Article II. On temptations to sin

On Temptations to Sin.¹⁵

¹⁵ Cf. Hense, Die Versuchungen^2 (Freiburg i. Br. 1902, Herder); Monsabre, La tentation. Retraites pascales 1877.

385. Notion. A twofold temptation is customarily distinguished: one of testing, the other of seduction. a) Temptation of testing is nothing other than examination or trial. Hence St. Bonaventure¹⁶ says: "To tempt is to test," and St. Thomas¹⁷ teaches: "To tempt is properly to take an experiment concerning someone." This examination or trial is instituted for this end, that something may be known concerning the one tempted; and therefore the proximate end of anyone tempting is knowledge. Temptation of testing can be done by God, by man, and by the devil. In this way God tempted the obedience of Abraham,¹⁸ the patience of Tobias and Job.¹⁹ Indeed God never tempts so that he himself may know, since he is omniscient, but so that he may make others know. Hence it is said: "The Lord your God tempts you, that it may become manifest whether you love him."²⁰ Man tempts another man in order to know his faculties; hence an examination is customarily also called a trial. Sometimes man also tempts God, namely if, as if uncertain, he presumes to test the power of God. Then there is that sin which is called tempting God. Finally the devil in this sense can tempt in order to know certain things which are useful to him. Ordinarily, however, the devil tempts not in order to know, but in order to seduce. b) Temptation of seduction is an incitement to sin, which indeed comes from a threefold cause: from our corrupt nature, from the world, from the devil; but not from God.²¹ Here only this temptation is treated.

¹⁶ 3, dist. 23, a. 4, q. 1.

¹⁷ S. theol. 1, q. 114, a. 2.

¹⁸ Gen. 22, 1.

¹⁹ Tob. 2, 12.

²⁰ Deut. 13, 3.

²¹ Iac. 1, 13.

386. The authors of temptations, or their causes, are therefore three, of which the chief is our nature corrupted by original and personal sin, or concupiscence.

1. Concupiscence is the first author of temptations. Wherefore St. James says: "Everyone is tempted, drawn away and enticed by his own concupiscence."²² This disordered concupiscence is aptly called by the Council of Trent²³ the tinder of sin; and it is nothing other than a disturbance of the lower powers of the soul. For after original sin the lower powers of the soul easily and often rebel against the higher, namely the will and intellect, and draw them to sin. - St. John²⁴ distinguishes a threefold disordered concupiscence: concupiscence of the flesh, which is a true domestic enemy²⁵ drawing man to sins against the virtue of temperance, for example, to lust, drunkenness; concupiscence of the eyes,²⁶ which incites to avarice, which as a kind of root supplies sap to all sins;²⁷ pride of life, which is the beginning of every sin²⁸ and which deservedly is called a subtle vice, both because it is detected with sufficient difficulty and because it strives to lie in wait even for good works.

2. The world is the second author of many temptations. Hence St. John admonishes: "Love not the world."²⁹ ... Under the name of the world here two things are understood: the irrational world or material goods, and the rational world or worldly men. The irrational world or earthly goods cause temptations instrumentally, insofar as they excite our disordered concupiscences, concerning which it was already said above. But worldly men tempt to sin by their depraved example and by deadly persuasions against faith and good morals, or by their scandal and cooperation in evil, concerning which there will be a fuller discussion below II, 605 sqq. But whoever wish to live piously, not consenting to worldly allurements, are held in hatred by the world and suffer persecution. Wherefore Christ consoles the apostles, saying: "If the world hates you, know that it hated me before you."³⁰

3. The devil is the third author of temptations, who is simply called the tempter,³¹ since he tempted the first parents, Job, Christ himself, Judas Iscariot,³² and almost all men, and that especially at the hour of death.³³ Hence St. Thomas³⁴ teaches: "Although man sometimes ... tempts, he does this insofar as he is a minister of the devil"; and the proper office of the devil is to tempt to sin. The devil indeed cannot directly cause sin in man, as was said above in n. 384, but he allures to sin in diverse ways, for example by exciting representations in the external or internal senses, from which disordered passions are vehemently stirred, by disturbing the soul with illusions, scruples, desperation, etc.

²² Iac. 1, 14.

²³ Sess. 5 de pecc. orig. (Denz. n. 792).

²⁴ 1 Io. 2, 16.

²⁵ Cf. Matth. 10, 36.

²⁶ St. Thomas (S. theol. 1, 2, q. 77, a. 5), under concupiscence of the eyes, understands both disordered curiosity for knowing and a disordered propensity toward riches and other material things.

²⁷ Cf. 1 Tim. 6, 9.

²⁸ Cf. Eccli. 10, 15.

²⁹ 1 Io. 2, 15.

³⁰ Io. 15, 18.

³¹ Matth. 4, 3.

³² Io. 13, 2, 27.

³³ Conc. Trid. sess. 14, de sacr. extr. unct., prooem.

³⁴ S. theol. 1, q. 114, a. 2.

387. Principle 1. To consent to temptation, but not to feel temptation, is sin.

This proposition is of faith; for the Council of Trent teaches:³⁵ "But this holy Synod confesses and understands that concupiscence or the tinder remains in the baptized; since it has been left for the struggle, it cannot harm those who do not consent but who resist manfully by the grace of Christ Jesus; indeed, he who has lawfully contended shall be crowned. This concupiscence, which the apostle sometimes calls sin, the holy Synod declares that the Catholic Church has never understood to be called sin because it truly and properly is sin in those reborn, but because it is from sin and inclines to sin. But if anyone should think the contrary, A. S." The same is clear from proposition 50 of Baius condemned: "Depraved desires to which reason does not consent and which a man suffers unwillingly are prohibited by the precept: Thou shalt not covet."³⁶ But the intrinsic reason is that no act is imputed to a man unless it is produced by a deliberate and consenting will. - Apart from the most holy Virgin Mary, in whom the tinder of sin was not, all men, even the most holy, are pressed by temptations, as is often narrated in the lives of the saints. - Moreover temptations can be very useful for the spiritual life, as inducing to the exercise of many virtues, for example, humility, prudence, penance, confidence in God, etc.³⁷

Corollary. To consent to temptation is sin, as is clear of itself. Therefore it is necessary to dissent from temptation or at least not to consent.

Concerning a temptation that has arisen, man can conduct himself in three ways: a) merely passively or indifferently, that is, employ no means for driving it away; b) not consent, that is, positively restrain consent, but place no act directly contrary to the temptation; c) dissent, that is, suppress the temptation by contrary acts.

a) It is not licit to conduct oneself merely passively, in the sense explained, toward temptation, because this would be to make little of the danger of sinning, which is almost always joined with temptation.³⁸

b) Not to consent, without an act directly contrary to the temptation being posited, is licit from a just cause; indeed sometimes it is commendable. For in this way the danger of sinning is not only sufficiently forestalled, but also not rarely more efficaciously removed. Thus, for example, carnal motions are customarily better and more quickly calmed by diverting the thoughts to other objects, while on the contrary sometimes they become more vehement from positive resistance attempted. Indeed if those motions are caused from a less honest action, such action must be omitted.

c) To dissent, that is, positively to suppress the temptation through contrary acts, is required when otherwise the proximate danger of sinning is not avoided. This indeed is customarily the case in temptations against faith, hope, charity, humility, etc.

³⁵ Sess. 5, can. 5 de pecc. orig. (Denz. n. 792).

³⁶ Denz. n. 1050; cf. also props. 51, 75, 76 (Denz. n. 1051, 1075, 1076).

³⁷ Cf. Monsabre, La tentation. Retraites pascales 1877-1878.

³⁸ Cf. Billuart, De temp. diss. 6, a. 15, § 2.

388. Principle 2. It is not licit rashly to provoke temptation, for example, by committing oneself to proximate danger of sinning without grave cause. But he who does this sins gravely, although he does not fall into that sin to whose danger he exposes himself.

The reason is that anyone is bound to flee from sin as from the face of a serpent; but if he rashly exposes himself to the danger of sinning, he gravely wounds charity toward himself, and even if perhaps he does not fall into the sin whose danger he loves, nevertheless he is guilty as if he had truly fallen. For just as it is not licit by rash daring to expose oneself to the proximate danger of losing bodily life, so a fortiori it is not licit to expose oneself to the danger of losing spiritual life, which is lost by mortal sin. - But I say: it is not licit rashly to expose oneself to the danger of sinning; for if there is grave cause, then it is licit, provided the cautions necessary for resisting sin are employed; for example, a physician can undertake the functions of his art, even if grave dangers and vehement temptations of sins arise from it. Moreover this whole question concerning avoiding the dangers of sins will return in the treatise on penance, when there will be discussion of those in occasions of sin and of habitual sinners.

Note. In doubt whether some penitent consented to internal temptations, the principle of presumption must be employed. For if the penitent is of a timorous conscience, the presumption stands for him, and it is licit to presume that consent was not present. But if the penitent is of a lax conscience and a freer life, the presumption stands against him, and consent to the temptation can be presumed.

389. Remedies against grave temptations are chiefly the following: a) vigilance, according to that saying: Brothers, "be sober and watch, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goes about seeking whom he may devour."³⁹ Hence Christ himself admonished the disciples: "Watch and pray, that you enter not into temptation."⁴⁰ Then b) humility, because "God ... gives grace to the humble."⁴¹ c) Confidence in God, because "I can do all things in him who strengthens me";⁴² and d) fervent prayer. Hence Christ taught us to pray: "And lead us not into temptation,"⁴³ that is, do not permit us to sin in temptation. e) Frequent use of the sacraments and sacramentals, by which actual graces are conferred for conquering temptations. f) Consultation made with a good spiritual director. Let no one be judge in his own cause, says the common adage. A man can judge with difficulty concerning the state of his own soul, and therefore it is preferable that he reveal his difficulties and temptations to a learned and pious spiritual director, who, aided by the light of divine grace, is able to indicate efficacious means for conquering temptations.

³⁹ 1 Petr. 5, 8.

⁴⁰ Matth. 26, 41.

⁴¹ Iac. 4, 6; 1 Petr. 5, 5.

⁴² Phil. 4, 13.

⁴³ Matth. 6, 13; Luc. 11, 4.