Have you ever been tempted before? [Let the children share their stories.] Well, you’re not alone. Even Jesus was tempted to disobey God. We just read about it in the Gospel today. The devil tried his best to tempt Jesus to disobey his heavenly Father, but Jesus never did—not even once!
When your parents tell you to clean your room, are you sometimes tempted to disobey them? When you’re supposed to be working on your homework, are you tempted to play video games instead? The devil is always trying to tempt you to do things that you’re not supposed to do. That’s why we need God’s help to stay focused on Jesus so we can overcome these temptations and always do what’s right.
A Soldier Is Tempted
Here’s a true story about a group of soldiers sitting around the barracks one day letting off steam. They were talking about religion, and one soldier, a fallen-away Catholic, said that he no longer believed in confession. His buddies dared him to go to the priest and make a mockery of the sacrament.
So he went to the confessional, knelt down, and began, “Bless me Father, for I have sinned. It’s been many years since my last confession and these are my sins. I’ve taken the Lord’s name in vain a hundred times a day, and I couldn’t care less. I haven’t been to Mass in years, and I couldn’t care less. I haven’t read the Bible since I was a kid, and I couldn’t care less.”
He went through all his sins in the same way. When he was done, the priest said, “For your penance, put a crucifix on a table and then, looking at the crucifix, say, ‘Lord Jesus, You died for me, and I couldn’t care less.’ Say that five times.”
When the soldier came out of the chapel, his buddies were waiting for him. They were laughing and asked what happened. He laughed, too, and told them all about his penance. They were really enjoying themselves now and told him to do his penance in front of them. So they put a crucifix on a table, but when the soldier looked at it, all he could say was, “Lord, Jesus, You died for me...” As hard as he tried, he just couldn’t add the last part, “…and I couldn’t care less.”
Tears began to roll down his cheeks, and suddenly he got up and ran back to the chapel to make a real confession. Jesus, in his great love for this soldier, had helped him to receive the Grace of God and to get back on the right track.
Jesus Helps Us in Our Temptations
No matter how hard the devil tries to tempt us to sin against God, if we always think of Jesus, we will not sin against our Heavenly Father.