Street of First Doctrine
26. What Is Temptation?
Street of First Doctrine: first Catholic doctrine for souls learning how to believe, pray, and live.
"Watch ye, and pray that ye enter not into ." - Matthew 26:41
is an attraction, suggestion, pressure, or occasion drawing the soul toward sin. A beginner must learn this clearly: is not itself sin. Our Lord Himself was , yet He never sinned. Sin begins when the will consents to evil.
The catechism answer is simple: is a trial by which the soul is urged toward sin, and it must be resisted by , prayer, vigilance, and firm refusal of consent.
reveals weakness, but it also becomes a place of fidelity when the soul clings to God.
The question is not first, "Did a thought come?" It is not first, "Did I feel attraction?" It is not first, "Was I disturbed?" The question is: "Did I consent?"
Many souls become confused because they think every bad thought is already a sin. This is not true. A may come suddenly, strongly, and against the will. If the soul rejects it, prays against it, turns away from it, or refuses to take pleasure in it, the soul has resisted.
becomes sin when the will accepts what God forbids.
may come from the world, the flesh, and the devil.
The world tempts by false examples, bad customs, mockery of , , vanity, greed, , and the praise of sin.
The flesh tempts through disordered appetite, laziness, anger, curiosity, sensuality, and desire for comfort.
The devil tempts by suggestion, accusation, confusion, discouragement, , and .
These enemies work together. The soul must not be naive.
Our Lord permitted Himself to be in the desert. He did not need purification, but He showed His faithful how to resist.
He answered with the word of God, refused Satan's false promises, and remained obedient to the Father. The devil offered bread without , glory without the Cross, and kingdoms without worship of the true God.
These remain. Man is still to make comfort his god, to seek glory without sacrifice, and to gain the world by betraying worship.
Consent is the will's acceptance of evil. A thought may pass through the mind without consent. A movement may stir the passions without consent. Fear may trouble the imagination without consent.
The soul should reject evil promptly. It should not argue with , enjoy it, delay near it, or return to it by curiosity.
The longer a person toys with , the more dangerous it becomes. Prompt refusal is mercy to the soul.
Some are strengthened by occasions of sin. A person who knowingly stays near what commonly leads him to fall is not watching and praying.
For one soul, the occasion may be a place. For another, a device. For another, a friendship. For another, a habit of idleness, drink, entertainment, bad reading, angry conversation, or secret curiosity.
The serious Christian does not merely say, "I will be stronger next time." He removes what leads him toward sin.
Prayer is necessary against because fallen man is weak. Our Lord did not say only, "Watch." He said, "Watch ye, and pray."
The soul should call on Jesus, invoke Our Lady, make the sign of the Cross, pray the Hail Mary, turn to the Rosary, and ask the Holy Ghost for strength.
A short prayer said promptly may save the soul from a long fall.
Vigilance means spiritual wakefulness. The soul learns its dangers and refuses to live carelessly.
Vigilance watches over the eyes, speech, friendships, reading, devices, entertainment, places, emotions, habits, and times of weakness. It notices when tiredness, loneliness, anger, , or discouragement make sin more likely.
The vigilant soul does not trust itself apart from .
If a person falls, he should not despair. He should repent, make an Act of , avoid further sin, and go to confession when needed.
But he should also learn. What led to the fall? What warning was ignored? What occasion remained? What duty was neglected? What prayer was omitted?
Repeated falls usually require concrete changes. Vague sorrow without leaves the door open.
The soul must learn that is not sin unless the will consents.
The soul must learn to resist promptly.
The soul must learn to avoid occasions of sin.
The soul must learn to watch and pray.
The soul must learn to rise after a fall without making peace with sin.
is a trial by which the soul is urged toward sin, and it must be resisted by , prayer, vigilance, and firm refusal of consent.
A beginner should ask: What return often? Where do they begin? What occasions do I need to remove? Do I pray at the first movement of danger? Do I confuse with consent? Do I rise quickly after falling?
The Christian life is not lived asleep. The soul must watch, pray, resist, and trust the of Christ.