Ecclesiasticus 2: Expect Temptations
By: Eric Gajewski
Ecc 2:1 “Son, when thou
comest to the service of God, stand in justice and in fear, and prepare thy
soul for temptation.”
"The Temptation of St. Anthony" - by Lucas van Leyden
When we join the Divine Army of Our
Lord we should expect temptations. If
you seek to be a Saint you should expect even greater temptations. Many know that the enemy of souls will be
allowed to tempt them but how few actually PREPARE for the battle. Yea, there is a battle for the soul being
fought in the mind and heart of every Christian. We must stand in fear of God, pray and wait
in patience for the Beloved to “show”.
Not that He is not there but the Holy Ghost knows how to hide himself
within to make it “seem” as though He is not there. The Soldier who is not armed and properly
defended for this battle will never advance interiorly and most likely will
lose their soul. We have the Rosary and
Scapular to help us in this fight. We
have our guardian angels yet why do so many think they will actually win “the
battle” without trust in God? Today I
cover a Chapter in Scripture which clearly outlines that we must fear the Lord,
trust in His strength, recognize that Love is tried, recognize we grow in grace
and virtue with every battle won and lastly realize that through Faith and Hope
God keeps, recovers and restores us.
Ecc
2:2 Humble thy heart, and
endure: incline thy ear, and receive the words of understanding: and make not
haste in the time of clouds.
For those who have not read the Cloud of Unknowing I highly encourage
you do so. There is a great purification
of the soul which must be undertaken before the Lord can assume your soul in
Fire and Light. It is truly a trying
time and thus good books on the dark night are most handy. Having said that, the crosses God gives us
are meant to break down our haughty self-elevated spirit. For God can only dwell in the humble. Only the humble soul will endure without
complaint. It is in this time you should
receive the Word with understanding and know that God is trying to mold you
into His Image. Use this time wisely for
the time of the clouds will pass and the sun will once again shine. Endure the night for joy cometh in the morning.
Ecc 2:3 “Wait on God with patience: join thyself to
God…” Due to the self we tend to be
impatient creatures. I know this thoroughly well. However, the goal of
this life is to perfectly unite our hearts with His and carry out His will and
not our own. Yet, if you are constantly
dictating to God what needs to be done than you will always be “emotional” over
not getting the desired results. We must
wait on God with patience and join ourselves in this Life-giving stream rather
than “sit out” and wait for the next bus to arrive into town. It is His Way or hell’s highway in the end.
Ecc
2:4 For gold and silver are tried in the
fire, but acceptable men in the furnace of humiliation. God uses our tears to our advantage and fills
our soul with His life-giving Water. He
is the Fountain of our soul and without this Fountain we dry up like a desert
and resort to self. Humiliations are necessary
so that a soul may embrace Brother humility.
If the self is not crushed like a grape how then can we drink of this
new wine? Pay attention to within and
realize that God keeps you on the surface.
Have faith in this transformation realizing that you must be empty in
order for God to completely use you. Go
out and make it a habit to empty yourself out daily in silence and solitude. The furnace of humiliation is hot but hell is
even hotter if we seek to avoid God’s Flame.
We must be expunged from self from this Flame of Love until only the
Fire remains within. Our hearts will not
perfectly rest until this Flame rests in us Who is God.
Ecc 2:6
Believe God, and he will recover thee: and direct thy way, and trust in him. Who do you trust? Yourself or God? If you cling to Faith and Hope God will take
you to new spiritual heights. However,
if you trust yourself you will leap off the cliff of self as a rabbit and
horribly crash down below. It is His
Wind which guides this work within. We
all must have greater trust and cling not to our own understanding. He will speak at times and direct thy
way. Remember, in a state of grace, He
is with you always. Do not pay attention
to the deceits of the devils trying to cause you to fear or have anxiety and
worry of the future. God is our Fortress
of the soul thus He is our salvation.
Ecc
2:11 My children behold the generations
of men: and know ye that no one hath hoped in the Lord, and hath been
confounded. Honestly, when has God ever
failed you? When have the Saints ever
been let down by God? When has God not
showed up when you needed Him the most? His
grace is ALWAYS three steps ahead of you.
He sees what is coming before you even blink therefore keep in Faith and
defend against the devil’s tactics or fear, worry and doubt. You are not being drawn away from God on the
Cross you are drawing closer to his Heart interiorly. The problem is that people try to stay on the
surface and see the situation from carnal eyes rather than from the eyes
within. All that you have lost mentally
and physically over the past weeks can be restored IN AN INSTANT!
Ecc 2:13
For God is compassionate and merciful, and will forgive sins in the day of
tribulation: and he is a protector to all that seek him in truth. God is our Fortress! He is merciful to those who will amend their
wicked ways and enter therein. Who will
aide you on the day of Distress? Who can
give you peace of mind and soul other than God himself Who created you? He is the protector of your soul. He is the protector of His peoples. He is our Fortress wherein NO DEVIL can
invade. We hide behind Him and Our Lady
and watch the devils flee in TERROR themselves.
When all starts to fall apart in the world and in your life will you
remain in this Fortress and advance or will you think there is a better
way? Ave Maria!
