First Sunday of Advent: Temptations as Moments of Grace!

Tomorrow is the First Sunday of Lent. And in our Liturgy, we will hear the Gospel Account about Jesus' forlorn in the desert and how the devil tempted Him. Most of us think that temptations are sins. No, temptations are only occasions to commit sin, and if we nuance that a little, temptations are actually moments of grace!

In the Gospel Jesus was lured by Satan by making Him give in to His bodily desires: physiological gratification (bread), and psycho-emotional gratification (power, riches, prestige, etc...). But Jesus never gave in. Dear friends, many temptations will come into our lives. But once we are tempted, the "things" that tempt us are not really the things we truly desire -- wealth, power, fame, luxurious lifestyle, etc... Even if we succumb to the temptations we still find ourselves incomplete, unsatisfied, lonely. Temptations check our firmness of spirit whether we would truly go for the thing that will give us genuine joy -- GOD.

So as we continue with our Lenten discipline, let us remind ourselves that when times of temptations come, they are actually opportunities for us to fortify our spirits. And like Jesus, may we truly choose that which will make us truly joyful. Amen.