Fall silent
and resist temptation
Week 1
Opening Prayer
+ O God come to my assistance. O Lord, make haste to help me. I fall silent in your presence now.
Scripture
Jesus returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days, to be tempted by the devil….
The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”
Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live on bread alone.’”
Then he took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world…. The devil said to him, “…All this will be yours, if you worship me.”
Jesus said to him in reply, “It is written ‘You shall worship the Lord, your God, and him alone shall you serve.’”Then the devil led him to Jerusalem, made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here…. Jesus said to him in reply, “It also says, ‘You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.’” (cf. Luke 4.1-13)
Meditation
During times when I find myself struggling with a particular temptation, I often think, 'Why do I struggle with this so much? Why can't my cross be this thing or that other thing? I am good at avoiding that. If that was my issue, I could easily overcome it.' However, then I laugh to myself and think, 'Well....I suppose that would not make it a temptation if it was that easy.'
I think much like the gifts and talents we are blessed with, we also each are dealt our own unique temptations that are meant to strengthen us in a particular way. Our type might look similar to another's, but the way the temptation grips us and the way we deal with it often takes our own process of searching to find the strength to resist.
Our world is not at all silent with our instant and constant connectivity to people, places, and things. Seeking out and trying to find silence is more difficult now than it has been in the past. For me, I find that silence out on a walk. I do not always want to go out into the silence, and it takes a bit of effort even when it feels like that is what I need to do. However, perhaps that little pull to get out is the Holy Spirit inviting and leading me to silence, just like the Spirit led Jesus into the silence of the desert. Jesus once faced temptations too, and can help me recognize the temptations that plague me and give me the strength and grace to resist them...if I fall silent as He did. This Lent, consider falling silent to give you strength to resist the temptations that are unique to you.
- Brandon Kelly, Blessed Sacrament
Reflection
1) How can the noise of the devil distract me? What weaknesses or flaws am I trying to deny or hide?
2) What hungers or temptations are real in my life? (perhaps power, attention, material things, accolades...)
3) How might I ask Jesus to help my hungers "fall silent" so that I can listen to him?
