(Jas 1, 9-13) Blessed is who perseveres in temptation
[9] The brother in lowly circumstances should take pride in his high standing, [10] and the rich one in his lowliness, for he will pass away "like the flower of the field." [11] For the sun comes up with its scorching heat and dries up the grass, its flower droops, and the beauty of its appearance vanishes. So will the rich person fade away in the midst of his pursuits. [12] Blessed is the man who perseveres in temptation, for when he has been proved he will receive the crown of life that he promised to those who love him. [13] No one experiencing temptation should say, "I am being tempted by God"; for God is not subject to temptation to evil, and he himself tempts no one.
[9] The brother in lowly circumstances should take pride in his high standing, [10] and the rich one in his lowliness, for he will pass away "like the flower of the field." [11] For the sun comes up with its scorching heat and dries up the grass, its flower droops, and the beauty of its appearance vanishes. So will the rich person fade away in the midst of his pursuits. [12] Blessed is the man who perseveres in temptation, for when he has been proved he will receive the crown of life that he promised to those who love him. [13] No one experiencing temptation should say, "I am being tempted by God"; for God is not subject to temptation to evil, and he himself tempts no one.
(CCC 2846) This petition goes to the root of the preceding one, for our sins result from our consenting to temptation; we therefore ask our Father not to "lead" us into temptation. It is difficult to translate the Greek verb used by a single English word: the Greek means both "do not allow us to enter into temptation" and "do not let us yield to temptation" (Cf. Mt 26 41). "God cannot be tempted by evil and he himself tempts no one" (Jas 1:13); on the contrary, he wants to set us free from evil. We ask him not to allow us to take the way that leads to sin. We are engaged in the battle "between flesh and spirit"; this petition implores the Spirit of discernment and strength. (CCC 2516) Because man is a composite being, spirit and body, there already exists a certain tension in him; a certain struggle of tendencies between "spirit" and "flesh" develops. But in fact this struggle belongs to the heritage of sin. It is a consequence of sin and at the same time a confirmation of it. It is part of the daily experience of the spiritual battle: For the Apostle it is not a matter of despising and condemning the body which with the spiritual soul constitutes man's nature and personal subjectivity. Rather, he is concerned with the morally good or bad works, or better, the permanent dispositions - virtues and vices - which are the fruit of submission (in the first case) or of resistance (in the second case) to the saving action of the Holy Spirit. For this reason the Apostle writes: "If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit" (John Paul II, DeV 55; cf. Gal 5:25).
No comments:
Post a Comment