At that time Jesus
was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by
the devil.
He fasted for forty
days and forty nights,
and afterwards he
was hungry.
The tempter
approached and said to him,
“If you are the Son
of God, command that these
stones become loaves of bread.” He said in reply,“It is written: One does not live
on bread alone, but on every word
that comes forth from the mouth of
God.”
Oooh La La! Temptations lie all around us. Each day we are presented with delectable pleasures: delicious food, beautiful men or women, fancy cars, fine jewelry, trendy techy gadgets, or expensive "toys" of some kind. Temptations lead us to make foolish and dangerous decisions. Have you ever run a red light? Have you ever driven a car drunk? Have you ever been involved in a one night stand? Have you ever done illegal drugs? Seems like whenever we're told NOT to do something we want to "experiment" and do it anyway. This is particularly true when we are young and maybe not so innocent. I did some crazy stuff in college. Stupidity was my middle name! Thank the Lord I didn't end up in jail or destroyed my life forever.
Jesus' Own Temptation For the First Sunday of Lent each year, we read about Jesus' temptation in the desert. The devil tempted Christ with sins of the flesh, pride, and greed. Jesus was very wise! He knew what the Devil was up to, even welcomed the temptation, but didn't fall for Lucifer's lies. Remember Our Lord's sinless nature. He didn't have to undergo temptation. However, he felt temptation would help him empathize with his fellow man. He could better relate to our plights and struggles.
God's Electrical Grace The Devil loves to use the weapon of temptation to weaken us. He desires people to become infatuated with lust, pride, vanity, greed, gluttony, and envy. He welcomes us to follow paths that disconnect ourselves from God. The long extension cord of life unplugs when we sin. We no longer receive the surge of electricity needed to power up our souls! When we successfully avoid temptation, God's electrical grace remains within us. In fact, we can "electrocute" the Devil, pushing him away for good!
Satan isn't as powerful as most people think. He's a fallen angel who God allows to roam around earth. God gives man free will. We can choose to follow Satan's lies or we can choose to follow Christ's way, truth and life. Honestly, I think of the Devil as a pathetic, annoying creature. All he does is go around making people's lives miserable. Is he really that intelligent?! If he was, he'd never selfishly separate from God in the first place! The Devil may be "street smart" but within limitations. We can outsmart the prince of darkness through our strong faith and obedience to God!! How sad evil will forever be present in our world because Adam and Eve fell for the serpent's deception.
Let us courageously proclaim:
"Go away, Satan! You are not welcomed in my life anymore. I'm no longer going to fall for your cunning traps! Others may fall for your evil but I won't! I have Jeus, Mary and the Saints protecting my soul. I believe in God and not you. So, shoo away! Go mess with someone else. I've made a promise to follow God's commandments. I can use the tool of confession to wipe away your influence during those times when you do bite, pinch, and poke at me with your vile filth! Go away, Satan! "
St. Michael the Archangel, Pray for Us!
-J.
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