In February, we will be fully engaged in our great penitential season of Lent which begins on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 17. In my experience as a priest and bishop, Lent is one of those seasons during which my resolve on Ash Wednesday to keep the real discipline of Lent is immediately attacked by Satan to tempt me to alter that resolve, not to give up my resolve.
Satan is a fallen and evil angel, but he remains an angel with high intelligence and a free will. It is the Lord Jesus Who identifies him as the “prince of lies,” and that is exactly who Satan is and that is why he is very cunning in how he tempts us to not follow the Lord. You and I can readily reject very obvious temptations to sin but the subtle temptations which make things seem to be good when they are evil are a whole different story.
Here are a few examples and I will use our traditional Lenten discipline of prayer, fasting and almsgiving or good works. Whatever we resolve to do to keep the discipline of prayer, Satan will tempt us to cut corners, not to just stop praying. His temptations may come in the form of me thinking that I am busy and I will catch up on my prayers later which usually doesn’t happen; I may feel really tired and worn out and just skipping my prayers this once won’t be a big deal; or I think I have other things to do so I will rush through my prayers and then get on to something else.
Fasting in Lent is for those of the proper age on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday and the Church encourages us to choose other days to fast as well. Satan won’t tempt us not to fast, but he will tempt us to eat between meals, or he will tempt us to eat meat on these days and on the Fridays of Lent when we are to abstain from eating meat. What can it hurt, right? I can always get back to my fasting and penance next Friday. Again, he tempts us to not follow Jesus faithfully and unconditionally, he tempts us to the sin of spiritual laziness.
Finally, Satan will tempt us to cut corners and to not be truly generous with our good works of mercy and charity. He won’t tempt us not to be charitable, but he will tempt us to do as little as possible and to treat these works as an inconvenience. In other words, he will tempt us to not be Christ-like in our charity which then is not real charity.
All this being said, how strong is your resolve to keep the discipline of Lent? That should be a question each of us asks ourselves every day of Lent and our answer should be honest. While Satan is very active in Lent to tempt us away from the Lord, the Lord’s grace is even more abundant for us in Lent. All we need do is ask Him for it and He gives His grace to us lavishly. Be like the leper who comes to Jesus and kneels at His feet and simply says “If You wish, You can heal me.” Jesus responded immediately and touched him and healed him of his disease, but He also strengthened his faith to such an extent that he went away rejoicing and telling others about Jesus.
This is what the discipline of Lent is supposed to do for us, and it will do this if we are faithful to keeping it and we are resolved to be Christ-like and to reject Satan and his temptations. May this holy season bring you many blessings!