Tradition Day by Day: March 4

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March 4

Christ's temptations and our temptations

hen our first parents were tempted by the forbidden fruit, they were tempted by the desire of the flesh. When they were told, you will be like gods, they were tempted by the pride of life. And from what was added, knowing good and evil, they were tempted by greed, taking greed generally as the desire for having any desirable thing.

Likewise Christ was tempted by gluttony or the desire of the flesh when the devil said to him, If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread. He was tempted by greed or the desire of the eyes when the devil led him onto a very high mountain, showing him all the kingdoms of the world and all their glory, and said, All of these I will give to you if you fall down and worship me. And he was tempted by the pride of life when the devil led him onto a pinnacle of the temple and said, If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, in order that Christ might rise up in pride since, by the guardianship of the angels, he could do this without injury.

In like manner we ourselves are tempted daily either by the desire of the flesh in regard to pleasurable good, or by the desire of the eyes in regard to a utilitarian good, or by the pride of life in regard to an honorable good.

Giles of Rome, O.S.A.

Augustine Day By Day

The Augustinians - St. Thomas of Villanova Province

From John E. Rotelle, O.S.A., Tradition Day by Day: Readings from Church Writers. Augustinian Press. Villanova, PA, 1994.

HTML text prepared by David P. Steelman