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Let me share with you a not so holy story. This story was told to me by one of our priests in the seminary. He said there was an old priest, around 65 years old, who was approached by a seminarian who was greatly discouraged. The seminarian told the old priest, “Father, I want to leave the seminary because every time I see a girl, my eyes start to whirl. My imagination grows wild at the sight of a girl.”
The priest wanted to encourage this seminarian so he advised him, “Do not leave the seminary. You entrust everything to God. Go to confession, be open to God, and God will take care of the rest.”
However, the seminarian was not immediately comforted, he asked the old priest, “But, Father, this is bothering me. I cannot even pray. For how long will I have to deal with this temptation?”
The priest said, “Probably, until you are 65.” As they were talking, a beautiful girl walked by. The old priest looked at the pretty girl, and then transferred his gaze to the seminarian, and said, “My son, I think the temptation passes away at 80.”
The lesson is very clear. We all have our tendencies. For some people, it is unkindness. For others, it is temper, and still, for a number, it is gluttony or impurity or greed or love for money. The list is endless.
We all have our tendencies, but our tendencies are, actually, occasions for us to be vigilant and to grow even more in perseverance.
Let us not grow tired, of being continually on the watch against our tendencies to sin. Even if the weeds are there, if we are vigilant, we will grow other wheat, other seeds – good seeds of patience, good seeds of perseverance.
FIGHT TILL THE END
Mt. 13:24-30
Only Jesus, Always Jesus
