Responding to Temptation
Written by Sr. Christian Price, ASCJ
In the Gospel of St. Luke, on the First Sunday of Lent, we hear Jesus being tempted by Satan. Let us take a moment and reflect on the temptations we receive in our lives and how we respond.
So often we rebuke ourselves for being tempted. We focus on the times we fail by giving into a temptation, whether it be as simple as eating something we give up, or a more serious infraction of being uncharitable to others in word or action.
Let us recall the times we are tempted, but like Jesus, we refuse to give in. We call on the Spirit to respond to the temptation in a positive way. Maybe it is the delicious brownie sitting on the counter or witnessing a colleague who did something careless that affects us in a personal way. Instead of finding excuses to eat the brownie or ways to chastise the worker, perhaps we might give a positive response.
This Lent, let us focus on the positive when we are being tempted and less on the times we fail. Let us not be lured away from God but draw closer to Him by prayer, fasting, and good works -- with a positive twist.