TOPIC: REJECT TEMPTATIONS
1. STORY
Two friends, David and John, went out
to eat at a buffet lunch. Both were
amazed at the amount and variety of delicious food. They filled their plates and after finishing
went for a second helping. Though
they were both full, David decided to eat despite of John’s warning of the
consequences of stuffing himself. He
succumbed to the temptation and took his third helping resulting in his getting
sick. He learned the hard way the
important lesson − for your own good, resist temptations.
2. GOSPEL, MATTHEW 4:1-11
A) JESUS IS TEMPTED
The devil tempted Jesus three times:
i) Jesus was asked to change rocks
into bread.
ii) Jesus was asked to jump from the
temple.
iii) Jesus was asked to worship the
devil.
B) JESUS REJECTS THE TEMPTATIONS
Jesus rejected the three
temptations.
i) He rejected bread which represents
a desire for material goods by living a very simple life.
ii) He refused to jump from the
temple which represents a desire for fame as he was a very humble person.
iii) He rejected to worship the devil
which represents a desire for power by obeying the will of God.
3. APPLICATION TO LIFE
A) WE ARE TEMPTED
Here are some examples of our
temptations.
i) We are tempted to lose faith in
God when our prayers for help are not answered.
ii) We are tempted not to be kind and
helpful to our family, friends and co-workers when they are not good to us.
iii) We are tempted to spend too much
time on TV, computers, mobile phones, sports, and entertainment.
B) WE MUST RESIST TEMPTATIONS
Here are a few suggestions on how to
strengthen our will to resist temptations.
i) Make a good confession during
Lent.
ii) Attend a retreat if at all
possible.
iii) Use one of the Lenten (mite)
boxes to help the poor by donating some of your money.
iv) Make the Stations of the Cross in
church or at home.
v) Read the Bible, a spiritual book,
or the Catholic newspaper.
4. CONCLUSION
We learned from the story that we
help ourselves by resisting temptations. Jesus resisted the temptations for the desire
for material goods, fame, and power. We
resist the many temptations in our lives by going to confession, attending a
retreat, helping the poor, making the Stations of the Cross, and doing
spiritual reading. A good Lent leads to
a joyful Easter.
