Confronting Temptation: The Struggle for the Soul

Tonight we follow the thought of Saint Isaiah, the Solitary and St. John Cassian on the struggle with the passion of lust and fornication. One things stands out clearly: we must be fully engaged in the formation of the mind and the heart in virtue - for the devil is fully engaged in seeking to provoke us to sin. Therefore, we must guard all of the senses with great attentiveness. With this particular passion, we must engage in the battle both physically and spiritually. Thus, we must be attentive to both prayer and fasting; that is, humbling the mind and the body in such a way that we turn to God for our nourishment and strength. In shaping the habit of virtue, we must study the scriptures, engage in fervent prayer, and labor with our hands; in other words, we must keep our focus simple in order that we might be aware of what is going on within the heart. 

Cassian makes it clear that the heart is the place where the disease is hidden – the depths of the soul. Yet, it is also here that the remedy is found. We must open our heart fully to God by guarding the senses and directing all of our energies towards the formation of virtue and the love of the things of the kingdom. 

Humility is the foundation of all of these pursuits. In it, we recognize our poverty and so cling to God. As we cling to him, we experienced that he alone can bring not only healing where there has only been sin but also fill the heart with the love that he alone can satisfy.

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Text of chat during the group:

00:02:12 Anna Lalonde: Hello! We missed last week due to sickness. Glad to hear Father Charbel you've gained 11 new brothers in the monastery!

00:20:51 Joseph Muir: What page are we on?

00:21:07 Bob Cihak: P. 207 E

00:22:00 Joseph Muir: Reacted to "P. 207 E" with 👍

00:27:58 Joseph Muir: After a period of my life of living in rampant sin, upon my reversion, returning to the sacramental life of prayer and repentance, I really struggled with talking about my past without ultimately devolving into my bragging about my past. This was something that I took to confession probably every week for a period, until the priest, whom I personally knew, eventually asked me, “Are these people asking to hear about your past? Or are you shoehorning it into conversation?” It was obviously the latter, stemming from a misplaced sense of zeal for my return to God, though the priest exhorted me to practice biting my tongue instead, and that it would afford me the silence so as to healthily discern when and whom to share certain bits regarding my past, if at all

00:30:59 Joseph Muir: 😂

00:31:56 Anthony: I recommend "Hope," Pope Francis ' memoiore released this year.

00:32:16 Anthony: He deals with his own shame

00:35:25 Anthony: Ossuary

00:36:08 Myles Davidson: There’s a great scene in a Mt. Athos doco of a monk moving a wheelbarrow full of skulls to a new home they were building for them

00:37:48 Joseph Muir: “Keep your eyes on your own plate”, as an old monastic maxim goes

00:49:14 Adam Paige: https://philokalia.podbean.com/e/to-love-fasting/

00:49:33 Anthony: There's a related issue: I was working with a church youth group, and so, wanting to relate to their culture as other adults could, I watched a lot of movies like the Marvel Universe.  That was a bad idea.  That just uploads other people's malformed imagination into mine.

00:50:57 Myles Davidson: Replying to "There's a related is..."

Hollywood in general is very toxic

01:05:54 Niño: It's really hard to practice these disciplines especially if someone experimented with living a life of sin out of curiosity... I'd been away from the sacraments for 2 months to satisfy my lower appetite...but now I regret everything ...it's a foolish thing to give a chance to the devil in the name of "choosing" between evil and good ... Now, I'm beginning from zero again 😔 it's good thing to find this meeting.thanks Fr.

01:06:22 Myles Davidson: Reacted to "It's really hard to ..." with 🙏

01:08:09 Myles Davidson: Oscar Wilde said the best way to get rid of temptation was to give in to it

01:08:16 Forrest Cavalier: Welcome back to the fold, N!

01:08:26 Joseph Muir: “[E]ach person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin; and sin when it is full-grown brings forth death.”—James 1:14-15

01:09:05 Adam Paige: Oscar Wilde also said the only feast of the church he kept was Septuagesima haha

01:09:18 Anthony: Mayne Wilde meant that temptation is a part of life, don't just roll over to temptation and play dead

01:09:41 Julie: Like Eve who had a dialogue with the devil

01:10:13 Cameron Jackson: Oscar Wilde is a contrary indicator.

01:15:23 Cameron Jackson: Thank you Fr Charbel!

01:15:31 Niño: Replying to "Welcome back to the ..." 

 I don't know...but, deep within me and every event that took place these past few days is like a deep calling from God to return ..I don't know and I'm not sure

It seems to be overreacting for me ..but, the events really are clear to me that God is calling me back

I know how to return..but I don't know if I am really sincere in my conversion 

How will I know that I am really sincere ...one of my concerns is that I only have the feeling to return because of guilt but really deep inside me I am not repentant ...I cannot abuse the Mercy of God 

I am sure of the Mercy of God but not sure about myself ..pls pray for me

01:15:42 sr charista: Blessings to you Fr.! Thank you :).

01:15:55 Jacqulyn: Pray for me! Tomorrow is my birthday! 🎉

01:16:07 ANDREW ADAMS: Thank you, Father!

01:16:11 Rebecca Thérèse: Thank you🙂

01:16:15 Aric B: Thank you Father!

01:16:16 Forrest Cavalier: Replying to "Welcome back to the ..."

Go to confession!

01:16:20 Laura: Replying to "Welcome back to the ..."

👍🏼

01:16:22 Bob Cihak: God be with you.

01:16:27 Laura: Reacted to "I don't know...but, ..." with 👍🏼