Word to the Wise
Tuesday, February 13, 2024 - Tuesday in the 6th Week in Ordinary Time
[Jas 1:12-18 and Mark 8:14-21]Blessed is he who perseveres in temptation, for when he has been proven he will receive the crown of life that [God] promised to those who love him. 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 when lured and enticed by his desire. Then desire conceives and brings forth sin, and when sin reaches maturity it gives birth to death. [James]
FEBRUARY 13 BL. JORDAN OF SAXONY, OP
[James 1:12-18 and Mark 8:14-21. The scriptures may vary at Dominican locations. ]
The well-known comedian Flip Wilson had a routine in which he portrayed a woman named Geraldine who had a good angel on one shoulder whispering into his ear and a bad angel on the other shoulder doing the same. The dialog was funny and usually resulted in the line, "The devil made me buy that dress!" The funny routine, though, portrayed the way many people think about the conflict that arises in moral decision making. The Guardian Angel squares off with an almost guardian devil. The Letter of James, in the first scripture for today, exhorts Christians to understand that temptation does not come from outside a person but from inside. Marketing programs are designed to go after that "inside."
Are we mere victims of ourselves? St. Thomas Aquinas, among others in Catholic tradition, reminds us that God gave us reason to guide and control passions. We often refer to reason as "common sense." Addiction, for example, begins with small decisions made against common sense ("Just one time won't hurt, etc.), and leads to loss of freedom. When we fail to use the most important resource God has given us to deal with temptation, we must pay the consequences. Yes, our reasoning may be impacted by background and ignorance, but faith can point to Christian moral tradition and the teaching of the Church to provide a beacon in what can be a real struggle. The real sin may be in refusing to get help because the temptation is so attractive ("It's easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission!") Long term consequences are hard to think about when passion is aroused, but the Letter of James reminds us that the rewards of perseverance are eternal. AMEN