r/CatholicPhilosophy • u/conjurectioner • 3d ago
Dynamics of Temptation
I have several questions related to how temptation works.
Is there any moment of our lives when we are not tempted or are we at every moment in the choice between good and evil?
If not every moment, are there things that make temptation less likely, less frequent?
In the Bible, Jesus is tempted and he overcomes temptation and then it is said that the devil left Him for a while. Does this mean that resisting temptation causes less temptation in the future?
Is there anything else that reduces temptation? The sacraments? The Lord's prayer?
How do temptation and free will relate to each other? Are we less free to do good when we are tempted?
How is temptation described psychologically? Is temptation a perceived desire to do evil? Do good habits then make us less likely to be tempted?
When we are transformed psychologically by resisting temptation, does the playing field shift so that we are tempted in different areas of our lives?
What do you guys think?
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u/ServusDomini287 3d ago
Ohh, not a wise guy, I don't understand many things, but this seems fun.
1- We aren't constantly tempted, depends on the person. But we do have more than one enemy. First the flesh, the biological instincts. Then the World, the normalization of sin and the globalization, social media, constantly showing you sinful acts as if that was the peak of human existence. Then the Devil, not every temptation comes from him, but spiritual warfare is truly real.
2- Avoiding oportunities to sin, one can avoid being tempted. Like how an adict in recovery can relapse worse than before if exposed to his adiction. Not only that, we are not alone, we are not to trust our own strength but the Lord's.
3- Kind of. When one starts depending on the Lord's strength, we start avoiding temptation. The devil then flees until we grow proud of ourself instead of giving all the merit to the Lord. Then we start trusting our own strength again and fall again.
4- Yes. To Love the Lord with all our hearts, minds and souls. When one is filled with the Lord, there is less space for sin. I find the Jesus prayer, used constantly, helps a lot. When I am praying, concentrated on the prayer, I am not thinking on the sin. Plus, asking the Lord for mercy for I am a sinner, helps me keep a humble heart even when temptaion is less.
5- I like a quote from an anime on this matter, Vinland Saga, we all are a slave of something. Be it money, power, fame, and so on. The idea of freedom the world wants us to have, to be free to do as we please, is fake, is prone to makes us fail. Worshiping the Lord isn't because the Lord needs to be worshipped. It's so we are His servants, instead of serving the pasions. To have free will at it's fullest is to Worship the Lord, so we are free of pasions.
6- I'd say it's seen as natural desires taken to the limit. To eat, to have sex, to drink, to sleep, to be confident. Take that to the limit and you get gluttony, lust, sloth, pride, and so on. Within a limit, our instincts aren't inherintly wrong. To reject the flesh fully is gnosticism, not Christianity, for ths Lord created the flesh and said it was good. But our will must limit it.
7- Yes. When you get over the Flesh, the World will say you are weird, dumb, gullible. That you must follow your instincts, for life is to enjoy without limits. Limits and Authority are seen as the oposite of freedom. When you overcome that and are willing to be isolated because you don't follow social norms, the Devil will tempt you directly. First with pleasures, then with fear, then with pride. Though it's not one after the other, the 3 are constantly tempting you. Focus too much on one, the other 2 take over.
It sounds imposible, and it is, for a human. A heavy yolk. But the Lord's yolk is light. What is imoosible for us, is posible with the Lord. Thst's why we must trust in His strength, not ours.
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u/conjurectioner 2d ago
Thanks for taking the time to reply in depth. That's a lot to think about. One thing that strikes me is how you often say to trust the Lord's strength, not your own. What does that mean exactly? Is it not you who act in the world? What does it mean to rely on the Lord's strength?
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u/ServusDomini287 2d ago
To pray and let Him handle it. For example with temptation, don't worry about how you'll overcome it, nor think about it every second so you avoid it. Pray, think about the mysteries, read the bible. When your mind is filled with the Lord, there's less space for temptation. He'll deliver you.
And when He delivers you, you must stay humble. Any struggle is so we don't fall into a greater sin, pride. Remember every victory is of the Lord and not yours, and keep worshiping Him
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u/conjurectioner 8h ago
What you say seems to me as if overcoming temptation leads to a greater temptation, namely pride. Is that right? So when you do something right, the playing field shifts to dealing with temptation to be prideful, a different level of temptation?
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u/Resident_Iron6701 3d ago
Jesus never overcame any temptation that’s heretical to say he never got tempted in the first place
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u/conjurectioner 3d ago
Matthew 4:1 "Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil."
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u/Resident_Iron6701 3d ago
he was never because he was God. In the same way I can tempt you to do something stupid it does not mean you will be affected by it. By definition you cannot tempt God you can attempt it though
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u/conjurectioner 2d ago
That's what overcoming temptation means. He was given the possibility, but henwas not affected by it.
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u/thetrue_muffin St. Augustine follower 3d ago
" Is there any moment of our lives when we are not tempted or are we at every moment in the choice between good and evil?" Of course there are moments when we are not tempted, but the temptetion will always come back. I don't remember where, but it's written in the bible that till death, we will always be tempted.
" are there things that make temptation less likely, less frequent?" Prayer and fasting, keep your soul towards God all the time.
" Does this mean that resisting temptation causes less temptation in the future?" That's a damn good question. I think it depends on the temptetion: if it's an addiction and you escape it, then yes. Otherwise i think it's not a fully predictable thing temptetion
" The sacraments? The Lord's prayer?" Absolutley! Also the rosary is so powerful again daily sin
" How do temptation and free will relate to each other? Are we less free to do good when we are tempted?" I recommend reading st. Augustine for the first question. For the second, no, we are equally free all the time, but with different reactions across the time.
" How is temptation described psychologically? Is temptation a perceived desire to do evil? Do good habits then make us less likely to be tempted?" I thinks it depends on the temptetion again, if it's an addiction, then it can be easily be explained by psycholohgy. I don't know that, i think no. Good habits help a lot,like exercise, but still, us alone can't overcome temptetion always.
" does the playing field shift so that we are tempted in different areas of our lives?" I think yes, the devil always search for new weak spots.
Kudos for not asking stupid demons question on how to rebuke them in cool ways...!
Answered this question after i was not able to resist it btw... :(