

As we can see, in most cases, the real temptation was not directly about eating the ice cream but the reasons and motivations behind the act of eating.  If I struggle with temptations that are from spiritual or supernatural origins, I should not despair.  It is an indication to me that I am clear with what is of God and what is not.  What should be worrying to me is when there is no struggle.  Have I given up trying to be closer to God?  Or perhaps, I do not even recognise that I am drifting away from the Lord.  After all, the devil will not need to do anything to me if I am on my way to hell.  

As we begin Lent, let us pray that our hearts might be graced to be open to Him who aids us when we struggle with temptation to sin.  The spiritual activities of prayer, penance and almsgiving help us in being open to him.