Beware if you have no temptations
"Whom does the devil pursue most? Perhaps you are thinking that it's those who are tempted most. No, my dear brethren no, it is not these people. On the contrary, the devil despises them, or else he holds onto them, lest they have not a long enough time in which to do evil, because the longer they live, the more their bad example will drag souls into Hell.
St. Augustine teaches us that the devil does not bother these people very much; on the contrary, he despises them and spits upon them.
So, you will ask me, who then are the people most tempted?
They are these, my friends; note them carefully. The people most tempted are those who are ready, with the grace of God, to sacrifice everything for the salvation of their poor souls, who renounce all those things which most people eagerly seek. It is not one devil only who tempts them, but millions seek to entrap them.
The first temptation, my dear brethren, which the devil tries on anyone who has begun to serve God better is in the matter of human respect. He will no longer dare to be seen around; he will hide himself from those with whom herefore he had been mixing and pleasure seeking. If he should be told that he has changed a lot, he will be ashamed of it. What people are going to say about him is continually in his mind, to the extent that he no longer has enough courage to do good before other people.
If the devil can't get him back through human respect, he will induce an extraordinary fear to possess him that his confessions are no good, that his confessor does not understand him, that whatever he does will be all in vain, that he will be damned just the same, that he will achieve the same result in the end by letting everything slide as by continuing to fight, because the occasions of sin will prove too many for him.
These, my dear brethren, are the struggles to which God permits his great Saints to be exposed. Alas, how we are to be pitied, if we are not fiercely harried by the devil!
According to all appearances, we are the friends of the devil; he lets us live in a false peace, he lulls us to sleep under the pretence that we have said some good prayers, given some alms, that we have done less harm than others.
The greatest of all evils is not to be tempted, because there are then grounds for believing that the devil looks upon us as his property and that he is only awaiting our deaths to drag us into Hell. Nothing could be easier to understand. Just consider the Christian who is trying, even in a small way, to save his soul."
Taken from a sermon by St. Jean Marie Vianney
#vianney #spirituallife #temptation
"Whom does the devil pursue most? Perhaps you are thinking that it's those who are tempted most. No, my dear brethren no, it is not these people. On the contrary, the devil despises them, or else he holds onto them, lest they have not a long enough time in which to do evil, because the longer they live, the more their bad example will drag souls into Hell.
St. Augustine teaches us that the devil does not bother these people very much; on the contrary, he despises them and spits upon them.
So, you will ask me, who then are the people most tempted?
They are these, my friends; note them carefully. The people most tempted are those who are ready, with the grace of God, to sacrifice everything for the salvation of their poor souls, who renounce all those things which most people eagerly seek. It is not one devil only who tempts them, but millions seek to entrap them.
The first temptation, my dear brethren, which the devil tries on anyone who has begun to serve God better is in the matter of human respect. He will no longer dare to be seen around; he will hide himself from those with whom herefore he had been mixing and pleasure seeking. If he should be told that he has changed a lot, he will be ashamed of it. What people are going to say about him is continually in his mind, to the extent that he no longer has enough courage to do good before other people.
If the devil can't get him back through human respect, he will induce an extraordinary fear to possess him that his confessions are no good, that his confessor does not understand him, that whatever he does will be all in vain, that he will be damned just the same, that he will achieve the same result in the end by letting everything slide as by continuing to fight, because the occasions of sin will prove too many for him.
These, my dear brethren, are the struggles to which God permits his great Saints to be exposed. Alas, how we are to be pitied, if we are not fiercely harried by the devil!
According to all appearances, we are the friends of the devil; he lets us live in a false peace, he lulls us to sleep under the pretence that we have said some good prayers, given some alms, that we have done less harm than others.
The greatest of all evils is not to be tempted, because there are then grounds for believing that the devil looks upon us as his property and that he is only awaiting our deaths to drag us into Hell. Nothing could be easier to understand. Just consider the Christian who is trying, even in a small way, to save his soul."
Taken from a sermon by St. Jean Marie Vianney
#vianney #spirituallife #temptation
A Prayer Under Strong Temptations
Holy God! I desire to humble myself here before Thee, for that continual proneness which is in me to sin against Thee, that I am so unlike to Thee, and so contrary to what Thy holy laws require me to be. After all the great things thou hast done for me, alas! how apt am I still to spoil and undo myself! The malicious tempter is laying snares for me every where; and the things of this world are still pressing hard upon me, either to terrify me out of my duty, or to humour me into my ruin. And O how ready is my sinful flesh to side with the cruel enemy against my own soul! Innumerable evils have compassed me about; my iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of my head, therefore my heart fails me.
O the sin that still dwelleth in me, that is so nigh to me, that does so easily beset me, and is so apt to prevail against me, to pull me away from the obedience of Thy blessed will, and to engage me in forbidden things, displeasing in Thy sight, and destructive to my soul! O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? when the custom of sinning has so increased my sinful inclinations, that the leopard may as soon change his spots, and the Ethiopian his skin, as I who am so accustomed to evil can of myself, cease from it, if the Lord of hosts be not with me; if the God of Jacob be not my refuge. But with Thee, the Almighty God, all things are possible; yea, Thou canst as easily make us holy as bid us be so. To Thee the very powers of hell are weakness; nothing in the world can resist Thy will. O pity Thy poor tempted creature, and give me not up, in justice, to a reprobate sense, and to vile affections, nor to such blindness of mind and hardness of heart, as should render me past feeling; nor ever punish my former sins, by giving me over to their sway and power; but let it be Thy gracious pleasure, O Lord, that all my prevailing iniquities may flee and perish at Thy presence.
O give out the commanding word to those filthy corruptions, hitherto shall ye go and no further. Speak death to my sins, that my soul may live, and for ever bless thy name. Stop and heal the running sores, that they may no more break out as they have done, to the dishonor of Thy name, the wounding of my conscience, and hindering the concerns of my own and others' present peace, and eternal bliss; yea, so sanctify my nature, O Lord, and renew me, even in the spirit of my mind, that my heart may rise against the sinful evils, and that I may hate all iniquity, and every false way; so resisting the devil, that I may not conspire with the deadly enemy of souls to undo myself. O give me power from on high, to set me above the power of my sins; and give me grace sufficient to turn my heart against the love of my sins, that I may not be false in Thy covenant, nor false to my own chief interest, but manfully fight Thy battles, and approve myself Thy faithful soldier and servant to my life's end; that being so faithful unto death, Thou mayest give unto me the crown of life, and take me at last from this warfare to reign with Thee, world without end. Amen.
#prayer #temptation
Holy God! I desire to humble myself here before Thee, for that continual proneness which is in me to sin against Thee, that I am so unlike to Thee, and so contrary to what Thy holy laws require me to be. After all the great things thou hast done for me, alas! how apt am I still to spoil and undo myself! The malicious tempter is laying snares for me every where; and the things of this world are still pressing hard upon me, either to terrify me out of my duty, or to humour me into my ruin. And O how ready is my sinful flesh to side with the cruel enemy against my own soul! Innumerable evils have compassed me about; my iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of my head, therefore my heart fails me.
O the sin that still dwelleth in me, that is so nigh to me, that does so easily beset me, and is so apt to prevail against me, to pull me away from the obedience of Thy blessed will, and to engage me in forbidden things, displeasing in Thy sight, and destructive to my soul! O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? when the custom of sinning has so increased my sinful inclinations, that the leopard may as soon change his spots, and the Ethiopian his skin, as I who am so accustomed to evil can of myself, cease from it, if the Lord of hosts be not with me; if the God of Jacob be not my refuge. But with Thee, the Almighty God, all things are possible; yea, Thou canst as easily make us holy as bid us be so. To Thee the very powers of hell are weakness; nothing in the world can resist Thy will. O pity Thy poor tempted creature, and give me not up, in justice, to a reprobate sense, and to vile affections, nor to such blindness of mind and hardness of heart, as should render me past feeling; nor ever punish my former sins, by giving me over to their sway and power; but let it be Thy gracious pleasure, O Lord, that all my prevailing iniquities may flee and perish at Thy presence.
O give out the commanding word to those filthy corruptions, hitherto shall ye go and no further. Speak death to my sins, that my soul may live, and for ever bless thy name. Stop and heal the running sores, that they may no more break out as they have done, to the dishonor of Thy name, the wounding of my conscience, and hindering the concerns of my own and others' present peace, and eternal bliss; yea, so sanctify my nature, O Lord, and renew me, even in the spirit of my mind, that my heart may rise against the sinful evils, and that I may hate all iniquity, and every false way; so resisting the devil, that I may not conspire with the deadly enemy of souls to undo myself. O give me power from on high, to set me above the power of my sins; and give me grace sufficient to turn my heart against the love of my sins, that I may not be false in Thy covenant, nor false to my own chief interest, but manfully fight Thy battles, and approve myself Thy faithful soldier and servant to my life's end; that being so faithful unto death, Thou mayest give unto me the crown of life, and take me at last from this warfare to reign with Thee, world without end. Amen.
#prayer #temptation
St. Francis de Sales on temptations
'When it is possible to avoid the delectation arising out of temptation, it is always a sin to accept it, in proportion to the pleasure we take, and the amount of consent given, whether that be great or small, brief or lasting. The princess of our illustration is to blame if she merely listens to the guilty propositions made to her but still more so if, after listening, she takes pleasure in them, and allows her heart to feed and rest thereupon; for although she has no intention of really doing that which is proposed, her heart gives a spiritual consent when she takes pleasure in it, and it must always be wrong to let either body or mind rest on anything unworthy, -and wrongdoing lies so entirely in the heart's co-operation, that without this no mere bodily action can be sin.
Therefore, when you are tempted to any sin, examine whether you voluntarily exposed yourself to the temptation, and if you find that you have done so by putting yourself into its way, or by not foreseeing the temptation, as you ought to have done, then it is sin; but if you have done nothing to bring about the temptation, it is not in anywise to be imputed to you as sin.'
#francisdesales #temptation
'When it is possible to avoid the delectation arising out of temptation, it is always a sin to accept it, in proportion to the pleasure we take, and the amount of consent given, whether that be great or small, brief or lasting. The princess of our illustration is to blame if she merely listens to the guilty propositions made to her but still more so if, after listening, she takes pleasure in them, and allows her heart to feed and rest thereupon; for although she has no intention of really doing that which is proposed, her heart gives a spiritual consent when she takes pleasure in it, and it must always be wrong to let either body or mind rest on anything unworthy, -and wrongdoing lies so entirely in the heart's co-operation, that without this no mere bodily action can be sin.
Therefore, when you are tempted to any sin, examine whether you voluntarily exposed yourself to the temptation, and if you find that you have done so by putting yourself into its way, or by not foreseeing the temptation, as you ought to have done, then it is sin; but if you have done nothing to bring about the temptation, it is not in anywise to be imputed to you as sin.'
#francisdesales #temptation
'It is impossible for the mind not to be approached by thoughts, but it is in the power of every earnest man either to admit them or to reject them.
As then their rising up does not entirely depend on ourselves, so the rejection or admission of them lies in our own power. But because we said that it is impossible for the mind not to be approached by thoughts, you must not lay everything to the charge of the assault, or to those spirits who strive to instil them into us, else there would not remain any free will in man, nor would efforts for our improvement be in our power: but it is, I say, to a great extent in our power to improve the character of our thoughts and to let either holy and spiritual thoughts or earthly ones grow up in our hearts. For for this purpose frequent reading and continual meditation on the Scriptures is employed that from thence an opportunity for spiritual recollection may be given to us, therefore the frequent singing of Psalms is used, that thence constant feelings of compunction may be provided, and earnest vigils and fasts and prayers, that the mind may be brought low and not mind earthly things, but contemplate things celestial, for if these things are dropped and carelessness creeps on us, the mind being hardened with the foulness of sin is sure to incline in a carnal direction and fall away.'
St. Moses the Black Hermit
#temptation
As then their rising up does not entirely depend on ourselves, so the rejection or admission of them lies in our own power. But because we said that it is impossible for the mind not to be approached by thoughts, you must not lay everything to the charge of the assault, or to those spirits who strive to instil them into us, else there would not remain any free will in man, nor would efforts for our improvement be in our power: but it is, I say, to a great extent in our power to improve the character of our thoughts and to let either holy and spiritual thoughts or earthly ones grow up in our hearts. For for this purpose frequent reading and continual meditation on the Scriptures is employed that from thence an opportunity for spiritual recollection may be given to us, therefore the frequent singing of Psalms is used, that thence constant feelings of compunction may be provided, and earnest vigils and fasts and prayers, that the mind may be brought low and not mind earthly things, but contemplate things celestial, for if these things are dropped and carelessness creeps on us, the mind being hardened with the foulness of sin is sure to incline in a carnal direction and fall away.'
St. Moses the Black Hermit
#temptation
Remedies for temptations
"He who, when tempted, makes the Sign of the Cross with devotion, makes Hell tremble and Heaven rejoice."
St. Jean Vianney
"By your own natural strength you cannot overcome temptations; but with God's help you can, and prayer is the means of gaining God's help. You're weak because you do not pray. The saints were victorious because they prayed."
Fr. Lovasik, Prayer in Catholic Life
"Flee idleness...for no one is more exposed to such temptations than he who has nothing to do."
St. Robert Bellarmine
#temptation
"He who, when tempted, makes the Sign of the Cross with devotion, makes Hell tremble and Heaven rejoice."
St. Jean Vianney
"By your own natural strength you cannot overcome temptations; but with God's help you can, and prayer is the means of gaining God's help. You're weak because you do not pray. The saints were victorious because they prayed."
Fr. Lovasik, Prayer in Catholic Life
"Flee idleness...for no one is more exposed to such temptations than he who has nothing to do."
St. Robert Bellarmine
#temptation
Trials and temptations
• At times our suffering is self inflicted and sometimes it is not. Both however, are good and serve as a means of our sanctification and as correction. God allows it in your life to make you more like Jesus.
We are not given anything which we are not able to ovecome.
"Men are generally the carpenters of their own crosses."
St. Philip Neri
"When we accept what happens to us and make the best of it, we are praising God."
St. Teresa of Avila
“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”
1 Corinthians 10:13
"In order to raise a soul to the highest perfection, He allows it to pass through dryness, brambles, and combats causing it thereby to honour the times of weariness in the life of His Son."
St. Vincent due Paul
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”
James 1:2-3
•God allows the suffering to transform you into the image of Christ. As moderns we have learnt to detest anything that upsets us. Is there any affliction now endured by mankind that was not endured by our fathers before us?
Do not flee from the difficulty:
“Many people try to escape temptations, only to fall more deeply. We cannot conquer simply by fleeing, but by patience and true humility we become stronger than all our enemies. The man who only shuns temptations outwardly and does not uproot them will make little progress; indeed they will quickly return, more violent than before.”
St. Thomas á Kempis
"Every tribulation which ever comes our way either is sent to be medicinal, if we will take it as such, or may become medicinal, if we will make it such, or is better than medicinal, unless we forsake it."
St. Thomas More
"It is not by sidestepping or fleeing from suffering that we are healed, but rather by our capacity of accepting it, maturing through it, and finding meaning through union with Christ, who suffered with infinite love"
Benedict XVI
Do not give up, especially when you feel discouraged:
"Fight like a good soldier, and if you sometimes fall through weakness, rise again with greater strength than before, trusting in God’s most abundant grace."
Thomas á Kempis
•God will strengthen you during your trials and reward all your efforts:
"But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."
Isaiah 41:10
"So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me."
Acts 27:25
"If we only try to show the Dear Lord a good will and ask Him for resignation to the crosses He sends or permits to come our way, we may be sure that sooner or later they will turn out to have been just so many blessings in disguise."
Fr. Solanus Casey
"The longer the trial to which God subjects you the greater the goodness in comforting you during the time of the trial and the exaltation after the combat"
St. Padre Pio
#temptation #spiritualbattle #trials
• At times our suffering is self inflicted and sometimes it is not. Both however, are good and serve as a means of our sanctification and as correction. God allows it in your life to make you more like Jesus.
We are not given anything which we are not able to ovecome.
"Men are generally the carpenters of their own crosses."
St. Philip Neri
"When we accept what happens to us and make the best of it, we are praising God."
St. Teresa of Avila
“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”
1 Corinthians 10:13
"In order to raise a soul to the highest perfection, He allows it to pass through dryness, brambles, and combats causing it thereby to honour the times of weariness in the life of His Son."
St. Vincent due Paul
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”
James 1:2-3
•God allows the suffering to transform you into the image of Christ. As moderns we have learnt to detest anything that upsets us. Is there any affliction now endured by mankind that was not endured by our fathers before us?
Do not flee from the difficulty:
“Many people try to escape temptations, only to fall more deeply. We cannot conquer simply by fleeing, but by patience and true humility we become stronger than all our enemies. The man who only shuns temptations outwardly and does not uproot them will make little progress; indeed they will quickly return, more violent than before.”
St. Thomas á Kempis
"Every tribulation which ever comes our way either is sent to be medicinal, if we will take it as such, or may become medicinal, if we will make it such, or is better than medicinal, unless we forsake it."
St. Thomas More
"It is not by sidestepping or fleeing from suffering that we are healed, but rather by our capacity of accepting it, maturing through it, and finding meaning through union with Christ, who suffered with infinite love"
Benedict XVI
Do not give up, especially when you feel discouraged:
"Fight like a good soldier, and if you sometimes fall through weakness, rise again with greater strength than before, trusting in God’s most abundant grace."
Thomas á Kempis
•God will strengthen you during your trials and reward all your efforts:
"But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."
Isaiah 41:10
"So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me."
Acts 27:25
"If we only try to show the Dear Lord a good will and ask Him for resignation to the crosses He sends or permits to come our way, we may be sure that sooner or later they will turn out to have been just so many blessings in disguise."
Fr. Solanus Casey
"The longer the trial to which God subjects you the greater the goodness in comforting you during the time of the trial and the exaltation after the combat"
St. Padre Pio
#temptation #spiritualbattle #trials