Two Interior Causes of Temptation

Catholic Church 28-12-2023, 19:32

CHRIST:

MY CHILD, serious temptations can come from a lack of determination, or from too little conﬁdence in Me. A ship without a rudder is driven to and fro by the winds and waves. So too, when a man does not bother to work at the virtues he needs, or if he abandons his good intentions, he is soon tempted by his own faults and weaknesses.

2. I am the Lord, and I give strength in time of trial. Come to Me when things are not going well with you. Heavenly light and strength are often held back from you because you are so slow to make use of prayer. How frequently, before you get down to serious prayer, you look for peace in worldly consolations, and seek your happiness in natural enjoyments or earthly occupations.

3. You will ﬁnd little relief in anything until you realize that I am ready to help those who trust in Me. There is no perfect assistance, no helpful advice, no lasting remedy unless it is blessed by My love and strengthened by My presence.

THINK:

Lack of determination! How often I fall back into the same old faults because I am not deter- mined to overcome them! A half hearted resolution is little better than none at all. I must be fully determined to ﬁght my faults with deﬁnite action, not merely with a vague resolution. I should keep trying, regardless of repeated failures. Insuﬁicient conﬁdence in God’s help is another reason for my lack of progress in virtue. God will not help a man of little conﬁdence. I must earn His help by humble prayer, ﬁrm conﬁdence, and a sincere eﬁort to ﬁght my failures.

PRAY:

Lord, where is my true conﬁdence in this life? Of all the persons and things on earth, where is my greatest consolation? It ought surely to be in You, my Lord and God, Whose mercy has no limit. Was I ever really well off apart from You? Was I ever poorly oﬁ when near to You? Where You are, there is Heaven; and where You are not, there is death and hell. Let me live in close contact with you throughout my daily life. In union with You, I shall make my resolutions together with an honest effort to follow them. Amen.