Holy Saturday retreat: Learning from the Lord

Take your cue from Jesus:

Despite his divinity, our Lord was truly tempted,
but he was able to resist each temptation –
not just in the desert, but all throughout his life,
and most especially on the road to Calvary
and on the cross.

His 3 desert temptations are based
on very human – and very healthy – needs.
These needs, however, can at times become harmful addictions:

Our need for security and comfort
can turn into an attachment to riches and pleasure
so that it becomes the primary basis for what we say and do.

Our need for support and affirmation
can deteriorate into an addiction to social approval and honor,
so much so that our every decision and action become driven
by this one compelling need.

Our need for control over our own lives
can be exaggerated into a drive for power and coercion over others.

Chances are,
one of these 3 needs
has become some kind of addiction for you,
and as a result, is most powerful and most fierce.
Which one is it?

It’s important to name this addiction
because it is most likely the chief root of your sinfulness,
the basis for most of your habitual and “favorite” sins.
In other words, it is the favorite temptation
that the devil uses on you,
his most effective weapon
customized just for you
because the devil knows how vulnerable you are to it
and how, exposed to it, you are most susceptible to sin.

Which of the 3 attachments or addictions
do you think is the usual root of your sinfulness?
You may want to recall your response to a similar survey
on our first day.

What does this tell you about yourself?
Can you guess why this is your strongest need?

What “concrete first step”
can you take to avoid remaining as vulnerable
to this specific temptation?

Ask the Lord to teach you
how to do as he did:
To drop the stone, to forego flights,
and to discard the worldly crown.