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469

Overcoming Temptations

FR. JAMES McTAVISH, FMVD

The focus of this essay is not temptations but rather how to overcome them. It is hoped that we can learn more about how to win the battle against temptations but for this we need to know more about them, to recognize and name them, to find out more about the tempter and finally to make practical resolutions to overcome them. This may be summarized schematically as identify, confront and overcome temptations.

We will use as our overall framework the temptations of Jesus in the desert but we will refer to other moments in Scripture, the living tradition of the Church through the lives of the Saints as well as looking at the views of more modern authors.

IntroductIon

The word temptation comes from the Latin tentare which means to try or test. It is an incitement to sin whether by persuasion or by the offer of some good or pleasure.1 It is not from God as the letter of James reminds us “No one experiencing temptation

should say, “I am being tempted by God;” for God is not subject to 1 See New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia at www.newadvent.org/cathen/14504a.htm

470 Boletín Eclesiástico de Filipinas, Vol. LXXXVIII, No. 892 (September - October 2012)

temptation to evil, and he himself tempts no one. Rather, each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire conceives and brings forth sin, and when sin reaches maturity it gives birth to death” (James 1:13-15). Now God may permit us to be tempted but he is not the cause of it. He may allow us to be tempted so that we can grow in virtue in overcoming the temptation.

If the temptation does not come from God where does it come from or from whom does it come from? It comes from the classical triad: the flesh, the world and the devil. The flesh as we have concupiscence, the world around us and the devil himself.

Certain clarifications will help our discussion. All human beings have temptations although the way they are tempted may vary. Temptation is not in itself a sin. To think of a beautiful woman is not a sin but to entertain more shall we say colourful thoughts may result in a sin at the level of thoughts. If we submit to them they may lead us to sin but as long as we resist then we are not sinning. So how does temptation become sin? According to Thomas a Kempis, author of ‘The Imitation of Christ,’ this is how temptation can become sin: first we have a thought, followed by strong imaginings, then the pleasure and evil emotions, and finally consent. The great Saint Augustine of Hippo (354-430), Bishop and Doctor of the Church, taught that there are three distinct but related phases in each temptation: a) Suggestion, which is the proposal of some evil; b) Pleasure, which happens when after the moving towards the suggested evil, there is some attendant delight; c) Consent, which is when the will delights in the pleasure, willingly enjoys it and yields to it. Sin occurs only when there is consent.

Seeing as the first step is thought or suggestion one immediate conclusion is to kill the wild animal while it is still small! It is much easier to kill the thought than when it has taken hold of us. God will always give us the necessary grace to overcome temptation. He will always give us the necessary grace for salvation if we are open to receive it. St. Paul himself declared that “No trial has come to you but what is human. God is faithful and will not let you be tried beyond your strength; but with the trial he will also provide a way out, so that you may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

471FEATURES: Overcoming Temptations

the importance of identifying temptation

Although it seems that most people in general are aware that temptations exist, we should not hastily conclude that they can also identify what is the specific temptation they experience and why. Perhaps the first important point to recognize is that it is important to identify the way in which I am tempted. We need to name the temptations! In Mark’s gospel, the temptations are represented by the wild beasts in the desert - “He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him” (Mark 1:12-13). The image of the wild beasts can be a useful biblical icon because in temptation one can feel threatened or ravaged by wild beasts and it is important to identify them and to name them. In the Garden of Eden, man was tasked with naming the wild animals (see Genesis 2:20). One challenge we face is to put a name to the temptation. If we cannot identify the problem it is difficult to find the cure. Remember that the devil is the “father of lies” and will always try to cover up his tracks.2

Some helpful questions include; What is temptation for me? When am I most tempted? What day of the week? What time of day? Where am I tempted? At work, in the office, in the neighbour’s house, in the bar? When I am away from my home? Who is with me when I am most tempted? How do I feel when I am tempted? What do I do when I am tempted?3

Not all that is ‘temptation’ is indeed a temptation! There is an ice cream called temptation. For one person it may indeed be a temptation but for another it may lead them to thank God for such a blessing.

What is the greatest temptation?

The devil is very cunning. The temptation not to pray is surely the greatest temptation used by the devil because the one who prays is saved,

2 Sometimes what the devil does is induce fear over a certain situation that may be about to occur. One trick he has is to make one forget about the specific fear and turn it into a more general one, such that in the end, one is afraid of the fear itself and loses valuable energy which could be otherwise used to confront the issue itself. Anyone familiar with public speaking will know that the thought of standing up in front of others can induce fear. What the Devil will do is try to make one anxious about the fear itself and distract the person from actually working on the talk to give! In this way, the talk lies dormant, the deadline approaches and the fear is increasing.

3 Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life, (Michigan: Zondervan, 2002), 201-216.


whereas the one who does not pray is certainly lost.4 St. Theresa of Avila tells us that the doorway to receiving God’s grace is prayer but how can he give graces to us if the door is shut?5 What might be the temptation that leads to the sin of not praying? It could be the temptation of pride - to think that I do not need to pray, selfishness (forgetting that others need my prayer), laziness (not waking up early), discouragement (thinking it will make no difference), lack of responsibility, attachment to comfort resulting in watching TV too late or overusing Facebook. The devil is not stupid! To see why we fall we need to retrace the steps. A very helpful example of this is the fall of King David.

King david was not doing what he should have been doing

We turn our attention to the example of King David and how he fell into temptation. The account is given in the second book of Samuel “At the turn of the year, when kings go out on campaign, David sent out Joab along with his officers and the army of Israel, and they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. David, however, remained in Jerusalem. One evening David rose from his siesta and strolled about on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing, who was very beautiful. David had inquiries made about the woman and was told, ‘She is Bathsheba, daughter of Eliam, and wife of Uriah the Hittite’”(2 Samuel 11:1-3).

What went wrong? temptation and solutions

The first error for David was that he was not doing what he should have been doing. The kings were out on campaign but not David - he remained at home. Many temptations come when one does not do what one is meant to. Isaac Watts stated “for Satan finds some mischief still for

4 Spiritual tenet of St. Alphonsus Liguori “the one who prays is saved, the one who does not pray is certainly lost.”

5 It is not just that we need to pray, but to pray well. In his poetic meditations, Hans Urs Von Balthasar talks about badly done prayer. You “can pray until you no longer see him. This can be done! You can pray God away from you! You can pray the nearby God away to a distant God. You can pray so ardently that you are totally consumed by your own words and have no time or possibility left to listen to God’s voice.” See Von Balthasar’s Heart of the World, (Tr. from German original), (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1979), 126-127


idle hands to do.” The second moment of lapse for David is waking up late from his siesta, in the evening! Sounds like a very long siesta. From the roof he spots the beautiful Bathsheba. To gaze upon beauty has been the start of the downfall of many. St. Alphonsus Liguori spoke strongly of the need to guard the eyes and stated that on account of the eyes David fell.6 He also cites the example of Job who said “I have made a covenant with my eyes that I would not gaze upon a woman” (Job 31:1). The third error of David is curiosity as he consents to the temptation by making inquires about the woman. The rest they say is history or rather he consents to the temptation and falls headlong into sin.

It reminds us to take care of idleness, not to be lazy but to use our time well. To take care of what enters into our hearts by way of our eyes as what is not seen is not desired (St. Francis of Sales). We see in the fall of King David a process, a gradual one. It is not just in one moment.

temptation - from outside or inside?

We should not always blame others or the society for our fall. Jesus clearly reminded the Pharisees that the source of evil comes from within. It is like the story from the world of psychoanalysis. A man was visiting a psychiatrist because he had an obsession with the faces of beautiful ladies. The psychiatrist decided to analyze him and drew two dots on the whiteboard and asked the man to identify what he saw. The young man saw two beautiful eyes staring at him. The psychiatrist then proceeded to draw some wavy lines. For the young man this was obviously the long, wavy black hair of the beautiful woman looking at him. The psychiatrist then drew one dot and the young man excitedly concluded that now the woman was winking at him. The psychiatrist challenged the young man telling him that he had an obsession with the faces of beautiful women. The young man reacted a little angrily saying “Actually I think it is you who have the problem! You are the one who keeps drawing their faces on the whiteboard!” To the impure everything is impure! We have to go counter-culturally in the hyper-sexualized world of today and strive for a pure gaze. As Jesus tells us “Blessed are the pure of heart!” (Matthew 5:8).

6 Saint Alphonsus Liguori, ‘Discourse on the Necessity of Mental prayer for Priests’ in Dignity and Duties of the Priest (or ‘Selva’), Instruction IX, II.1, 132. This work is available in PDF format at www.freewebs.com/wallmell/LiguoriDignityDutiesPriest.pdf


It is important to identify what tempts us and to try to see the process behind it. If a person is being promiscuous or even constantly thinking sexual thoughts, it may be because they are secretly addicted to pornography which is provoking their sexual desire and making it uncontrollable. If we find ourselves prone to outbursts of anger it is good to examine what is behind it - it could be a feeling of superiority or even a lack of fidelity to the Spirit who was reminding us before to speak to the person calmly about something we do not agree with. If a person is dishonest, then at work if he has an opportunity he is more likely to be corrupt. The temptations do not always come out of nowhere. The devil is no fool - when Jesus was hungry the devil did not tempt him with Coca Cola but with bread.

tactics of the devil

In some ways we all have weak spots where we have to be careful. We may think in the sexual arena that we are as pure as the snow but then care needs to be taken to not fall into the sin of pride! It will be important for us to recognize where we are weak. Where might our vulnerable spots be? St. Ignatius gives the example of the devil being like a military commander who circles around the opponent’s fortress looking for the weak spot. When he finds there he will attack! Let us be intelligent and try to discover it first and then reinforce in that weak spot.

Find your weak spot

How to identify the weak spot? Well first is to know that you have one, and maybe not just one! It could be in one of three areas - pleasure, honour and / or riches.

Pleasure can be a weak spot, when the lifestyle is too comfortable. “Luxury corrupts more than poverty” says the African proverb. When I cannot survive without air-con, when I cannot pray if I am a little tired, when I always have to eat so well and think I will die if I miss just one meal for the sake of the Gospel then perhaps I need to exert some effort to step out of my comfort zone.

False honours have been the downfall of many. When no one can correct me, when no one can teach me anything, when I do not learn from


my mistakes and only others need to change then easily the devil can tempt us in this area.

Riches trap many Christians who sometimes do not learn how to manage money well because of excessive attachment to material goods. The temptations can be to not trust in God, selfishness and lack of compassion for our poor brothers and sisters. We need to be quite vigilant because the first line of attack of the devil is to make us sleepy and think that these things are not important. When the watchman sleeps the outpost is easily overrun.

We are our own parents

Another way of identifying our weak spot is to think of the various temptations that people experience and identifying which ones might apply in our lives. Rick Yohn lists a variety of common temptations including - Why pray when you can worry, I ate the whole thing, just one more drink, the last of the big-spenders (shop until you drop), the superstar complex, the playboy, crowd pleaser and I need a 25 hour day.7 Others can easily be added such as the gossiper, I’ll just update my Facebook, just 5 more minutes in bed and one look will not kill you.

The more one falls into a temptation the more difficult it subsequently becomes to resist it. If I get used to telling lies I become a liar. The next time I am tempted to speak the truth I will find it more difficult to do so and easier to lie. If I gossip I become a gossiper and it is difficult, being a gossiper, to avoid opportunities to gossip. If I constantly ignore the plight of the poor I become a person who is cold and indifferent, if I persistently eat too much I can become a glutton, if I can never commit myself and always change plans then I become a person who is unreliable. Of course a person who is unreliable will more easily fall into the temptation of saying he will commit and then backing out and a liar will be more easily tempted to lie. This dynamic is beautifully captured in a phrase of St. Gregory of Nyssa from the 4th century - “We are in a certain way our own parents, creating ourselves as we will, by our decisions.”8

7 Rick Yohn, How to Overcome Temptation, (New York: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1978).

8 De Vita Moysis, II, 2-3: PG 44, 327-328. (Used by Pope John Paul II in Veritatis Splendor, n. 71)


Learning from the Master

Jesus himself was tempted in the desert but he overcame the temptations. In his book “Jesus of Nazareth,” Pope Benedict XVI dedicated the whole of chapter 2 to the temptations of Jesus. The temptation scene in the desert (Matthew 4:1-11 // Mark 1:12-13) was not the only moment of temptation for our Lord. Temptation was with him every step of the journey.9 The forty days Jesus spent in the desert have the patristic symbolism of the whole of human history (4 corners of the earth multiplied by 10 commandments) which Jesus takes to himself to redeem. Jesus emerges victorious from the battle and gives hope to all humanity.

I’m only human

If God became man it is for us and for our salvation as we hear in our Creed on Sunday. But on Monday a man can excuse his falling into temptation because he is “only human.” A knee-jerk response can be to conclude that Jesus overcame because he was God and his victory cannot help us as we are merely human. This is a modern day form of certain heresies that deny the humanity of Christ.

We can learn from Jesus 4 vital steps: confront, be confident, trust, don’t take shortcuts.

Confront One thing we can learn from our Lord is not to lose courage when confronted by the Tempter. To stand up to the wild animals knowing that God will not forsake us if we turn to him. St. Ignatius in rule 12 of his spiritual exercises tells us that if one begins to be afraid and to lose courage in temptations, no wild animal on earth can be more fierce than the enemy of our human nature.

Be confident In the letter to the Hebrews we have the exhortation “do not throw away your confidence; it will have great recompense” (Hebrews 10:35). Courage and confidence are needed to face the enemy and overcome him.

Trust How much we need to grow in trust, genuine trust of the Lord which only comes from knowing him and his great love for us that he never

9 Joseph Ratzinger, Jesus of Nazareth, (London: Bloomsbury, 2008), 27


abandons us. Pope Benedict writes “the foundation of the world is love, so that even when no human being can or will help you, you may go on, trusting in the One who loves you.”10 Trust in the Lord now and always. It is easier said than done like the example of a mountain climber slowly descending the mountain when the rope becomes jammed. He prays to the Lord who tells him to cut the rope. The man refuses and the next day the rescuers find him dangling only 2 metres above the ground.

Don’t take shortcuts Looking at the temptations we see that the devil tries to induce Jesus to take the easy way out, in some sense to take a short cut. The third temptation is the devil offering Jesus all the Kingdoms of the world if only Jesus will worship him. Seeing as the ultimate Kingdom belongs to the Father in heaven, what is really the temptation here for Jesus? Surely it is to gain the Kingdom the easy way, to not take the truly human path, the long road of becoming man, being tired, struggling with criticism and picking up the cross every day. Jesus rejects the easy way and instead takes the very human and divine way of being faithful to the Father’s will, accepting the challenge of his suffering, death and resurrection. Are not many of our temptations those where we are enticed by the tempter to take short cuts? In front of an exam, if we have not studied well, to take the short cut of cheating. Needing money instead of working patiently and constantly for it, how many end up in crippling debt for having mismanaged their finances, buying more than they can afford. Desiring changes in their lives without praying for it. The temptation to take short cuts is surely a great temptation all around us!

Advice from two authors about how to overcome temptations

St. Alphonsus Liguori: “God knows how useful it is to be obliged to pray, in order to keep us humble, and to exercise our confidence; and he therefore permits us to be assaulted by enemies too mighty to be overcome by our own strength, that by prayer we may obtain from his mercy aid to resist them.”11 St. Alphonsus understands the great power of temptation but also acknowledges the great power of prayer:

10 Ibid., 3811 See Joseph Oppitz, Alphonsus Liguori – the Redeeming love of Christ, (New York:

New City Press, 1992), 61-76


And it is especially to be remarked, that we cannot resist the impure temptations of the flesh, without recommending ourselves to God when we are tempted. This foe is so terrible that, when he fights with us, he, as it were, takes away all light; he makes us forget all our meditations, all our good resolutions; he also makes us disregard the truths of faith, and even almost lose the fear of the divine punishments. For he conspires with our natural inclinations, which drive us with the greatest violence to the indulgence of sensual pleasures. Who in such a moment does not have recourse to God is lost. The only defence against this temptation is prayer.12

What do we see here? The power of temptation? Yes, but also the power of prayer. Life is short so pray hard.

Rick Warren: In his New York times bestseller “The Purpose Driven Life,” Rick Warren the founding Pastor of the Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, devotes two entire chapters to the subject of temptations and how to overcome them.13 In chapter 26, he presents temptation as a four step process - desire, doubt, deception and disobedience. Satan first identifies a bad desire in you and entices you to fulfil it (or he may entice you to fulfil a legitimate desire such as to be loved, but in the wrong way). All temptation starts in the mind. After the desire comes doubt over what God has said and then Satan is the master of deception, convincing you that it is only “a little sin.” But like being just a “little pregnant” - it will eventually show itself! When you finally act you fall into disobedience. To overcome temptation you must firmly refuse to be intimidated as temptation only becomes a sin when you give in to it. When temptation strikes you need to ask for God’s help, fast. Sometimes we don’t ask because we don’t want to or because we feel embarrassed to get help for the same old temptation.

In chapter 27 he speaks about how to defeat temptation. God will never allow you to be tempted beyond your strength.14 He gives four biblical

12 Ibid., 70-7113 Rick Warren, The Purpose..., 201-21614 Rick Warren quotes 1 Corinthians 10:13 at the beginning of this chapter - “God is

faithful and will not let you be tried beyond your strength; but with the trial he will also


keys to overcome temptation - refocus, reveal, resist and realize. The first is to refocus your attention on something else. When a bad thought comes try to change channel as quickly as possible. Temptation, by capturing your attention, arouses your emotions, activates your behavior and lets you act on what you feel. Sometimes you need to physically leave the tempting situation such as turning off the television set or leaving the cinema mid-movie. If you really want to defeat temptation you need to “manage your mind and monitor your media intake.”15 Second, it helps to reveal your struggle to a godly friend or support group. You don’t need to tell the whole world what you are trying to solve on your own. It is humbling to get help but lack of humility often stops us getting better. Third, you need to resist the devil but don’t try and argue with him. The Word of God is our sword in this battle and it helps to stay humble. Finally realize your vulnerability as overconfidence has been the downfall of many. Staying out of tempting situations is much easier than getting out.

Practical tips - how to overcome some of the temptations of those making some progress in the spiritual life

Easy does it!

A common desire with some progress in the spiritual life is to wish that others can also have the same experience.16 When a person begins to advance in prayer and spiritual life, an ardent desire may grow to convert everyone else. Now this desire is not wrong but what may be wrong is the way it is carried out. Sometimes in our family we may wish that someone may make greater spiritual progress but our over-zealous attempts may impede them and then we can end up discouraged. Such occurs when the wife wants her husband to be more spiritual. When little progress is being made, she can easily fall into discouragement. For sure one way to help loved ones is to ensure you are trying to live what you are proposing to others. One lady I know was trying to get her husband to go to mass even though she told me she did not go herself. Or the other wife looking for a good confessor, but only for her husband as she said she did not need one!

provide a way out, so that you may be able to bear it.”15 Rick Warren, The Purpose..., 21216 St. Teresa of Avila, The Life of Saint Teresa of Ávila by herself, (London: Penguin

books, 1957), 91


Change yourself and you change the world

An anecdote is told about the life of Gandhi who was asked to help a ten year old boy eating candies. The boy’s mother asked Gandhi to speak to her son but he told them to come back in two weeks. Then Gandhi told the boy to stop and the boy never ate candies again. The mother asked Gandhi why he had to wait two weeks for that advice and Gandhi said “because I had to quit myself first!” Sometimes we want that change in our family but are not willing to really work for it. One document of the Church called “Fraternal life in community” states that we want union and community but the ‘old man’ in us “does not want or intend to pay the price in terms of personal commitment and dedication.”17

My little contribution is VITAL for Jesus!

Our example can help others but others also benefit when we intensify our love for Jesus. This can draw others to Jesus. Believe it! This was the firm conviction of the little St. Teresa of the Child Jesus. The last words which she wrote in pencil in her poor copy-book when she was dying were the following: “Jesus gave me a simple means to fulfil my mission…He made me understand this word from the Book of Songs: «Draw me, we rush to the scent of your perfumes». Oh Jesus, it is not even necessary to say: “Drawing me, draw the souls whom I love.” This simple word: “Draw me” is enough. Lord, I understand it, when a soul let’s itself be charmed by the inebriating smell of its perfume; this could not happen alone. All souls whom she loves were drawn along behind her: this happened freely without fatigue. It is a natural consequence of her attraction towards you.”18

We should never get discouraged by thinking that our little contribution is not important. In fact St. Paul told the Corinthians that nothing they ever do in the Lord’s service is ever wasted (see 1 Corinthians 15:58). Speaking on the importance of our lives for the salvation of others, Pope Pius XII in 1943 said in his encyclical on the Mystical body of Christ, “This is a deep mystery, and an inexhaustible subject of meditation, that the salvation of

17 Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, Fraternal life in community, 2 February 1994, n. 21

18 From conference on ‘St. Teresa of the child Jesus and the priesthood’ given by Fr. Antonio Maria Sicari. See www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cclergy/documents/jub_preti_ 20000517 _sicari _en.html


many depends on the prayers and voluntary penances which the members of the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ offer.”19 Our fidelity is vital for the salvation of many.

Stay focussed

Of course, the devil wants to distract us because he knows our mission is about salvation. He will use all the tricks in the book but now we know more about them! We can hopefully identify more easily his wily ways, confront ourselves regarding our weak spots and see where we fall down and hopefully strengthen our spiritual lives in these areas. Prayer is a great and wonderful weapon to overcome temptation. Without it we are surely lost. It is important too as members of the Church to stay focussed on the specific charism and mission that God entrusts us. Sometimes other tasks or charisms seem more attractive! Of course, the devil may know he cannot tempt you to do evil so will try to entice you with good. You may think that to share the Word of God is not so vital especially when there are people who are hungry and without food. Stay focussed! It is true that there are many realities of brokenness in the Body of Christ but there are also many charisms.

Each one should be faithful - if your charism is to feed the hungry then feed them, if it is to strengthen the spiritual life of many then feed them the Word of God. When a person with multiple injuries is brought to the Emergency room it is not just one doctor who attends him. In fact the critical patient needs a multi-disciplinary approach - it is not just an internist present but often an anaesthesiologist, technicians and surgeons from various specialities. Once I remember seeing an injured patient being assessed by 3 specialists simultaneously - a neurosurgeon assessing the head injury, a thoracic surgeon looking at the chest and a plastic surgeon reviewing the lower limb reconstruction. We are not called to do everything but to be faithful to what we are asked to do. Imagine the chest surgeon getting distracted by what the neurosurgeon is doing! There are many ways to tend to the Body of Christ in the world of today - preaching the gospel, feeding the hungry and clothing the naked among others. Each one is important and needed. We cannot do everything and God does not

19 Pope Pius XII, Mystici Corporis Christi, Encyclical on the Mystical Body of Christ, 29 June 1943, 44


ask us to either. But what he does ask is that we be faithful to the specific task entrusted to us.

Mary our Mother

Let us ask Mary our Mother for that conviction and that when we are fooled by the tempter into thinking that our little response is not vital then may she step on the head of the serpent once again. And by her constant prayer of intercession may we find ourselves able to overcome temptation. Amen!

Fr. James McTavish is a Scottish missionary priest with the Verbum Dei community based in 39 Nicanor Reyes, Varsity Hills, Loyola Heights, QC 1108. He worked as a surgeon before hearing the call of the Lord to heal the Body of Christ through evangelization − “Give me life by your Word” (Ps. 119, 105). He teaches Moral Theology and Bioethics at the Loyola School of Theology and

also gives courses in the University of Santo Tomas. He completed his Licence in Moral Theology (Alphonsianum, 2008) and Masters in Bioethics (Regina Apostolorum).

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