examination of the heart 176 Most importantly, refresh yourself frequently with the Most Sacred Heavenly Banquet. I mean the angelic bread; be mindful of the grace of this most gracious God and remember to give thanks, for thus you will overcome and ward off all the might and the strong attacks of the tempter and infernal warrior. 2. “command these stones to become loaves of bread” (Mt 4:3). O the insanity of the evil spirit! He offers stones to Christ the Man in order to test His divine omnipotence! If he knows Him to be God, why does he tempt Him? If he recognizes and perceives the fragile vessel of the human body assumed by Him out of humility, why does he stir up pride in Him? There is a lesson for you: You should not presume too much about your own strength, even fortified by the most efficacious Sacrament; you should not promise yourself security, although you are filled with so many endowments and supernatural gifts. Instead, be always vigilant, always pray, lest you fall into an insurmountable temptation. It is not by great knowledge, or experience, or mortification that the infernal tempter is conquered; but he is put to flight, driven away, and completely conquered by: custody of the senses, the sword of prayer, great trust in God, patient humility, and humble patience. 3. “Then the devil left [H]im” (Mt 4:11). Consider the devil’s persistence in attacking Christ and Christ’s fortitude in repelling and resisting the devil. The devil does not relinquish his attacks on Christ, although the latter used a very powerful weapon in the first clash with the pestilent enemy. [f.31v] From this you can conclude for yourself that the battle with this enemy is, and will be, a continuous one. For “the life of man upon earth is a warfare” (Job 7:1) [DRB], says Job, a very experienced warrior. Some others interpret it in this sense: that the whole life of man upon earth is a temptation. Therefore, prepare your soul Cf. Gen 19:26: “And his wife looking behind her, was turned into a statue of salt” [DRB]. Cf. Beda Venerabilis [Bede the Venerable], In Lucæ Evangelium Expositio — Liber III (Luke IX, 62), in: PL, vol. 92, Ateliers catholiques du Petit-Montrouge, Paris 1862, p. 461.
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