Beyond our diets and our New Year's resolutions, the reality of temptation is tied to every Christian's deepest heartfelt desire to be an authentic and holy disciple and a good Catholic.

Ron never had a real attraction to pornography as a teenager. Even in college when some of his fraternity brothers brought pornographic videos for general viewing, he wasn't too interested. He never stopped being a good Catholic and confessed these infrequent experiences when he went to his regular confessor.

Now, almost 20 years later, he finds himself talking to Marta, his Parish Life Director. She is an easy person to talk to and he needs to talk to someone. He tells her about his addiction to internet pornography. He doesn't understand what happened. He is happily married and is very satisfied with his job and family. Nevertheless, he can't resist going into his home office and surfing the net for pornography. He sometimes finds himself consumed for hours.

Marta suggests that, besides more frequent confession, he needs to reach inside and use some inner strength to give up this addiction. He needs to resist the temptation with all his strength to get his moral life back on track.

Ron agrees. He wants to resist. But he knows he has had this resolution for two years now and yet every time he's alone with his computer he finds himself back with the pornography. He's never had a temptation like this. He leaves Marta's office wondering if now he can find the strength to resist.

Is it possible to be human and not experience temptation? Who hasn't been on a diet and been attracted to "cheat a little," one cookie or a spoonful or two of ice cream or maybe just one "chip and dip"? Who hasn't made a New Year's resolution only to find himself or herself in an internal dialogue where one inner voice is making a very good argument about why "it's OK to skip our exercise today"?

Temptation is a part of being human. Christians know that Jesus, the Son of God, was also fully human. Thus, the Bible reveals to us that Jesus also experienced "temptation": "…the Spirit sent him out toward the desert. He stayed in the wasteland forty days, put to the test there by Satan" (Mark 1: 12-13).

But more importantly, beyond our diets and our New Year's resolutions, the reality of temptation is tied to every Christian's deepest heartfelt desire to be an authentic and holy disciple and a good Catholic.

Unfortunately, serious temptations are a daily possibility. Temptations attract us to make choices that are hateful and destructive of ourselves and our sisters and brothers. We find ourselves tempted to be uncharitable, unkind, impatient, jealous, greedy and lustful. Many find themselves attracted to dreaming about lashing out and getting back at others who have hurt their feelings, laughing at racial jokes and slurs in conversations with buddies, searching the internet for pornography.

The bottom line, though, is that while Christians understand that temptation is a part of being human, it does not destroy their human identity. All persons enjoy free will and thus the reality of temptation never excuses one's responsibility for evil choices.

'An attraction to act contrary'

What is temptation? Basically, according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, it's "an attraction to act contrary to right reason and the commandments of God" (Glossary, p. 901). Why are we so often attracted to act contrary to what we know is the right thing to do and in fact the right thing we want to do? Isn't it crazy that, despite the fact that we know we are diabetic, have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and/or that we are overweight and that we want to lose weight, eat healthily and exercise regularly, we give in to the temptation to do just what our best reasoning tells us not to?

Well, welcome to the human race. No one has expressed the exasperation felt by Christians and the experience of temptation better than St. Paul himself. In Chapter 7 of his Letter to the Romans Paul laments about his unhappiness with temptation and his failures:

"I cannot even understand my own actions. I do not do what I want to do but what I hate.…What happens is that I do, not the good I will to do, but the evil I do not intend. My inner self agrees with the law of God, but I see in my body another law at war with the law of my mind..."

Why does God allow temptation? Ultimately, temptation is intimately tied to original sin and free will. Temptation is not a "punishment" for the original sin of Adam and Eve but rather is a "condition" that affects all humanity. It is who we are. All persons are born with an inclination to evil:

"By yielding to the tempter, Adam and Eve committed a personal sin, but this sin affected the human nature that they would then transmit… original sin does not have the character of a personal fault … it is inclined to sin --- an inclination to evil that is called 'concupiscence'" (Catechism, n. 404, 405)."

The Church's constant teaching about original sin, though, makes it clear that humanity's free will was not destroyed but it was weakened. Temptation is a part of our normal human experience but we are more than robots or automatons. We are people capable of making moral choices, choices that involve free will and reason, choices that demand the involvement of our conscience.

Humans cannot abrogate their responsibility for moral choices. The ability to make moral choices is exactly what differentiates us from non-human animals. We can never say, "The devil (or instinct) made me do it." In the end, we are only fully mature when we take responsibility for our moral choices.

It is not uncommon for us to hear comments like, "So and so really makes me mad." The statement sadly portrays exactly our lack of responsibility for decisions. "Anger" is a choice. No one can "make" another angry. Even if an angry response is immediate and almost instantaneous, it is a choice. Angry people choose to be angry, in the same way others choose to go off their diets or exercise regimens.

Are temptations real? Of course. Are they attractive? Often enough, sure. But do they take away my freedom and my self-responsibility? Absolutely not!

Give up or give in?

There is a fairly common joke: "What's the best way to get rid of temptation?" Answer: "Give in." I would like to suggest that there is more truth in this quip than there might appear at first glance.

The traditional wisdom offered to folks struggling with temptations, like that of Marta given to Ron in our opening scenario, is often to rely on "self-discipline." While inner strength is a reality and has worked for many giving up smoking and getting on track in other ways, it has been a disaster as a plan for those who find themselves, month after month, year after year, and even decade after decade, in the same boat as St. Paul: "I cannot even understand my own actions. I do not do what I want to do but what I hate." (Romans 7: 12).

So many have left the Sacrament of Penance with a firm resolve to resist temptation but nevertheless, have found themselves time after time covering the same ground. In fact, for many the temptations have grown stronger or at least more resistant to will and reason over the years. Is there any answer?

One possibility is to take seriously the advice above: "give in." Not "give up" but "give in." I would suggest that relying primarily on one's inner strength and self-discipline is almost a sure road to failure regarding avoiding the lure of temptations. Even when one succeeds in overcoming temptations with the use of "self" discipline, there is the inherent temptation to "take credit" for the success. Ultimately, the best way to deal with temptation is twofold.

---First, surrender. Put oneself, all of oneself, in the hands of God. Recognize that Christians are called to put their faith in that "amazing Grace" that is God's love in our lives. What we cannot do, God can. Walk away from the Sacrament of Penance with a firm resolve to believe in and rely on God's grace.

---Secondly, cooperate with the grace. Welcome God's grace into your life, let God's grace perfect your human nature, let it heal your nature.

We used to refer to this kind of cooperation with God as "avoiding the near occasions of sin." When we surrender to God and cooperate with God's grace, it is manifest in our choices. Those addicted to pornography on the internet stop fighting with the temptation by surrendering themselves to God and cooperating with grace. Their cooperation is the removal of any and all computer terminals in their home that offer them the opportunity to fall into temptation.

Surrender to God and cooperate with God's grace. Don't just resist temptation, let God's grace lead you to choices that allow you to be free, to choose the good, by avoiding near occasions of sin and temptation. This is the surest response to temptation. It is also the conclusion that St. Paul came to: "What a wretched man I am! Who can free me from the body under the power of death? All praise to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Romans 7: 25)

Human nature and free will

A temptation for the Christian is never a sin, in and of itself. Jesus himself experienced temptation. After all, Jesus shares our human nature, a nature that knows the reality of "concupiscence," a desire to choose something that is unreasonable and forbidden. But Jesus also shows us that the devil or temptation can never take away our free will.

Our society bombards us with images and invitations to make choices that are immoral. While we must strive as a church and as citizens to rid our community of all that is contrary to human nature created in the Image of God --- like pornography, abortion, racism and the death penalty --- we must realize also that only a personal surrender to God and cooperation with God's grace will address personal choices that result in immoral attacks on God, our neighbor and even ourselves; anger, avarice, lust, adultery, gluttony, jealousy, substance abuse, warmongering and racist attitudes.

Temptations will continue to be a part of our lives, but they do not have to determine the moral choices we make for ourselves and our society. The power of God's love is mightier than anyone's will power and even mightier than any army on earth.

Vincentian Father Richard Benson is academic dean and professor of moral theology at St. John's Seminary, Camarillo. His column appears monthly in The Tidings.