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| Image by Denis Doukhan from Pixabay |
Day nine at The Catholic Company.
The treatment of temptations continues from Imitation of Christ, chapter 13 of book I. Regarding the fighting or resisting of temptations, it offers sound advice which I discovered before I read Imitation of Christ (and before consecration to our Lady). As a sailor, I swore like a sailor, and often, I didn't even realize I was swearing. It was part of my habit of speech. I reckon that since I never developed the habit as a child, but only as a young adult, I was able to defeat that habit easily after the intervention of friends and relatives. However, it never penetrated for me that using the Lord's name in vain was a sin. I didn't do it often as a child, and so I never really developed the mental block or virtue to avoid it as child. So using the Lord's name in vain is something that carried on for most of my adult life, until it finally sunk in, that I should not be doing so. And this was a hard habit for me so break. I learned to anticipate when I'd be tempted to swear out the Lord's name, and eventually, this habit was defeated (and it progressed to a point that it's like fingernails across the chalkboard whenever someone else utters the Lord's name in vain). And so, I can vouch for the advice given in today's reading. Resist early!
The Sacrament of Reconciliation or confession is a wonderful place for God's grace in resisting sins, but also at a mundane level it's a good place to get advice in resisting temptations. One piece of advice may have been influenced by the knowledge of my devotion to Mary. I was advised to pray the Hail Mary whenever I feel the beginnings of temptation. That also seems to have worked well for me.
But the final piece of advice given in this reading is the recognition that for some, temptations will be a lifelong burden. So, know that you'll need to persevere, but have faith in Jesus Christ that he will help us bear the burdens.
We should not despair, therefore, when we are tempted, but pray to God the more fervently that He may see fit to help us, for according to the word of Paul, He will make issue with temptation that we may be able to bear it. Let us humble our souls under the hand of God in every trial and temptation for He will save and exalt the humble in spirit.
Hopefully, it can be seen, that although we've fallen many times, it's possible to make progress, even if it's so slight. We can grow in Christ, and Christ can grow in us.
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