WORD ALIVE

 

There’s a young man who was constantly bedeviled by sensual thoughts. Feeling guilty, he consulted a priest-friend.

“Don’t worry,” the priest assured him, “these thoughts popped out in our minds. They’re not sinful but only enticements. But the moment you start entertaining them, they become sinful. Did you entertain them?”
 

The young man paused, then sheepishly replied: “Well, I didn’t entertain them, Father, but I think they entertained me!”
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Temptations are not just sexual incitement but also those of injustice, bribery, stealing, backbiting or murder. It’s when we give in that they become immoral.

Everyone is tempted. Jesus Christ was tempted as shown in today’s gospel (Mk 1,12-15). However, he overcame the devil’s enticements.
 

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A wise man once said: “To pray against temptation but not to avoid the occasion of sin is like putting your hand in the fire and pray that the hand does not get burned.”

Occasions of sin can be persons, places, or things that can lead us to sin. For instance, a bad friend can lead you to a sleazy place and morally degraded beerhouse.

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Don’t take chances. There was once a rich man who was trying to hire a chauffeur and he interviewed three men for the position.

He pointed to a high cliff near his house and said, “Suppose you were driving me on the edge of that cliff. How close could you safely come?”

One man said, “I could easily drive the car within six inches away from the cliff.” The other applicant said, “I certainly could come within a foot without you having to worry at all.”

Finally, the third man applying for the job spoke up, “I won’t take chances. I wouldn’t go anywhere near the edge of that cliff. I would stay at least six feet away from the edge!”

It was the third man who was hired for the job. As with driving so with temptation. The farthest, the safest. It means avoiding every occasion that leads us to sin.

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Today is National Migrants’ Sunday. It falls on the 1st Sunday of Lent which is timely and fitting because the theme of the gospel is about temptation.

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A common family problem among Filipino migrants is the long separation of married couples.

A spouse working abroad, for instance, can succumb to the temptation of infidelity. The spouse left behind can also fall to the same predicament.

One wonders if the dollars or euro earned abroad are worth it when one’s family is in shambles. To paraphrase the Lord’s words: “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but suffers the loss of his own family.”

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Once a classroom teacher asked, “Ano ang pangalan ng pinakamalakas na bagyo sa taong ito?” (What’s the strongest typhoon this year?)

Dante raised his hand and replied: “Tukso po.” (Temptation). Astounded, the teacher said: “Bakit tukso?” (Why temptation?).

Dante, quoting a Tagalog song, said: “Kasi po kay dami ng winasak na tahanan, kay dami ng matang pinaluha at kay dami ng pusong sinugatan” (So many temptations devastated homes, many eyes have shed bitter tears, so many hearts have been broken).

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Take note. The culprit that causes enormous damages and sufferings is not temptation (tukso) but sin. Jesus was tempted by the devil but he shunned all the enticements. Temptation is the desire to do something that you know you should avoid. It’s when you give in to the allurement that you fall into sin.

Remember, too, that temptation will not avoid us. “Tukso layuan mo ako!” That’s wrong. The right thing to do is we should be the one to avoid temptation (Dapat ikaw ang lumayo sa tukso). The more you entertain the temptation, the more you weaken and fall into perdition. That’s the lesson in the above drivers’ story.

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We have just entered the season of Lent. Lent is a special occasion which calls us to deep decision-making. It challenges us to test our fidelity to God and our moral conviction when we are tempted.

Let’s pray that the Lord will give us a strong will to say no to the alluring temptations of the evil one.

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Lent is a time for sacrifices and acts of charity. Help our seminarians by donating through our Adopt a Seminarian scholarship program. Donate any amount or sponsor a seminarian's schooling good for one school year. For inquiry, e-mail me at: [email protected].