Thursday, Temptations to Avarice (Christ tempted on the mountain)

"Again the devil took Him up into a very high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them, and said to Him: All these will I give Thee, if falling down Thou wilt adore me. Then Jesus saith to him: Begone, Satan, for it is written: The Lord thy God shalt thou adore, and Him only shalt thou serve."—St. Matt. iv. 8—10.

1. All these will I give Thee. The devil transported Jesus to a very high mountain, and there, in a moment, he placed before Him a seductive image of all the kingdoms of the world; he showed Him their greatness, their glory, their magnificence; and he promised Him the possession of all, if He would but adore him. This was the temptation of Avarice; this was another snare spread before the feet of the Saviour by the Enemy of mankind. Thus would our great High Priest be tempted even in this point, that He might the better compassionate His Priests in their frequent temptations to Avarice: "for we have not a High Priest, who cannot have compassion on our infirmities; but one tempted in all things like as we are, without sin" (Heb. iv. 15). He knew how seductive is this temptation; He knew under what flattering promises of happiness it presents itself, and with what chimerical pictures of prosperity;—how often it conceals itself under the most specious pretexts of justice and honesty, so as even to seduce the Pastors of the flock: "the shepherds themselves have turned aside into their own way" (Isa. lvi. 11). Hence St. Bernard deplored this vice as common even in Prelates. He deplored the avidity after temporal goods, and the indiscreet use of them, which he declared to be most frequent both in the Clergy and the Laity. So seductive is Avarice that it causes both large and small birds to fall into its net: "for, from the least of them even to the greatest, all are given to covetousness; and, from the prophet to the priest, all are guilty of deceit" (Jer. vi. 13). Let us examine our heart, let us guard against this sin of covetousness, which St. Chrysostom calls the worst of all passions.

2. If falling down Thou wilt adore me. The word "fall" shows how Avarice causes an Ecclesiastic to sink down from his proper dignity and to fall into sin. St. Irenæus says, that the devil himself confesses that to do his will is to fall from the glory of God. And what is Avarice, if not adoration of the devil and a service offered to idols? "Covetousness, which is a serving of idols" (Eph. v. 5). What a disgrace it was to the Levite to abandon the worship of the true God for the worship of an idol, in the house of Michas,—for the trifling promise of a little money, a double suit of apparel, and good food (Judg. xvii. 10)! But is it not a still greater disgrace for a Priest to abandon the worship of God, Whom he has chosen for his portion and his inheritance, for the worship of gold, which is the worship of the devil? What a reproach to make use of holy things, nay, of God Himself, for the sake of enjoying money! Truly, this is the disgrace of a Priest, as St. Jerome says; for this cause the Clergy fall into discredit, and innumerable sins are committed. Is it possible that I can have contributed to this discredit? Can I have profaned the sacred Ministry by Avarice? Pardon me, O my God!

3. Him only shalt thou serve. We dedicated ourselves to God's service from the moment we received the Tonsure, and therefore (says St. Augustine) we owe service to Him alone. But Avarice is blind, says St. Ambrose; it sees not those things which promote God's glory, but only those which satisfy covetousness. We are the servants of God; we ought not, therefore, to serve Mammon; nay, as the Council of Trent enjoins, we ought to avoid even the suspicion of doing so. Hence, a holy Pontiff (St. Clement) exhorted Priests to flee Avarice more than any other vice. St. Jerome observes that it is a special injury to the God Whom we serve, to render religion an occasion of traffic rather than of honour to Him. Let us pray to Almighty God to deliver us from this fatal passion.

"Incline my heart unto Thy testimonies, and not to covetousness."—Ps. cxviii. 36.

"With Thee, O Lord, are riches and glory, glorious riches and justice."— Prov. viii. 18.