# Prayer in time of temptation by St. Albert the Great
*2017-01-22*

> Bill Young reflects on the challenges of temptation in personal and political life, while honoring the legacy of Saint Marianne Cope.

## Prayers for Our Community and Leaders

We begin today by thanking the Lord for sparing our homes and areas from the recent tornadoes and storms that hit Georgia and Florida. We pray for those who were hit the hardest, those who lost their lives, and the families who lost their homes.

I also want to offer a prayer for the new leadership in our country—President Trump, Vice President Pence, the cabinet members, and the White House staffers. May power not go to their heads, and may they not be part of the tempter's plan, but rather part of God's plan, because God always comes first.

## The Example of Saint Marianne Cope

Today is the feast day of Saint Marianne Cope. Born in Germany and raised in upstate New York, she became a sister in Syracuse before traveling to Hawaii to care for those suffering from leprosy for over 30 years. She took over the work of Father Damien, showing us that God has a plan for all of us, regardless of where life leads. Let us pray that we follow God's plan for our own lives.

## Discerning Truth Amidst Conflict

Looking at the recent demonstrations in Washington, D.C., it is sad to see that while some claim to support women's rights, they do not support the most basic right of the unborn female baby to exist. We must be careful about who we follow and whose agendas we support. The tempter's first sin was pride—believing he was as good as or better than God. When we move away from belief in God, we leave ourselves open to that same temptation.

## Prayer in Time of Temptation

Christ continues to warn His disciples against the seduction of evil, as He did on the last night of His earthly existence, telling them to pray that they not be put to the test (Luke 22:40-46). Here is a prayer written by St. Albert the Great:

Lord Jesus Christ, who have led me into the desert of penance, protect me so I do not succumb to the tempter. May pride neither obligate my dignity as a child of God, nor keep me away from the rigors of penance. With Your word of truth, change the rigors of penance which the tempter calls stones so that they may become bread; and turn into stones the pleasures which the tempter calls bread.

May the tempter not set me on the pinnacle of the temple to make me believe I am superior to others. May he not throw me down to the ground with false humility, testing the Lord in imprudent acts of penance which exhaust my physical strength and expose me to danger. Let the tempter not take me to the mountain of ambition where, incited by greed, I would pay him homage, bending the knees of the heart, the will, and the mind.

Drive far away from me all things that are in opposition to You, so that I may adore and serve You alone, my Lord. May the tempter let go, so that Your angels may surround me to guard me from evil and sustain me in doing good. Amen.

## A Call to Protect the Unborn

As we see various movements calling for justice and rights, we must remember the millions of children lost to abortion. If we truly care about the lives of all people, we must oppose abortion. I encourage everyone to pray for an end to abortion and for the mothers who may be contemplating it, that they may find the true calling of their little ones.

*By following the example of Christ and the saints, we can overcome the temptations of pride and greed to serve God alone.*