Temptation in itself is not a sin. It is an incitement to sin; thus, it can be avoided and transformed into an avenue to see God’s grace working in us. Each one of us is tempted every day. No matter how unholy the images that we see nor how strong the inclination to do something immoral if our will is not involved, only if we do not act or give into our temptations, we do not sin before God. For the deliberate and conscious act of our will is the defining factor of whether we sin or not. These attacks of the devil are pointless if we do not entertain them in the first place.
Avoidance and prevention are the simplest ways to avoid temptations. Jesus was not spared from the temptations of the devil. We now come before God, humbling ourselves in prayer. Let us seek God’s grace to surround and work in us. Our faith grows when we become aware of the graces we receive and when we begin to use them against temptations and sin. May we pray and recognize our blessedness as we make this prayer for temptation.
Prayer against temptation
Lord Jesus Christ,
Hear the call of Your faithful servant as I make this prayer against temptations. Supply the necessary blessings to aid me in overcoming the temptation that I am experiencing. Allow the Holy Spirit to guide me through this. May I fully cooperate with the graces working within me. Giving into this temptation may pull me away from Your side but let this be a way of strengthening my faith in Your unfailing grace. Like an iron in the furnace, may the impurities of my soul melt away with the warmth of Your mercy and love.
Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, You experienced everything we experienced except for sin. Obedient to the will of the Father, You were led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted for forty days. You were not spared from the piercing winds of the desert. The scorching heat of the day and the chilling breeze at night never slowed You down. The crippling hunger and thirst may have weakened Your body but made Your faith formidable before the devil. Your strong faith in the Father led You to overcome the temptations of the devil.
In the face of hunger and exhaustion, You responded with filial dependence on the Father. In overcoming the trials of life, You answered with trust in God’s unfailing providence. And before the alluring glory and riches of the world, You remained steadfast to only serve and worship God. Dear Jesus, may You grant me a filial faith and dependence on the Father like Yours. In this moment of trial and temptation, I hope to overcome it and continue to enjoy the merits of God’s favor. Let me focus and fix my gaze on You in this fleeting moment of temptation, reminding myself of the great sacrifice for my sins and for the sins of humanity. Let Your graces abound in the weakness of my body. Perfect in me the heavenly virtues You have bestowed transforming me into a worthy child of the Father.
Hear my prayer, o sweet Jesus, as I offer this through Your most holy name,
Amen.
Short prayer for temptation
In this moment of temptation, guard my heart and strengthen my faith, O Lord Jesus Christ. Perfect in me the graces You have bestowed on Your faithful servant. Amen.
The Word of God
Therefore, to keep me from being too elated, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me, but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” So I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ, for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Corinthians 12:7-10 NRSVUE
Prayer to Saint Augustine of Hippo against temptations
O good Bishop of Hippo, Saint Augustine, I seek your intercession to aid me in overcoming this moment of temptation in my life. I wish to surpass this trial of mine and use in me the graces God has graciously given me. In this time of weakness and difficulty, I beseech Your prayerful intercession and recall your shining example. Inspire me to keep my heart from the temptations of the evil one and fix my eyes on heaven, towards God together with His saints.
Saint Augustine of Hippo, you yourself were subject to great temptations in your early life. Abounding with worldly wisdom and intellect, you were unparalleled, and you enjoyed the fleeting glory of human praise. Succumbing to the alluring pleasures of the body and sensuality, self-restraint was unknown to you. But when you encountered Christ, through the reading of the Bible and with the fervent prayer of your mother, Saint Monica, you were confronted with the guilt of your sins and rose up towards your conversion.
May your example of triumph over sin and conversion into a new life be a constant inspiration in my trials against temptations and a reminder of God’s unending mercy and unrequited love. I hope to obtain the grace of remaining steadfast in my faith in God. Allow these difficulties which I am experiencing to lead toward the maturity of my faith and the consolation of my soul. May you guard me against the snares of temptations and forever keep me as a faithful child of God.
Saint Augustine of Hippo, pray for us.
Amen.
Further reflection
Evil thoughts will always knock on the doors of our minds. They may come in different guises that constantly entice us and try to penetrate our hearts. We might not be able to control or stop them from knocking, but offering a short prayer to rebuke temptation, recalling a favorite line in scriptures, or even invoking the most holy name of Jesus and of the saints may repel the wicked thoughts that hound us. When temptations become more stubborn, it may be time for us to be more formidable and more responsive to the faith that we believe in. This might be the moment for us to stand up and make a visit to the Blessed Sacrament, attend Mass, go to the Sacrament of Confession, or perform acts of charity and love. Redirecting our thoughts, our actions, and our energies to actualizing our faith life will surely help us not fall for the tricks of the devil.
May we also look at the shining examples of saints in overcoming temptations. As someone being called by God, the devil might have worked double time to lead them astray from following God’s plan for them. Saint Paul the Apostle and Saint Agustine of Hippo were great sinners in their time, but God’s unending grace was greater than their sins. Their unrelenting faith and filial trust in the Father, amidst haunting temptations, led them to the perfection of God’s grace within them. The graces which God supplies to us are enough, we need to recognize and use them. And even if we fail to respond in faith, God will always be waiting for us. He will continue to reach out His hand to us even if we lose Him in the darkness of sin. He will still look for us even if we hide from the guilt of our sins. His love for us will never fade for He is a God of second chances.
