Word to the Wise
Tuesday, February 16, 2010 - Tuesday in the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
[James 1:12-18 and Mark 8:14-21]No one experiencing temptation should say, "I am being tempted by God"; for God is not subject to temptation to evil, and he himself tempts no one. Rather, each person is tempted by his desire. Then desire conceives and brings forth sin, and when sin reaches maturity it gives birth to death. [James]
Temptation is as old as human decision-making! Can any one of us ever claim never to have been "tempted?" The word often carries a negative meaning as if any temptation is to do something that is wrong. It has also been "personalized" in the form of the serpent in the Garden of Eden. (Some of us will recall the comedian Flip Wilson and his routine about "the devil made me do that.") A more serious question arises when someone believes that God has sent a "temptation" as some deliberate kind of test. In fact, scripture scholars have suggested that the Letter is referring to the line in the Lord's Prayer (in the version in the Gospel of Matthew -6:13) which uses the words, "Lead us not into temptation..." and rejecting any interpretation that suggests that God tempts people to evil. There the New American Bible differs from the liturgical text, which has the traditional lines, and translates: "Do not submit us to the final test..." Temptation is a matter of human desire confronting human need and together confronting human freedom and prudence which one hopes will be enlightened by God's grace! Our culture almost seeks out temptation by continually insisting on a maximum number of "options." The scriptures and our Christian Catholic tradition provide guidance through the experience of the church down through the ages. This is not just a matter of dietary asceticism (which can be a serious matter for a diabetic) but lethal when a woman is confronted with an unexpected pregnancy or a recovering addict with the addicting behavior or substance. It enters into academic life in a terrible way in the form of cheating. My many years in campus ministry could provide a long list of the choices that students face when they enter into the "free time" of undergraduate life. Temptation is a sign of freedom. If we have no choices, there is no such thing as temptation. Praying for prudence and common sense is the best course. We can't blame God or the Devil for our choices. AMEN
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