As the days of the New Year pass gradually, our wobbly steps are hopefully, and slowly but steadily, getting a firmer grip on the path to fulfilling the resolutions made by us a few days ago. The real culprit that obstructs us from keeping our resolve is temptation that we find difficult to resist. A popular joke during the years of our priestly training, framed probably out of people’s experience through time was, “the best way to overcome a temptation is to give into it”. And, perhaps, that is how it is with most of us.
The very first thing to remember while fighting temptation is to be aware that as long as we traverse through our earthly soujourn, they are bound to accompany us. Every holy man and woman has passed through the torturous path strewn with temptations. The Bible is full of such instances; the one about Job being the most powerful of them. Even in the face of adversity, Job refused to curse God for his misfortunes.
The Bible offers sound advice to overcome temptation. In the prayer, “Our Father who art in Heaven…”, that Jesus taught his disciples, ends with, “…and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil”. A reader of the Bible also knows how Jesus, as he prepared himself for his public ministry by spending 40 days of fasting and prayer in the desert, was tormented by temptations. The cunning devil offered him various worldly allurements, starting with as basic a thing as bread. But for Jesus’ awareness and trust in God, the devil would have walked away with a trophy. Again, before His painful journey laden with Cross to Calvary, Jesus was tempted to give it up. He prayed, “If it is possible take this away from me…” But he overcame that with the help of prayer and by surrendering Himself, “…not my will but thy will be done.”
The other thing to remember while sternly following our goals is that temptation is camouflaged, often in attractive and sometimes even in pious forms. The Bible tells us how Eve fell to the temptation of eating the forbidden fruit offered by the snake (devil) in the Garden of Eden. One overcomes temptations because one trusts in God’s power, recognising the plan of God for him/her as an individual is to go by His will.
Father Dominic Emmanuel, a founder-member of Parliament of Religion, can be contacted at frdominic@gmail.com
