Temptations and Trials

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Temptations and Trials

“Our pilgrimage on earth cannot be exempt from trial. We progress by means of trial. No one knows himself except through trial, or receives a crown except after victory, or strives except against an enemy or temptations.”  St Augustine in his Commentary on the Psalms

“As the pilot of a vessel is tried in the storm; as the wrestler is tried in the ring, the soldier in the battle, and the hero in adversity: so is the Christian tried in temptation.” — St. Basil the Great

“The life of prayer calls for continuous battles. It is the most important and the longest effort in a life dedicated to God. …. We would much prefer a real battle, fierce and decisive. But God, as a rule, thinks otherwise. He would rather we were in a constant state of war.” — Dom Augustin Guillerand,

“I never found anyone so religious and devout as not to have sometimes a subtraction of grace, or feel a diminution of fervor. No saint was ever so highly rapt and illuminated as not to be tempted sooner or later. For he is not worthy of the high contemplation of God who has not, for God’s sake, been exercised with some tribulation.” — Thomas à Kempis

“Many of the saints tell us that these times of God-ordained ‘desolation’ or dryness are very important times of growth if we persevere through them by exercising a deeper faith, hope, and love. It is particularly important, they tell us, not to give up our spiritual practices but to remain faithful. God in His wisdom knows how long and how deeply we must be tried in order to come closer to Him, and we should patiently trust Him during the trial while persevering in our practices.”  –  Ralph Martin

“It (disappointment) occurs when the boy who has been enchanted by Stories from the Odyssey buckles down to really learning Greek. It comes when lovers have got married and begin the real task of learning to live together. In every department of life it marks the transition from dreaming aspiration to laborious doing.”  C.S. Lewis , “Screwtape Letters”

The way the Christian follows is that of imitating Christ. We can follow Him only if we help Him bear His cross. We all have experience of suffering, and suffering leads to unhappiness unless it is accepted  with a Christian outlook. The Cross is not a tragedy: it is God’s way of teaching us that through sin we can be sanctified, becoming one with Christ and winning Heaven as a reward. This is why it is so Christian to love pain: “Let us bless pain. Love pain. Sanctify pain….Glorify pain!” ([Blessed] J. Escriva, “The Way”, 208).

All of us desire to avoid any and all of life’s difficulties, whether they be family problems, financial issues, or employment challenges. Yet throughout life, problems, issues, and challenges will thrust themselves into one’s world. Generally they will be very unwelcome and , occasionally, will create deep seated anxiety or fear.  These occasions will occur for every one of us. How they are handled will determine one’s success in life.  – JTE

 

Consequences

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CONSEQUENCES

He walked directly into the path of the rapidly approaching train. SPLAT! She studied diligently for her exams and received very high marks. The older couple lamented their decision not to have children as they experience the loneliness of advanced years. The critically ill man regretted his decision to delay seeking a doctor’s advice regarding his illness; now he was near death. All of these instances illustrate one common theme…. every decision has consequences that cannot be avoided.

 In today’s cultural environment with its emphasis on relativism and lack of accountability for one’s actions, it is extremely vital to note that all human activity has consequences. Many people attempt to fool themselves with a form of relativism that quickly excuses their actions and those of others, as if they have no responsibility for the consequences of their actions. “Do your own thing,” is a comfortable slogan, which, for many, comes to mean that they are not responsible in any way for their actions or, in some instances, lack of action. Freedom does not mean that we are free from the effects of our actions or that we can do what we want regardless of the consequences to ourselves and others. It is imperative to recognize that all of life’s decisions have consequences… and that each individual should be prepared to accept those consequences. Oh, but who wants or will accept responsibility? Not me!! Yes, not me is the answer most moderns will provide.

All actions or, in many instances, the lack of action have consequences. Everything we do and do not do results in some type of effect. Often the consequences are so trivial as to not be apparent to anyone. (A student who does not study properly for an exam may still obtain a good grade on the exam if it was an easy test. Yet the student has lost, at least for the time being, an opportunity to really master a subject and gain valuable knowledge.)

On the other hand, the failure to take decisive action at a particular time can lead to terrible consequences for millions of people. The failure by his own countrymen and other nations to stop Hitler’s rise to ascendancy in Germany and in the world certainly catapulted the world into a terrible abyss of murder and widespread devastation. Taking action when it is required can provide the basis for positive results. After the defeat of Nazism in WWII, the United States and its allies established a firm but reasonably flexible plan to counter Communist aggression. Over time, the plan of action was rewarded with the fall of Communism and the resurrection of individual liberties and freedom for millions of people throughout the world. This freedom and liberty were not secured without pain and individual setbacks. They were purchased at a price – in lives and treasure, but at much less cost than one would expect if there had been no plan to thwart the rush of Communism.

An individual’s decision to believe or not believe in an Almighty God is the most critical decision one makes in his lifetime. No other decision will have the everlasting consequences that one’s belief or non belief in God will have on one’s life. To put it bluntly, the rejection of God by a human is fatal. Not maybe! It is fatal!! The price of an individual’s  rejection of God is God’s rejection of the individual for eternity. It has been argued that a “good, well lived life by an atheist will still win him his eternal reward.” Nonsense! Throughout human history, God has sent His prophets, bishops, priests, saints, and millions upon millions of ordinary people to proclaim His existence. God has provided man with the Natural Law and innate directions for mankind. Persons with powerful intellects, such as Saint Paul, Thomas Aquinas, Augustine of Hippo, Robert Bellarmine, G.K. Chesterton, Martin Luther, John Knox, John Henry Newman, and many others have proclaimed God’s existence and His love for man. God also sent His only Son to mankind to redeem man and to provide him with the information and tools needed to know Him intimately. The testimony about God throughout the centuries has been voluminous and continuous. We cannot claim ignorance of Him. Man either chooses to believe in God and do His will or one denies Him and does “his own thing.” Once man rejects God’s existence he then makes himself as God…. a truly false god.

Mankind is responsible for its actions. Indeed there are consequences for mankind’s decision to accept or deny God. Denying God will result in God denying man at his death….an eternal damnation.

C.S. Lewis provides some insightful advice in his book, “Mere Christianity” when he notes, “Christianity asserts that every individual human being is going to live forever, and this must be either true or false. Now there are a good many things which would not be worth bothering about if I were going to live only seventy years, but which I had better bother about very seriously if I am going to live forever.” — C.S. Lewis, p. 74 “Mere Christianity”

There are consequences whether we want them or not. They are unavoidable.