Mental Prayer for November 11, Temptations Against Purity

Mental Prayer Meditation Helps

Presence of God

Grace I Ask: My God, help me to be shrewd in handling temptations against purity.

The Idea: Robert E. Lee won many battles during the Civil War even though his Confederate soldiers were frequently outnumbered. He is acknow­ledged as one of the outstanding modem military strategists because he knew how to accomplish the most with the few troops and supplies the South possessed. Unpredictable, he recognized when to retreat, when to lead daring raids, when to avoid contact by bypassing the enemy.

Temptations against purity can come frequently. It is important to know how to handle them. What is my general strategy? Without pre-planning, a sudden attack will defeat me. If the temptation is from the devil, I am pitted against an intellectual giant and practically outnumbered. What to do: retreat? attack?

My Personal Application: Let me inspect my general training program in preparation for such attacks. There's frequent Holy Communion, prayers to Mary. Then there is avoidance of occasions that usually involve impurity. And I have access to frequebt Confession, and expert consulta­tion from my confessor.
At the moment of temptation I must rely upon the resources at hand. Not frontal attack, not retreat, but bypassing the temptations is normally the best plan. I can quietly distract my mind by thinking of something else. Do I use the devices of talking with someone or busying myself?

I Speak to God: O my God and my Lady, assist me in all my temptations, especially those against purity. Help me to be alert to find and use the best means to succeed when tempted.

Thought for Today: Strategy: bypass temptations to impurity!
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Adapted from Mental Prayer, Challenge to the Lay Apostle
by The Queen's Work,(© 1958)