Temptations of Life

                                            In our earnest desire to be happy always, there seems to be an obstacle in the form of an evil spirit prompting us to walk in ways seemingly attractive and appetizing. This experience is called temptation to which even Jesus Christ was not immune. We read in the Gospels that Satan himself attempted to dissuade Jesus from following God's ways by offering attractive alternatives. He waited for the most opportune time for the same when Jesus was really weak physically after fasting for 40 days and nights among wild beasts. His first temptation was in the form of apparent solicitude for the bodily health of Jesus. When Satan, in the form of the devil, suggested the need for caring for the body, in itself quite legitimate, Jesus insisted on the health of the whole person-body and soul- for which the word of God is essential along with bread. Thus the insinuation of Satan that bread was the most important element needed for our health was summarily rejected by Jesus. Therefore, there was no need of following Satan's way of safeguarding one's health, namely, by turning the stone into bread for which Jesus was capable as the Son of God.
                                            The next temptation was craftily chosen by Satan following the words of Jesus about the importance of the Word of God. He set Jesus up on the highest point of the temple asking him to throw himself down since angels will hold him up, quoting Scripture. Jesus countered him quoting another Scripture text: " Do not put the Lord your God to the test". 
                                             As a last resort, the Satan attempted to attack the very sovereignty of God in Whom Jesus placed his trust. He took Jesus to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and offered to give it all away to Jesus provided he knelt down and worshiped him. Jesus had to deal the final and decisive blow to the tempter by saying: "Go away, Satan! The Scripture says,'worship the Lord your God and serve only him" ( Matthew, 4:10).
                                             The temptations of Jesus are 3 types of temptations summarizing various kinds we face in our life. We may bring them under 'Body', 'Mind' and the 'Soul' 'Body' stands for all our intimate personal needs vis-a-vis the world. 'Mind' is for our need for fame, power and wealth to exercise control over others. 'Soul' stands for our entire person in relationship with God. Each one of us should respond appropriately to our temptations in life.
                                              The Word of God in the Scriptures should be the panacea we depend on to resist all kinds of temptations, as Jesus did. The Word of God upholds not only the glory and holiness of God but also the dignity of human beings. What is more, upholding human dignity in all possible ways is equated with the glory of God in the Scriptures. The foundation of true human dignity was laid when God created man in His own image and likeness (Genesis, 1:26). This is the ultimate reason we should resist and reject all temptations in order to nurture and develop our genuine potentialities. Let us be aware of God's Word in all circumstances of life so that we do not falter and fall into temptations. Jesus has taught us to pray to keep temptations away, especially the last big one at the time of our death. The devil, as the agent of Satan,is always after us with attractive thoughts, suggestions and proposals. The best way to thwart him is to make an act of the will denying him any chance by asking him to get out of our life. He will meekly obey us and depart in all haste.

Children as Role-Models

                Looking at children who go about without any worry and cares in the world, we may often wonder how we turned out to be such morose people with a lot of daily worries. We might even wishfully think if only we had a father or mother to take care of us!  Jesus held up children as precious representatives of the Kingdom of God itself as they manifest the basic requirements to be perfectly happy. All of us had the same traits when we were children. How is it that we seem to have lost them in our journey through life in the world? Is there a way to recover those traits so that we may once again lead a care-free life full of happiness?
              Let us ponder over those traits leading to happiness that are found in children.
1. Children blindly believe and trust their parents and those who love them. They respond to love and affection without being able to discern the motives behind them and the consequences that may follow. That is why crooks are able to easily kidnap children showering on them apparent love and affection leading them astray. If children could suspect ill intentions, they would not have easily fallen into the trap laid for them. The parents and teachers are the ones to educate them about their safety and thereby automatically instill into them fear and a sense of insecurity. This is a source of unhappiness that disappears the moment the children realize and discern different kinds of love and affection in the world. In order to regain our original power to believe and trust, we have to get back to our true self rooted in our deepest being. This deepest level of our being is but a reflection of the One who created us and the Universe Whom we call God. If we are able to blindly believe and trust Him, we shall be perfectly happy.
2. Children do not know what it means to be humiliated as they are bereft of the sense of 'Ego'. Even when they are hurt and offended, they return very soon to their former self. We grown-ups can imitate this quality by getting rid of the compulsions of our 'Ego' and by readily forgiving those who have offended us.
3. Children do not discriminate between people unlike the grown-ups are programmed to do. Their original innocence uncontaminated by a narrowly developed mind shines forth in their spontaneous expressions. We may regain this kind of purity by going beyond our minds to the source of the light that enlightens our minds.
4. Children do not differentiate between friends and enemies as everyone is a friend for them. The reason for this is the fact that while 'love' is natural for children, 'hatred' is a learned concept. We can revert to this state of children by loving everyone without distinction and open an effective window to happiness.
5. Finally, children are by nature helpless and depend even for survival on others. We, too, are in the same situation before the overwhelming power of the Universe and its Creator. To be truly humble is a means to overcome our helplessness and turn out to be really happy.
                 Jesus meant to say the same by the expression 'Kingdom of God' to enter which we have to become like little children. How is it possible to become like little children now that we have grown mature, a problem already posed by Nicodemus directly to Jesus himself? (John, 3: 3-8). Jesus answered him by telling him to be reborn by water and the Spirit  Both a visible and an invisible element are required in order to be reborn. A complete turning away from our present ways of life to a different world-order of the Spirit is what is required. It is nothing short of an internal revolution manifested in our external attitudes and behavior. As a consequence, we shall already be in the Kingdom of God (of Heaven) and be perfectly happy here and now without prejudice to its multiplication in the life to come.