Mastery in Resisting Temptation

   

First Sunday of Lent

09 March 2025

 

First Reading: Deuteronomy 26:4-10

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 91:1-2, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15

Second Reading: Romans 10:8-13

Gospel: Luke 4:1-13

 

Reflection

By: Anabelle P. Balla

 

After a long day at work, I often find myself yearning to unwind with activities that require minimal effort. Sometimes, I enjoy going around the garden, capturing the beauty of the sunset through my phone camera, tidying up different areas of the house, watering our indoor plants, or even organizing my clothes for the next day. However, there are also moments when I succumb to the allure of online live selling, scrolling through Facebook, or binge-watching movie series. These habits have become temptations in my life that I strive to manage or eliminate entirely. It's no easy feat, especially since they've become ingrained as habits. Mastering the ability to switch off these cravings at will, such as stopping a series even when the episodes ends on a cliffhanger, requires immense self-discipline or self-mastery.

As the old saying goes, self-mastery is not easy. The pursuit of self-mastery is filled with challenges and is often a lifelong journey. It demands unwavering dedication, self-discipline, and a willingness to confront one's flaws and weaknesses. The path is often marked by setbacks and failures that test one's resolve. However, it is through overcoming these obstacles that we grow stronger and develop the ability to resist temptations.

Achieving self-mastery on our own can be challenging, but when anchored in our relationship with God, we may find it more attainable. God can provide us with the conviction, grounding us in values centered on Him, calming our spirits during times of emotional turmoil, and offering supportive circumstances that help us move away from temptations. We just need to reach out to Him and ask for help.

Embracing the path to self-mastery not only empowers us to achieve our personal goals but also enriches our overall well-being, including our relationship with God.

Prayer

Father, give us the strength and the mastery to resist temptations. With Your help, we can achieve progress. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

    

First Sunday of Lent

26 February 2023

 

First Reading: Gn 2:7-9; 3:1-7

Responsorial Psalm: PS 51:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 17

Second Reading: Rom 5:12, 17-19

Gospel: Mt 4:1-11

 

Reflection

By: Benj Santiago

 

At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil...One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God."

Today is the first Sunday of Lent. The first reading reminds me of the "original sin" the sin committed by Adam and Eve at the garden in Eden. Eve was tricked by the serpent to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge. In the Gospel reading, Jesus went through three temptations. First one was again about satisfying hunger. But unlike Adam and Eve, Jesus did not fail into the temptation of the devil. Jesus was able to rebuke the devil by the power of "what was written" or the WORD OF GOD.

Every day of our lives is filled with temptations to be tricked by the devil to do something that is not according to HIS Words. Temptations to be concerned with material possession, wealth, power, and prestige for selfish motives. We are surrounded by people who are obsessed with wealth, position, and power that influences and tempts us to do the same. As we begin our Lenten Season this year, I pray that like Jesus who possesses all the power and glory as the Son of God; we won't be tempted to love money or material wealth, to usurp our position and power for personal gains. But instead we use our wealth and power for service of others and to worship the Lord!

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we praise and glorify You. We give You thanks for all the provisions You have given us. We pray that as we enter the Lenten Season that we fast, abstain, and pray like Jesus. Amen.

HALT before you Act

 First Sunday of Lent

06 March 2022

 

First Reading: DT 26:4-10

Responsorial Psalm: PS 91:1-2, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15

Second Reading: ROM 10:8-13

Gospel: LK 4:1-13

 

Reflection

By: Jose Paulo M. Gonzales

 

Have you ever had a hard time when in only an instant, you utter some words you can ever get back? When we are visibly typing a paper we have been working to finish and we see a friend approach us with a glass of coffee placed insecurely in hand, there could be a jolt on us to say, "Don't come any nearer, you'd spill that coffee on my laptop!" The instant surge of energy could make it just as easy to deliver the rest of the piece: "You are always like this. How many times do I have to tell you not to do this over and over again?!" In our mind, we are only being reasonable. The friend has really spilled coffee on our laptop at least two times last month, and it is not at all bad to tell others what to avoid doing; but we soon wonder why our friend has been noticeably coming over less frequently. Days turn to months until we do not see them coming over anymore. There was nothing else that happened before or after the encounter that we could trace to this change in behavior, so we reckon, it must have been our sharp admonition that made our friend wary of being with us again. This exchange can happen in different forms at varying levels in many places: in school, in the workplace, or even at our dining tables.

There is great temptation to let others know what wrong things they do, and a greater temptation to hold back when what we are to deliver would make a lasting impact. When we are at the receiving end, it could take just as much energy to snap back, regardless of whether we are guilty of the charge or not. As it is, temptation can be tricky to deal with. It only needs to find a host in our agitation to be properly put into damaging action.

The story of Christ's temptation gives us something comparable. The temptation Jesus weathered could have been so compelling to let Him give in. After all, He was hungry. Forty days – a month and ten days over – is not a short time to abstain from eating. If we could only remember how much we become irate after a day with no proper meal, not even cheat-eats in between, we would understand how convincing the devil could have been. The hungry Jesus could have been mentally tired on top of this; imagine – over a month's worth of deep reflection. Furthermore, with a sudden entity making entry, with charges that could have made Jesus restate His place as the Son of God, it was all the more impressive how Jesus held His own and not let the devil's leading dictate His demeanor. The devil knew scripture, but more so did He –fully, and in proper context.

As troubled creatures we truly are, we are not deprived of the chance to be led to a better moral stature. Hebrews 4:15 tells us that Jesus, made human, was like us in many things: "tempted in every way, just as we are – yet He did not sin."  Jesus gives us a stellar Example of how to properly deal with temptation. He knows our human weaknesses – the gaps we have between who we are and what we strive to become – and how would He not know any better? The first part of the same verse would say: "we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses." In this, we have confidence that we can come to a Father who states primarily how we should conduct ourselves in a context with others, but nevertheless understands the failings that bar us from its perfect delivery. We can make our earnest efforts to be exemplary Christians to each other, and in prayer and genuine intiimate confession with the Lord, recount candidly what it is that hinders us from properly handling temptation. The forgiveness and the providence of the Father could make us better Christians in each progression so we can make "perfection" more a stage of refinement instead of a constant state by which our accomplishment, though worldly impossible, would leave us no room anymore to grow. Furthermore, this constant state is so far from human character that in each failed attempt, it could discourage us into despondency – the dispirited feeling not to perform any good anymore because we just can't... we just can't be "perfect" in this world. The relationship we have with temptation, particularly the negativity so readily ascribed to it would be attenuated by the teachings of the Church that say: it is not temptation itself that makes us sin, but our conscious decisions to succumb to it. May we come to Jesus in hopes that we can handle temptation better and become better Christians to each other as we refine ourselves always in His instruction and help, even to the people outside of our faith. After all, as the first reading for today would point out "there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all, enriching all who call upon Him" (Deuteronomy 26:4-10).

As a last note, a contemporary tool we have learned from our training, courtesy of the Emmaus Center for Psycho-spiritual Formation, could help us better hold our tongues before dealing others a fatal blow. We should halt when we are HALT (hungry, angry, lusting, or tired). When any of these feelings makes us sensitive to even slight disturbances, it is best to first acknowledge that we are in such state so we can distance ourselves from damaging others or maneuver the negative energy into a positive or non-damaging expression. In the end, it is not so bad to tell others where we could change, and there is only so much coffee our laptops could take but always deliver in a tone, spirit, message, and degree that we, ourselves, would appreciate; in a space and time that would not devalue anyone's dignity. The potentiality to maintain friendship in good faith outweighs the vindication to always keep right but let others fall way, but should there be prompting to put our foot down in a situation and properly admonish, always discern if there is need to confront and to what extent, and maintain instruction from the right loving and humble Spirit of God, so that if others misunderstand us no matter our positive delivery, we can ascertain that we come from the right place. On our part, this is sternly not an invitation to militantly keep right in areas that necessitate to aggression, as a scrupulous mind can do that more than a truly moral and spiritual disposition. This is only consolation in times when we must rebuke others and they unattributed our positive intentions. Overall, it is harmony with the Christian spirit to commune with all, and to strengthen conviction when there is need: in standing with the Lord, in standing for truth, and in standing for the values of a higher level than withstanding a norm that disadvantages the last, the least, and the lost. In discerning everything, it is the Lord who knows. It is Him we must ask always for proper direction.

Prayer

Lord, thank You for being our good Father and for all the graces You give us. Please still our hearts in moments of temptation and make iron of our wills to overcome them; but in moments when we cannot withstand them still, we would like to request You forgive us and reconcile us to You again, that in each time You admit us back into Your love, we would be energized in living Christlike lives again. These we ask in Jesus' Most Holy Name, Amen.

 

Resist Temptations Like Jesus

First Sunday of Lent

21 February 2021 

 

First Reading:  GN 9:8-15

Responsorial Psalm:  PS 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9

Second Reading:  1 PT 3:18-22

Gospel:  MK 1:12-15

 

Reflection

By: Jose Paulo M. Gonzales

 

Clear today in the Gospel is how, though God and Human, Jesus was tempted no less than by the enemy. As Matthew 4:1-11 recounts elaborately, the scene first takes place in a desert—a barren land. Jesus was hungry after fasting for forty days and nights, so the enemy thought that it was perfect recipe for disaster. He showed himself to the Lord and said: "If You are the Son of Man, command that these stones turn into loaves of bread."  But Jesus unperturbed, responded: "It is written: one does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God." And so passed the first temptation.

 

The story was much the same for the second and the third temptations. In the second, on top of a synagogue, the devil goaded Jesus to throw Himself down, for the angels of the Father would surely come to His protection "lest He dash His foot against a stone." Jesus said back: "Again it is written, you shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test."

 

In the third temptation, the devil took his brazenness to the brim. Looking down a mountaintop, gazing at the magnificent properties sprawled across the land, he told Jesus to swear allegiance to him instead of the Father. Jesus, with character confidence, retorted: "Get away, Satan! It is written: The Lord, your God, shall you worship, and Him alone shall you serve."  The devil left Jesus, convinced finally that our Lord cannot be moved the other way.

 

Such is the obstinacy of sin: it is not content with us, humans. It insists on spreading its teasing—its temptations—even in the face of our Lord in His humanity; but the marvel is how unlike us, Jesus did not waver.

 

Daily tussles with life would prod us over and over to succumb. Struggles of varying degrees would compel us to relinquish integrity: to sin as if deplorably, so inevitably, to live. So is the dark side of human nature: in its limitlessness, it looks to circumventing rules in its exhaustion of ways to subsist—to barely live, more so with uprightness.

 

This is no condonement to sin when one gives in to temptation, but it is not like we have a God who does not understand. He took on human form here on earth. He occupied the same flesh as we did, and was subject to the same fleshly limitations. He knows what we are—who we are, and how far down we can fall in desolation. But though subjected to temptation just the same, unlike us, Jesus did not sin. We can only hope to be like Jesus through the persistent struggle to be good, but in that endeavor, we are not fallible. So let us take to Jesus to help us in our ordeal and to forgive in times of need, "for we do not have a High Priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have One who has been tempted in every way just as we are—yet He did not sin."  (Hebrews 4:15)

 

As if the temptation stopped with the third, the Gospel today provides us with an apparent fourth that also could have urged Jesus to surrender. John was apprehended by the officials, and this could have been cause enough scare to flee and desist from spreading the Gospel; but similar to the first, second, and third temptations, Jesus was unswerving to the devil's machinations. He continued His evangelization of the Gospel. "This  is the time of  fulfillment," Jesus said. "The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the Gospel." (Mark 1:15)

Prayer

 

Jesus, amid temptation, please help us to become like You, unbending as much as possible. In the times when we fall, please extend us Your forgiveness and restoration. Please help us to turn down sin and its temptations. Please help us spread Your word, our ultimate Mission. In Your Most Holy Name, o Jesus, Amen.

 

 

 

A Good Start in Transforming the Self

First Sunday of Lent Mar 9
First reading Genesis 2:7-9,3:1-7
The Lord God fashioned man of dust from the soil. Then he breathed into his nostrils a breath of life, and thus man became a living being.
The Lord God planted a garden in Eden which is in the east, and there he put the man he had fashioned. The Lord God caused to spring up from the soil every kind of tree, enticing to look at and good to eat, with the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the middle of the garden.
Now the serpent was the most subtle of all the wild beasts that the Lord God had made. It asked the woman, ‘Did God really say you were not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?’ The woman answered the serpent, ‘We may eat the fruit of the trees in the garden. But of the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden God said, “You must not eat it, nor touch it, under pain of death.” ‘ Then the serpent said to the woman, ‘No! You will not die! God knows in fact that on the day you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods, knowing good and evil.’ The woman saw that the tree was good to eat and pleasing to the eye, and that it was desirable for the knowledge that it could give. So she took some of its fruit and ate it. She gave some also to her husband who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened and they realised that they were naked. So they sewed fig-leaves together to make themselves loin-cloths.

Psalm                                                                            Psalm 50:3-6,12-14,17

Have mercy on us, O Lord, for we have sinned.

Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness.

  In your compassion blot out my offence.

O wash me more and more from my guilt

  and cleanse me from my sin.

Have mercy on us, O Lord, for we have sinned.

My offences truly I know them;

  my sin is always before me

Against you, you alone, have I sinned;

  what is evil in your sight I have done.

Have mercy on us, O Lord, for we have sinned.

A pure heart create for me, O God,

  put a steadfast spirit within me.

Do not cast me away from your presence,

  nor deprive me of your holy spirit.

Have mercy on us, O Lord, for we have sinned.

Give me again the joy of your help;

  with a spirit of fervour sustain me,

O Lord, open my lips

  and my mouth shall declare your praise.

Have mercy on us, O Lord, for we have sinned.

Second reading                                                        Romans 5:12-19

Sin entered the world through one man, and through sin death, and thus death has spread through the whole human race because everyone has sinned. Sin existed in the world long before the Law was given. There was no law and so no one could be accused of the sin of ‘law-breaking’, yet death reigned over all from Adam to Moses, even though their sin, unlike that of Adam, was not a matter of breaking a law.

  Adam prefigured the One to come, but the gift itself considerably outweighed the fall. If it is certain that through one man’s fall so many died, it is even more certain that divine grace, coming through the one man, Jesus Christ, came to so many as an abundant free gift. The results of the gift also outweigh the results of one man’s sin: for after one single fall came judgement with a verdict of condemnation, now after many falls comes grace with its verdict of acquittal. If it is certain that death reigned over everyone as the consequence of one man’s fall, it is even more certain that one man, Jesus Christ, will cause everyone to reign in life who receives the free gift that he does not deserve, of being made righteous. Again, as one man’s fall brought condemnation on everyone, so the good act of one man brings everyone life and makes them justified. As by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by one man’s obedience many will be made righteous.

Gospel                                                                        Matthew 4:1-11

Jesus was led by the Spirit out into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, after which he was very hungry, and the tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to turn into loaves.’ But he replied, ‘Scripture says:

Man does not live on bread alone

but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’

The devil then took him to the holy city and made him stand on the parapet of the Temple. ‘If you are the Son of God’ he said ‘throw yourself down; for scripture says:

He will put you in his angels’ charge,

and they will support you on their hands

in case you hurt your foot against a stone.’

Jesus said to him, ‘Scripture also says:

You must not put the Lord your God to the test.’

Next, taking him to a very high mountain, the devil showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour. ‘I will give you all these’ he said, ‘if you fall at my feet and worship me.’ Then Jesus replied, ‘Be off, Satan! For scripture says:

You must worship the Lord your God,

and serve him alone.’

Then the devil left him, and angels appeared and looked after him.

Reflection by Mark Vertido

In the following Sundays of Lent, we shall read accounts on the transformation of life that God wants us to have. But I will not spoil yet the other Sunday readings and focus first on the readings of this Sunday.

The context of the Gospel reading this Sunday happened actually after Jesus was baptized by His own cousin, John the Baptist, in the Jordan River. After being baptized, he went on a deserted place to “put to the test by the devil.” After forty days and nights of fasting and prayer, it is expected that Jesus is already famished and weak in body for He is human also, aside from being divine.

And so the devil came and tempted Him three times by testing His divinity to turn stones into bread; by teasing Him to throw Himself from the peak of the Temple that angels may come and rescue Him; and by promising Him to Lord over all the nations if He bows down to the devil. If the Son of God Himself could be tempted, are humans more vulnerable to be tempted and commit sin? And we have seen many instances of temptation in our lives and our society from the cheating during examinations to get a high grade into stealing public funds for selfishness.

In the first reading, it is clearly seen how Eve and Adam was tempted by the serpent. But we can also see in the account that the temptation by the serpent just uncovered the actual desires of Adam and Eve. Indeed, we are tempted not only because the devil wants it so but also because in the deepest corners of our hearts we desire such things and a stimulus is only needed so that the response is activated.

The temptation of Jesus in the desert happens also before He has started His public ministry and His work of Salvation that sinners may receive the grace of God. Thus, it reminds us of the importance of recollections and retreats before venturing into the changes that will happen in our lives. Before continuing our plans and goals, we need to prepare ourselves by looking into our Self and being aware of it because the Self may become the very temptation that we need to overcome. It is actually a time for a prayerful discernment like Jesus to eliminate our false beliefs and motives in doing a certain step in our journey. And this was done by many Christians throughout history.

Just recently, I was again in a time for discernment for the things I need to do in my life so I needed to go for a weekend with the Lord for there were questions that I needed to answer before I agree to continue what I need to do. And so with the help of prayers and God, I was able to come to a very important decision for my life. There were many temptations came but through the grace of God, I have seen my intentions because of the openness of my heart to listen to the Lord and receive the grace of God.

So in the changes that will come to our life, from the old to a transformed one, let us always ask God to give us an open and discerning heart. Let us give some time for silence and space for God to fix things for us and to set straight what He truly wants of us for in the end He will also send us His “angels to serve us.” And the Lenten Season is always a good time for us to transform ourselves!

Prayer

As we continue reflecting and transforming ourselves, let us be reminded by the plea of the Psalmist to God to wash him first from all sin.

 https://soundcloud.com/marky-vertido/have-mercy-on-me-god-arnel-dc 

Tempted

First Reading: Deuteronomy 26:4-10

Then the priest shall take the basket from your hand, and set it down before the altar of the LORD your God. "And you shall make response before the LORD your God, `A wandering Aramean was my father; and he went down into Egypt and sojourned there, few in number; and there he became a nation, great, mighty, and populous. And the Egyptians treated us harshly, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage. Then we cried to the LORD the God of our fathers, and the LORD heard our voice, and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression; and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror, with signs and wonders; and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. And behold, now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground, which thou, O LORD, hast given me.' And you shall set it down before the LORD your God, and worship before the LORD your God;

Psalm: Psalm 91:1-2, 10-15

Second Reading: Romans 10:8-13

But what does it say? The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart (that is, the word of faith which we preach); because, if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For man believes with his heart and so is justified, and he confesses with his lips and so is saved. The scripture says, "No one who believes in him will be put to shame." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and bestows his riches upon all who call upon him. For, "every one who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved."

Gospel: Luke 4:1-13

And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan, and was led by the Spirit for forty days in the wilderness, tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing in those days; and when they were ended, he was hungry. The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread." And Jesus answered him, "It is written, `Man shall not live by bread alone." And the devil took him up, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, "To you I will give all this authority and their glory; for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it shall all be yours."

And Jesus answered him, "It is written, `You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.'" And he took him to Jerusalem, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here; for it is written, `He will give his angels charge of you, to guard you,' and `On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.'" And Jesus answered him, "It is said, `You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'" And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.

Reflection
By Grace Madriñan

“You know the reason why you have not found a man for yourself? It’s because you are spending too much time inside the church!”


A friend of mine once told me this straight to my face. I was caught off-guard, and for a second, I did not know how to respond. At first minute, I thought maybe he is right. But at the second minute, I knew he is wrong. So I responded, “How can my service to the church be a hindrance to my love life? Most probably, it could be very well that my close proximity to the church has saved me from meeting the wrong kind of man.”

I sort of distanced from this friend after that. This happened more than a year ago at the time when I was travelling alone in a foreign country. Being a single in a foreign country, some people would expect me to ‘mingle’, including this friend of mine. I did socialize, I go out and meet new friends and enjoy good conversations. I do admit that there are times when I thought of going beyond what my moral values dictate. Just to go with the flow, so they say.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus secluded Himself for forty days in the desert and was tempted. At first, I wondered why Jesus had to undergo such ordeal. We all know that Jesus will definitely pass with flying colors. Besides, He is God! But I realized later on, that aside from the need to experience it all in order to prepare Him for the great task ahead, He is also showing to us a model of how to face and win over temptations.

Like Jesus, I myself have my own taste of temptations. Maybe not as extensive as what Jesus had to go through, but I felt every inch of spiritual struggle. I do not regret having to experience such because it made me learn more about myself, my weaknesses as well as the grace that is bestowed upon me in these times of trouble. I learned that as much as there are temptations lurking around to snatch me, God supplied me with all the necessary resources to overcome the like. During that same time, I met new friends who happens to be Christians. They have kept me company through the rest of my stay. Not only did I have my moral values intact but they enriched my spirituality as well. Truly, it is a showcase of God’s protection over me.

Prayer

Father, danger is ever present in our everyday life. But we need only know how to tap into Your grace and Your protection is ever present, carrying us to safety. Amen.