Avoid the first approaches of evil; Church Fathers: Day 301

Surely we can stand just a little evil. Not so, says St. Cyril of Alexandria. Judas began simply by tolerating a few whispered suggestions from Satan; he ended up with Satan as master of his whole heart.

This is why Judas the traitor was not dismayed at rebukes spoken as yet quietly and secretly, nor did he even regard the invincible might of love, nor honor and glory and grace, nor the gift that he received from Christ. But hurrying on, without pausing to reflect or checking himself for a moment, his eyes fixed only on the curse of avarice, which had proved too strong for him once before; he was now finally ensnared, and fell to utter ruin. At first Satan was merely an adviser who whispered suggestions. Now he no longer had Satan merely as a counselor, but he took him to be master of his whole heart and absolute dominator of his thoughts. For Satan entered into him, according to the language of the Gospel.

We must therefore be on our guard against, and very carefully avoid, the harm that may result from the first approaches of evil. If we do not have the power to resist altogether, still we are at any rate able to check a growing impulse at the outset, and not to allow it to take deep root by lazily yielding and giving way to it: rather we should hasten to extirpate it, as the germ of bitterness, desiring that our minds should be free from its vexations. Otherwise, we must surely know that Satan will prevail little by little through continual flattery. –St. Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on John, 13:26

IN GOD’S PRESENCE, CONSIDER . . .

What little bits of evil am I tolerating in my life?

What can I do to get rid of them?

CLOSING PRAYER

Truly, Lord, lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from evil; for your abundant mercy shows that, because of my great weakness, I am not able to resist it.

Remember to subscribe to my feed so you will not miss a day! This recurring feature at The Catholic Blogger is possible through the cooperation of author Mike Aquilina and publisher Saint Benedict Press. To get your own copy of this book, click below. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.