When Tempted As Jesus Was

Temptations are all around us. Even if we don't look for them, we are bombarded by them. And oftentimes, we find ourselves just seemingly powerless to resist them. In our Gospel for the First Sunday of Lent, we see Jesus tempted by the devil. But unlike us who have succumbed to temptations, Jesus emerged triumphant in the struggle between Him and the devil. What is His secret?

The short account of Mark does not give the details of the temptations. Matthew and Luke do, and they tell us what Jesus did before he was tempted. Jesus fasted and prayed before He was tempted. Perhaps this is Jesus' secret. Why prayer and fasting?

In prayer, we acknowledge that our strength comes from God alone. Without Him, we would not have life. Only with God's help can we really fight and triumph over the many temptations in our life. This is certainly very clear for Jesus. In key moments of His life, He prayed. Thus, He came out victorious over the many trials and tests throughout His life. For He knew where and from whom to draw strength.

In fasting, we complement God's assistance by practically guarding the gates of our senses, through which temptations usually come into us. We refrain from the things and activities which potentially lead us to sin. In saying "No" to things that usually preoccupy us, or even enslave us, we already declare victory over the usual tactics of the evil spirit.

But prayer and fasting should be accompanied by works of mercy. This is not explicitly mentioned in the Gospel. Implicitly, it is alluded to when Jesus proclaims the Kingdom. The Kingdom comes when the Good News is preached to the poor. To believe in the Good News is to preach it to the poor, for whom the Kingdom must be a concrete reality. And works of mercy is the way to do this. We deprive ourselves of things, only so that we can give these to the poor.

Hence, prayer, fasting and works of mercy should come together.
For prayer without fasting and works of mercy is individualistic emotionalism.
For fasting without prayer and works of mercy is self-centered stoicism.
For works of mercy without fasting and prayer is condescending philantrophism.

When tempted and even when not, during Lent and beyond Lent: prayer, fasting
and good works.