The resistance against temptation results in the strengthening of virtue. St. Francis de Sales said, “For just as the palm tree takes deeper and stronger root, the more it is tossed and shaken by the winds and storms, so the more we are tossed by temptation, the more firmly are we settled in that virtue which the temptation was striving to overthrow. As we see from the lives of the Saints, the most chaste are those who oppose the greatest resistance to the goad of sensuality, and the most patient are those who struggle the most earnestly against impatience.”
God sometimes allows his saints to be severely tempted. St. Anthony the Great was harassed by the devil. After the ordeal, the saint cried out to God: “Where were you, my Lord and my Master? Why were you not here, from the beginning of my conflict, to assuage my pains!” A voice answered: “Anthony, I was here the whole time; I stood by you and beheld your combat: and because you have manfully withstood your enemies, I will always protect you, and will render your name famous throughout the earth.”
After experiencing strong temptations, St. Catherine of Siena complained to Our Lord: “Where were you, my divine Spouse, while I lay in such an abandoned, frightful condition.” Our Lord seemed to reply: “I was with you.” The saint said, “What! Amidst the filthy abominations with which my soul was infested!” Our Lord answered: “They were displeasing and most painful to you. This conflict therefore was your merit, and the victory over them was owing to my presence.”
St. Francis de Sales explained why God allows temptation: “He permits the evil one to furbish up his wares and to offer them to us for sale, so that by the contempt with which we look upon them we may show our affection for divine things … It is a good sign when the devil stirs up such a tumult outside the fortress of your will, for it shows he is not inside it … One of the ancient Fathers says that sins which displease us cannot harm us. How much less then displeasing temptations! Notice that, as long as the temptation displeases you there is nothing to fear, for why should it displease if not because your will does not consent to it?”
Regarding doubt whether one has consented to temptation, the saint said, “When you are doubtful whether or not you have consented to evil, always take the doubt for a negative, and for this reason. A true and full consent of the will is necessary to form a real grave sin, there being no sin in what is not voluntary. Now full consent is so clear that there can never be left in the mind a shadow of doubt about its having taken place.”
We should treat smaller temptations with scorn. Temptations such as vanity, suspicion, impatience, jealousy, envy, and fond love recur frequently, but are less serious. St. Francis de Sales wrote, “The best defence that we can make is not to give ourselves much trouble about them; for although they may tease us, yet they can never hurt us, so long as we continue firmly resolved to serve God earnestly.”
According to Father Adolphe Tanqueray, we must fight serious temptations promptly, energetically, perseveringly and humbly.
He wrote, “There are, however, different tactics to be employed, according to the kind of temptations that assail us: if it is question of those temptations to alluring pleasures, we must turn away from them and take to flight by concentrating our attention on any other matter calculated to engage our faculties. Direct resistance in such instances generally increases the danger. If it be question of temptations of aversion towards duty, of antipathy, hatred, human respect, the better course often lies in facing the difficulty squarely and honestly, and in having recourse to the principles of Christian faith in order to overcome it.”
克服誘惑有助德行成長
抗拒誘惑的結果是德行的強化。 聖方濟各、沙雷氏說：『就如棕櫚樹一般，在越更強大的顛簸和搖晃中，它的根就更深更強，所以我們越發顛簸於誘惑中，我們就在這誘惑要動搖的德行中變得更為穩固。我們在聖人的生命中可以看見。最純潔的是那些最能抗拒情慾挑釁的，最有耐力的是那些最能認真抗拒焦躁的。 』
天主有時容許祂的聖人嚴重地受到誘惑。聖安多尼受到了邪惡的騷擾。受折磨後的這聖人向天主呼喊說：『天主，我的天主，袮在那裡？在我開始受到沖擊的時候怎麼袮不在這裡，為我紓緩痛苦！』一個聲音回答說：『安多尼，我全時間都在這裡；我跟你站在一起，目睹你你戰鬥，和因為你勇敢地對抗你的敵人，我會時常保護你，並讓你的名字著名於整個世界。』
在體驗到強烈的誘惑後，聖加大肋納、仙娜向我主埋怨說：『當我躺於被遺棄，恐懼環境下，袮在那裡，我至聖的淨配，』我主似在回應說：『我是和你一起。』這聖人說：『什麼！在我靈魂在骯髒的可憎之物中被感染！』主回答說：『這對你都是最為不悅，最痛苦的。這戰鬥所以成為你的功勳，戰勝他們都是因著我的臨在。』
聖方濟各、沙雷氏解釋，為什麼天主容許誘惑說：『天主容許邪魔去粉飾他的貨品讓他們向我們銷售，所以我們投以輕視的眼光，便能顯出我們喜愛神聖的事物…在你願望的堡壘外圍，魔鬼挑動這般的喧嘩是個好的徵象，因為這顯示它不在裡面…一位古代的教父說，罪惡使我們不悅，但不能傷害我們。使人不悅的誘惑傷害更少呢！留意，只要誘惑使你不悅，沒有什應可怕；誘惑使你不悅的原因，不是因為你的意志不同意誘惑嗎？』
對於有否對誘惑同意的疑慮，聖方濟各說：『如果你疑慮你是否認同邪惡，a總可把懷疑當成否定。原因在大罪是需要一個真的和完整意願的認同，如果不是自願的便是沒有罪過。完全同意是如此清楚，以至於在頭腦中永遠不會對它的發生產生懷疑的陰影。』
我們應該鄙視小的誘惑。誘惑一如自負，懷疑，焦躁，妒忌， 羡慕和愚蠢的感情都是不甚重要的。聖方濟各、沙雷氏寫道：『我們最好的抗衡是不要為它太過煩惱我們；它縱然逗弄我們，如果我們決意誠懇服侍天主，它卻永難傷害我們。』
根據坦克雷神父說，我們要迅速地，精力充沛地，百折不撓地，謙遜地與重大的誘惑戰鬥。他說：『對不同類型誘惑的攻擊要採用不同的策略；如果誘惑是引發官能快感的，我們應該立即轉向，把我們的注意力集中於可將官能寄托其中的任何事項。直接抗拒這類的誘惑往往會增加風險。如果誘惑的問題在於討厭責任，在於厭惡，憎恨，對人的營尊敬約，好的路向是直接地，誠實地面對困難，以基督信仰原則去克服它』
