Above all the grace and the gifts that Christ gives to his beloved is that of overcoming self.

My God, how good Thou art! How well dost Thou suit the trial to our strength!

You have a heritage honor it. You have a testimony share it. You will face temptations withstand it. You know the truth live it.

To abstain from sin when one can no longer sin is to be forsaken by sin, not to forsake it.

You will always be fond of me. I represent to you all the sins you have never had the courage to commit.

Such sins, even if they do not kill all grace in us, do harm, nevertheless; and though they are only venial in themselves, they make us apt, ready, and inclined to lose grace and to fall into mortal sin.

Without that freedom to sin there is also no freedom to love.

Every temptation is an offer to doubt God's love and wisdom.

On the other hand, a flaccid, moping, debauched mollusc, tired from too much love and loose-nerved from general world conditions, can be a shameful thing served raw upon the shell.

In other words Jesus went into the desert to confront His enemy and throw down the gauntlet. He would prove Himself to be the legitimate shepherd of Israel by overcoming the temptations that had undone all of Israel's previous kings, including His mighty ancestor, King David.

And does man simply choose evil, or does he create it?

Love can only be found in freedom of choice. And for choice to exist, there must be an alternative to choose. Something as compelling as love.