“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” Luke 22:42
“Temptations, when we meet them at first, are as a lion that roared upon Samson; but if we overcome them, the next time we see them we shall find a nest of honey within them.”
John Bunyan (1628-1688) author of Pilgrim’s Progress as recounted in Dictionary of Burning Words of Brilliant Writers, compiled by Josiah Hotchkiss Gilbert (New York: Wilbur B. Ketcham, 1895) 577.
Happy Good Friday everyone!
How wonderful that Jesus resisted the temptation to turn back from the cross. Through accepting the cup of suffering and death, he paved the way to life for all of us. This struck me today: the good that comes when we too resist temptation.
What’s this got to do with generosity? Everything!
The pathway to generosity is only navigated by resisting temptations. We resist materialism, greed, hoarding, self-indulgence, and slavery to mammon. Instead we make money our slave and put it to work. That’s when good happens.
Our ability to resist these temptations is only possible with the Holy Spirit’s help. That’s why God’s Word teaches us that one of the fruits of the Spirit is “generosity” (cf. Galatians 5:22-23).
Reflect on why today is so good. Why it’s sweeter than honey! It’s good because Jesus resisted the temptation to turn back. What temptations do you and I need to resist? Let us ask the Holy Spirit to come to our aid. This is the question I will ponder when I visit the Stations of the Cross today.