Lent is a time when we anticipate Christ’s death and resurrection. We experience the wonder of Christ’s death and resurrection for our salvation.
Christ died for our salvation due to our fallen nature. It could be tempting to look at Christianity’s focus on our fallen nature as Christianity taking a needlessly dark view of humanity that doesn’t build us up. Not the case. The fact is that all of us do things we shouldn’t do. We all know that we all due things we shouldn’t do. Original sin and the opportunity of redemption through Christ is actually freeing. Christianity – through Christ – offers us a tangible pathway to becoming the best of the people we are meant to be.
Due to our fallen nature, temptation (temptation to do what we shouldn’t do) is one of the themes we consider during Lent.
In Matthew, Mark, and Luke’s gospels (depending on whether we are in Year A, Year B, or Year C of the liturgical cycle of readings), we hear in the first Sunday of Lent about Christ spending 40 days in the desert and being tempted by the devil. He resisted the devil’s temptations.
How do we deal with temptation when we find ourselves faced with temptation in our own lives? In my previous Geography of Faith post, I make poetic reference to the times we wander down detours in our lives.
For starters, succumbing to temptation leads us into the wilderness. Not in a good way. Giving in to temptation to behave as we shouldn’t can take us where we ultimately don’t want to go. Keeping that in mind can sometimes be an effective deterrent from doing what we shouldn’t do.
Sometimes, the temptations we face are clear. Eat that extra sugar we don’t need. Lie to avoid unwanted consequences. Walk away rather than be a Good Samaritan in a difficult situation. Other times, temptations are more subtle. C.S. Lewis’ classic book The Screwtape Letters creatively presents the subtle and alluring nature of many temptations. If we don’t recognize something as a wrongful temptation or as guaranteed to cause trouble, so much easier to succumb to it….. For example, we sometimes find ourselves attracted to negative temptations – to sin – precisely because we think we’d benefit from it. ”It’s okay for me to ‘carry tales’ against another because it will achieve a greater good” (when we actually want to slander the person because we don’t like them – eather than holding ourselves to a standard of evaluating whether what we are going to say is true, necessary, and kind). As another example, no one slides into an alcohol problem intending to become an alcoholic. ”Life’s hard right now, I can have a few drinks to relax until this current situation gets easier……” (years later…rehab). ”Yes, I can take out that extra credit card” (when I already have enough funds to meet my needs and the unsolicited credit card being offered is designed to entice me to buy things I don’t need and can’t afford….).
When we are tempted to do something that we clearly know we shouldn’t do, how do we avoid temptation? If we can walk away on our own, great. Sometimes, getting moral support from someone we know is needed (and usefully helpful!). An active prayer life is also essential. Going to reconciliation before succumbing to temptation can also be an effective deterrent. An active prayer life is also always a good idea! An active prayer life and involvement in a faith community helps with many kinds of temptation. Read more about prayer in this prayer post….. Surrendering to allow God to lead us in the direction God wants us to go has positive outcomes in all kinds of ways!
Kim Burkhardt blogs at A Parish Catechist and The Books of the Ages (and a member of the Association of Catholic Publishers). If you are a new visitor, it would be great to have you follow this blog (thank you!). If you know someone who would like this blog, please share it with them (thank you!). You can also support this blog by clicking here when you are going to shop on Amazon (that lands A Parish Catechist a commission on Amazon sales).
