The devil then took him up a very high mountain and displayed before him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence, promising, “All these will I bestow on you if you prostrate yourself in homage before me.” At this Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan!” scripture has it: ‘You shall do homage to the Lord your God; him alone shall you adore.’” At that the devil left him, and angels came and waited on him.
St. Therese of Lisieux
tells us: Since childhood, as I said, I had been certain that one day I
would leave my dark world far behind. I do not think that this was only from
what I had heard. The very desires and intuitions of my inmost heart assured me
that another and more lovely land awaited me, an abiding city – just as the
genius of Christopher Columbus gave him a presentiment of a new world.
Then suddenly the fog about me seems to enter my very soul and fill it to such an extent that I cannot even find there the lovely picture I had formed of my homeland; everything has disappeared! When, weary of being enveloped by nothing but darkness, I try to comfort and encourage myself with the thought of the eternal life to come, it only makes matters worse. The very darkness seems to echo the voices of those who do not believe and mocks at me: “You dream of light and of a fragrant land; you dream that the Creator of this loveliness will be your own for all eternity; you dream of escaping one day from these mists in which you languish: Dream on, welcome death; it will not bring you what you hope; it will bring an even darker night, the night of nothingness!”
Whenever I find myself faced with the prospect of an attack by my enemy, I am most courageous; I turn my back on him, without so much as looking at him, and run to Jesus. I tell Him I am ready to shed all my blood to prove my faith in heaven. I tell Him I am quite happy that the eyes of my soul should be blind, while I am on earth, to the heavenly wonders in store for me, so long as He will open the eyes of unbelieving souls for all eternity. So, in spite of the fact that this trial takes away all sense of joy, I can still say: “Thou hast given me, O Lord, a delight in Thy doings” (Psalm 91:5), for what can give such keen delight as suffering for love of You!” (The Story of a Soul by St. Therese of Lisieux, Tan Books and Publishers, 1997).
Then suddenly the fog about me seems to enter my very soul and fill it to such an extent that I cannot even find there the lovely picture I had formed of my homeland; everything has disappeared! When, weary of being enveloped by nothing but darkness, I try to comfort and encourage myself with the thought of the eternal life to come, it only makes matters worse. The very darkness seems to echo the voices of those who do not believe and mocks at me: “You dream of light and of a fragrant land; you dream that the Creator of this loveliness will be your own for all eternity; you dream of escaping one day from these mists in which you languish: Dream on, welcome death; it will not bring you what you hope; it will bring an even darker night, the night of nothingness!”
Whenever I find myself faced with the prospect of an attack by my enemy, I am most courageous; I turn my back on him, without so much as looking at him, and run to Jesus. I tell Him I am ready to shed all my blood to prove my faith in heaven. I tell Him I am quite happy that the eyes of my soul should be blind, while I am on earth, to the heavenly wonders in store for me, so long as He will open the eyes of unbelieving souls for all eternity. So, in spite of the fact that this trial takes away all sense of joy, I can still say: “Thou hast given me, O Lord, a delight in Thy doings” (Psalm 91:5), for what can give such keen delight as suffering for love of You!” (The Story of a Soul by St. Therese of Lisieux, Tan Books and Publishers, 1997).
Prayer: Judith 16:13-16
“A new hymn I will sing to my God. O Lord, great are you and glorious, wonderful in power and unsurpassable. Let your every creature serve you; for you spoke, and they were made. You sent forth your spirit, and they were created; no one can resist your word. The mountains to their bases, and the seas, are shaken; the rocks, like wax, melt before your glance. But to those who fear you, you are very merciful.”
My thoughts: Anyone
who has sought a close relationship with Jesus has been tempted by the devil.
It makes sense: if he tempted the Son of God, he is certainly going to tempt
us. Jesus used strong words to dispel him and remind him who was in charge. St.
Therese of Lisieux shows us another way, but one that is just as effective.
Whenever she feels the devil trying to rob her of her joy, to fill her with
depression and sadness, and to kill her faith and hope, she quickly turns her
back on him and runs to Jesus. A smart child leaves a bully behind and runs to
his big brother for protection. We must do the same. Do not give the devil a
second of your time. When you feel the darkness of doubt and despair begin to
fog your soul, turn your back, run into Jesus’ waiting arms, and ignore the devil
by firmly stating your love and trust in Christ. Then let Jesus know that you
are willing to suffer this attack and offer it up for all the poor souls in the
world who no longer believe in Him. St. Therese says that although we may not
feel instant joy and relief, we can be confident that Jesus will take care of
us and protect us, and that our suffering will gain merit in this world. St.
Therese knew her Scripture, the Psalms and passages like the one I offer in “Prayer”
to repeat over and over until peace comes once again. I suggest we do the same.
Then, do not fear the dark night; rather, gather your strength, run to Our
Lord, promise Him your fidelity, offer up your pain, and pray. The devil will
leave, and the angels will arrive to wait on you. So be it.
No comments:
Post a Comment