GOODNESS IN TEMPTATION
Homily by Father Thinh Nguyen
TEMPTATION TELLS US THAT WE ARE WEAK, ASSURES US THAT WE ARE NOT ALONE, AND INVITES US TO TRUST MORE DEEPLY IN GOD’S HELP.
In Greek mythology, the story of sirens describes the negative and positive ways of fighting temptations.
The “Sirens” were dangerous creatures because they tempted sailors with their charming music and singing voices to shipwreck on their rocky island. They sang so sweetly that sailors were drawn to the shore only to be destroyed.
When Odysseus, passed that enchanted spot he escaped the temptation from sirens by tied himself to the mast and ordering his sailors to put wax in their ears, so that they might not hear the luring voices of the Sirens.
But King Tharsius chose a better and positive way of conquering Sirens’ temptations. He took the great Greek singer and lyrist Orpheus along with him.
Orpheus took out his lyre and sang a song so clear and ringing that it drowned the sound of those lovely, deadly voices of the Sirens.
Today’s gospel reading advises us that the best way to break the charm of this world’s alluring voices during Lent is not to put wax in our ears, but to have our hearts filled with the sweeter music of prayer, penance, and acts of charity. Then temptations will have no power over us.
Talk about temptation, there is a strange sentence in today’s gospel which we should discuss. Although, it might sound problematic, it can offer us some benefits for our reflection.
The sentence is this:“And Jesus was led by the spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.” So why would the spirit of God lead Jesus into temptation? We would expect that God’s spirit would lead Jesus away form the devil.
We don’t go with the intention to be tempted because Jesus taught us to pray so as not to be led into temptation. So why would the spirit of God lead Jesus into temptation? Because temptations were an initiative of the devil, permitted by the Father, for the glory of his Son.
We need to keep in mind that when the spirit of God does something to Jesus or to us, we can be sure that that action is for our benefit. In other words, there is goodness in temptation because there is something to learn from being tested that can lead to our growth.
What can we learn from temptation? Two things that we can learn from temptation:
The first thingis: When we are tempted, we realize that we are weak because temptation shows us the fragility of life.
When things are going, it is easy for us to think that it is our own strength. But when we experience temptation, we have to admit that our abilities and strength are limited. It reminds us that successes in life are not merely result from our own efforts but also from God’s grace. Thus, temptation allows us to see our weakness and invites us to trust more deeply in God’s help.
The second thingthat we can learn from temptation is that it gives us a direction.
We don’t go into the desert to leave something but rather we go there above all to find Someone _ God. When we go into the desert, we go down into our own heart, to renew our contact with God, because we know that “Truth dwells in the interior person.”
In conclusion, this Lenten season is a time for us to ask ourselves, “Where am I tested in life?” and then allow our temptations to give us direction on what we should do during these 40 days. And in following that direction, we will discover some difficulties on the way, but we should not be discouraged. Because temptation also tells us that we are weak, assures us that we are not alone, and invites us to trust more deeply in God’s help.