Readings: Dt 26:4-10; Ps 91:1-2, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15; Rom 10:8-13; Lk 4:1-13
How do you prepare for temptations?
In the gospel reading, we hear Jesus “was led by the Spirt into the desert for 40 days, to be tempted by the devil.”
In our own lives, we experience temptations. We know we will be tempted to sin. So how do we prepare for it, so when tempted, we are able to respond correctly?
When I joined the Army National Guard, I signed up to be a medic. When I went to college, I volunteered on the ambulance service. Both of these required me to learn CPR. I practiced it often. I eventually became certified to teach CPR. All that training and practice allowed me to perform CPR, almost automatically.
Being well prepared to perform CPR became very important in my life. When my six-month old daughter, running a very high fever, stopped breathing and started turning blue, my many years of training and practice allowed me to do the right thing. I was able to get her to start breathing and she recovered fully.
Being prepared to respond to temptation takes training and practice. We have to learn how to respond to temptation so well, that it becomes almost automatic. We need to practice this on a regular basis. You can think of Lent as our annual refresher training on how to respond to temptation. It is our equivalent to Jesus’ 40 days in the desert in preparation to take on the devil.
The first things we need to learn is we need help to overcome temptation. If we think we can succeed on our own, without any help, our success rate will more than likely be pretty low. As we hear in the responsorial psalm, “Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.” We need help from God, and we need help from each other.
One of the most powerful forms of help Jesus made available to us is the sacrament of reconciliation. This sacrament of mercy comes with powerful graces to help us overcome temptations. During Lent, most priests offer more opportunities for everyone to receive this sacrament Here at OLBH, besides the regularly schedule Wednesday and Saturday times, Fr. Steve is available on Friday’s before Stations of the Cross. During this Jubilee Year of Mercy, every month there are scheduled Days of Mercy, the next one is February 25th. Our parish is hosting it at Terra Sancta. Priests will be available from 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM to hear confession. And if none of these opportunities to receive the sacrament work for you, you can always call any priest and schedule an appointment with them to receive this powerful Sacrament.
For me, I try to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation about every four weeks. When it drags out to six or seven or more weeks, my patience tends to get a bit short. I tend to get a big grumpy. I start to become a person people don’t want to be around – just ask my wife. So, if it has been more than a month or so, and especially if it has been much longer than that, since you last received the Sacrament of Reconciliation, go receive the sacrament and get some grace to help you overcome temptations.
Another thing we need to learn is some prayers. While most of us know the Our Father and Hail Mary, and those prayers can be powerful weapons against temptations, sometimes we need some rapid protection, a short prayer that can knock down the temptation. It might be as short as calling on the Lord, with a “Lord Jesus, have mercy on me” or “Lord Jesus, protect me” or “Lord Jesus, help me”. Invoking Jesus’ name when being tempted by the devil is a great tool to use. As St. Paul says in the second reading, “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Next, we need to take advantage of our Guardian Angel. We each have one. Do we use the help? Remind ourselves each day, we have a Guardian Angel by praying the Guardian Angel prayer:
Angel of God,
My guardian dear
To whom God’s love
Commits me here
Ever this day
Be at my side
To light, to guard,
To rule, to guide.
Amen
If you don’t know it, or don’t remember this prayer, it is available on our website, along with links to other versions. Learn this prayer and pray it each day. Our Guardian Angel’s will protect us, especially when we ask every day for help to overcome temptation.
Finally, we can help each other. In the first reading, Moses is giving instructions we are to pass on our history and our traditions. Some learned the tradition to make the sign of the cross, either on the forehead or the full sign of the cross, whenever they passed a church, in recognition of the real presence of Jesus in the tabernacle. Others also sign themselves when passing a cemetery for those buried there. Or, whenever an emergency vehicle passes by, both those helping and those needing help. Consider extending the tradition whenever we are about to start “surfing the internet” or watching TV, to prepare against the temptations of impurity. And we can also sign ourselves when passing by billboards and advertisements for things like adult stores – for ourselves, for those around us, and even for those in the industry, as they need prayers also.
My challenge to you is to make this Lent your annual refresher on how to prepare to overcome temptation. Receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Learn some prayers to deploy when the devil shows up to tempt you. Remember to take advantage of your Guardian Angel. Make the sign of the cross to help avoid temptation or to stop it.
By taking the time this Lent to refresh our skills on overcoming temptation, the next time the devil shows up, we will be prepared to keep his visit short.
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