Colleen Orchanian

The most obvious spiritual attack we get is a temptation to sin. It's been around since the Garden of Eden and it's why Jesus came to rescue and redeem us.

Sin is rebellion against God, saying NO to God. But when I sin, I don't feel like I'm rebelling. I don't feel like I am consciously saying no to God. Why is that? Because the devil is clever.

Here are some ways that he makes it easier for us to sin.

• Minimizes the importance of the sin. It's really not that big of a deal. It's a little white lie. This way, they won't get upset.

• Rationalizing the sin so we believe it is justifiable. Normally it's not good to do that, but this time is an exception.

• Denying that it is a sin. This makes me happy, and God wants me to be happy. If Jesus were alive today, He would say this is okay. He might even do it himself.

• Going with the standards of the world. Everybody does it. It's not hurting me or anyone else, so it's okay. I decide what's right and wrong.

• Blaming someone to minimize culpability. The devil made me do it. I couldn't help myself. They triggered me.

• Getting technical. Technically, I didn't actually break a commandment. It doesn't really say anything about that in the Bible.

• Feigning ignorance. I didn't know it was wrong, so it doesn't count.

• Comparing to the worst. At least I'm not like that tax collector. I could be doing worse.

I have used all of these excuses at some time in my life. They don't make me any less guilty. I'm not fooling God. He knows my heart. He knows my true motivation. He knows there were ways for me to resist. So the only one being fooled here is me, and that's just fine with Satan.

So what is sin? It is a failure to love. It's not Pharisaical—focused on the rules. It's not broadly defined so we have to wonder what's acceptable and what is offensive to God. Jesus raised the bar when he preached about the commandments. He said, You have heard it said…, but I say… Love your neighbor but I say love your enemy. Don't murder, but I say don't be angry with your brother. Don't commit adultery, but I say don't even look at another with lust. He measures sin by the state of our hearts. Are we driven by love for another or love for ourselves?

St. Ignatius in his Rules for Discernment tells us that the enemy works differently depending on whether we are moving closer to or further from God. If the person is moving away from God to serious sin, Satan tempts through the imagination of sensual pleasures. You're gonna love this. If the person is moving away from sin toward God, the enemy bites, stings, saddens, and places obstacles to God. So one approach is to remind us how good the sin feels, and the other is to make us miserable about what we are leaving behind.

When we sin, we might think the temptation is done, but it's not. Satan continues the attack. He might try to convince us that it was so easy to sin that we can do it again with consequences. The first time is hard, the second time a bit easier, the third time easier still, until we don't feel much guilt at all.

If that doesn't work, he'll take the opposite approach. He'll remind us of how weak we are. He'll shame us, and make us feel unredeemable, unworthy, unlovable because of our wickedness. It may seem like this is an attack on our self-image, but it's even more an attack on our image of God. God is merciful. God is love. God loves you and died for you. Yes, you have guilt, but God wants to take that away. Satan wants you to believe that is not possible. He wants you to be Judas, dying in despair, and not Peter, seeking mercy in humility. 

Temptation leads to sin. We must acknowledge and confess those sins. That is the path to humility and holiness. Without it, we will never change. This is why we pray the Confiteor at every Mass. Let's take a look at the words and see what we can learn about sin. It begins:

I confess to almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters. I come humbly before God to confess, and I acknowledge my guilt to my brothers and sisters as well. God first, then each other.

That I have greatly sinned. Not a little. Not minor. Not for a really good reason. I messed up big because every sin is a rejection of God, a rebellion against God, an offense to God. It is a big deal.

In my thoughts and in my words. I can sin even without saying a word. I can sin by thinking unkind thoughts, critical thoughts, judgmental thoughts about others. Do I entertain unholy thoughts, or do I reject them when they come?

In what I have done and in what I have failed to do. Sins of commission are when I break a commandment. I did it. I am guilty. Sins of omission are those times I fail to act in love, like the rich man who ignored the needs of the poor man Lazarus, who he saw every day.

Through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault. This is where I accept the blame. It's not the devil's fault. It's not the person who made me mad. It's not the fault of the one who hurt me. I own my behavior. And I don't minimize it. It is my most grievous fault because it is a rejection of the One who loves me and died for me.

That prayer can be of great value even if you aren't Catholic, even if you don't go to Mass every day. It's a reminder of the serious cost of sin. At the same time, it is a remedy for the temptation of Satan.

Bishop Barron wrote that Christian saints are those who can bear the awful revelation that sin is not simply an abstraction or something that other people wrestle with, but a power that lurks and works in them.

What can we do to be less taken in by temptation?

• Know yourself. Do a regular examination of conscience. You can use the Ten Commandments or the Sermon on the Mount as a guide. We all sin and fall short of the glory of God. We can acknowledge this—I know I am imperfect. But I need to go further by identifying where that imperfection is showing up each day and why. I need to know my weaknesses in all their ugliness so that I can grow in holiness.

• Ask for prayers to overcome a particularly strong temptation. We aren't supposed to walk this path alone. Prayers make a difference, so ask for them.

• Pray for yourself. Jesus told the disciples to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane, but they fell asleep. He warned them that Satan wanted to sift them like wheat, but they ignored the warning. We MUST pray for ourselves.

• Be specific about what you want to overcome. Having more humility is a good goal, but hard to measure. What would that look like in your everyday interactions? It could be holding back in conversations and giving others more time to talk.

Sometimes it feels like temptation is simply irresistible. But it is not. God gave us free will. We can choose the good or the bad, unlike animals that go on instinct. As we grow in our relationship with God, we are better able to recognize the lies that lead to sin and have the grace to stay strong and resist temptation. Nothing will be simply irresistible except God.

Questions for prayer:

1. Which lies about sin have you believed were true? How have you come to reject the lies and embrace God's truth?

2. What one area of temptation is most challenging to you today? What steps can you take to overcome the temptation and say YES to God?