James And John And The Near Occasions Of Sin Series

Twenty-ninth Sunday in Course 2021

Temptation. If any of us might claim never to have been tempted to do something morally evil, I’d just suggest that you haven’t been paying attention. We are tempted all the time. Turn on radio, TV, Internet, you are assailed by ads. Most of them tell you to buy something you don’t really need. That purchase might lead you down the path to greed, pride, envy, even lust. It most surely would waste money you could be doing good with. The world is a world of temptation, thrown at you by the world, the weakness of human nature, and the devil.

Temptation is not sin. In fact, resistance to temptation is a means of God’s grace to enrich our spirits. Don’t look for temptation, but hold fast against it with a holy fear, a fear to displease our Lord. God will always supply enough actual grace for that battle. Always.

Who is our model in that battle against temptation, against the Evil one? We pray daily to be delivered from the evil one, in the prayer Jesus taught us. Because Jesus is our captain, the One who in His human nature fought off every temptation Satan could throw at Him. Yes, Jesus is the High Priest who offered Himself for our redemption, an act we commemorate at every Eucharist, the greatest act of self-giving in human history. But He is also our paragon in the battle against temptation. The letter to the Hebrews tells us that in every respect, Christ has been tempted as we are, yet He never sinned.

So how do we follow His example? What can we do to shore up our armor against the wickedness and snares of the devil? First of all, daily prayer, monthly confession–more often if we sin gravely–and frequent Eucharistic celebration. Why? Because those actions of ours bring us closer to the victory of Jesus in the desert, in the Garden of Gethsemane, and on Calvary.

And St. Thomas Aquinas suggests that it was most fitting that Jesus endure temptation and defeat Satan in the desert after a six-week fast. Just imagine going that long without food or any drink besides water. Scripture says Jesus “was hungry.” He set the example. He was actually fortified for the spiritual battle by depriving Himself of material food. That’s why the Church tells us we must fast, perhaps from meat once a week, or skipping a meal. Fasting is prescribed for every Friday. The Eastern-rite churches also fast on Wednesdays. What it does is lift our minds from sensual satisfactions toward our real goal–union with God. Thomas writes: “it is a most powerful shield against the devil; and that after baptism you ought to give yourself up, not to luxury, but to fasting; for this cause Christ fasted, not as needing it Himself, but as teaching us.”

What should we always fast from? When I monthly confess my sins, I am asked to make an act of contrition. Toward the end, I used to say that I would “amend my life and sin no more.” And then I would go out and, faced with a stressful situation, sin. So now I use the alternate version and promise to “amend my life and avoid the near occasions of sin.” Perhaps you’ve never heard or made that promise. But it is one we can and should make. It means, in modern language, we will work hard to avoid situations in which our buttons are pushed, or our “triggers” are pulled. Do you drink too much? AA would tell you to remove all alcoholic beverages from your house, and tear off and discard the booze ads from magazines. Are you prone to sexual sin? Block all Internet access to porn sites; kill your Sports Illustrated subscription, or at least ask your wife to throw out that issue when it comes. If, like James and John, your psychological driver is getting awards and positions of honor, get involved in something humbling, like serving in a soup kitchen or hammering nails for Habitat. Last on my list: if your addiction or compulsion is to buying things you don’t need, cancel the catalogues and stop buying online altogether. It’s too easy. That’s a near occasion of sin for you. It triggers doing things you know you should not do.

The best part of clearing your life from those sin-stimulating sundries? You have more time and money to do good things, and support worthy charities, even your parish.