Every Man is His Own Biggest Enemy

Homily for February 13, 2018.

“God cannot be tempted with evil and he himself tempts no one; but each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.” James 1:13-14. 

From the very first sin of our first parents, Adam and Eve, man has always tried to cast blame on others as being responsible for his failures. Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the serpent. We keep blaming others, we are always pointing fingers.

We blame the government for not providing jobs, we blame our celebrities for our immoral lifestyles, we blame our religious ministers for not showing good example, we blame our parents for not bringing us up properly, we blame, blame and blame.

Today, St. James challenges us with the raw truth. All temptation comes from within us; from our own desires; we are our own biggest enemies; we are the originators of our own failures. As Jesus said in Matthew 15:19 “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander.”

Stop blaming others as being responsible for your life. Scrutinize your desires. No wonder they say: “Be careful what you wish for.” Desires are powerful motivators, hence they must be examined. What do I really want in life? Are my desires in accord with God’s plan for my life?

With sincere self-examination, we would admit that our desires are purely materialistic; we just want the things that this world has to offer; good food, sensual pleasures, financial security, education, power over others, intimacy and so on. God is not a priority in our lives; instead, he is more of a tool we use to get across to our desires.

To put it in a way we can easily understand, if I ask you to choose between a one million dollars and 30 minutes of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, which would you choose? What if I say I would give you the money only on the condition that you will never pray to God again? Do you see how our own desires lead us away from God and into temptation?

We need to reach a stage in our spiritual growth when we are able to love God above everything else; a stage when we can completely trust in God’s providence. Jesus was so disappointed with his disciples in today’s Gospel passage because they were worried about not coming along with bread forgetting that they were walking alongside the very creator of bread.

Let us Pray: Lord Jesus, I love you, all I have is yours, yours I am and yours I want to be be. May I desire you above everything else in this world. Amen.

Be happy, live positive, it is well with you. Tuesday of the 6^th week in Ordinary Time. Bible Study: James 1:12-18 and Mark 8:14-21.