Temptations, Desires, and Self-Mortification

Note: On Tuesdays and some Sundays, you can find me at Your Daily Tripod, owned by my friend TonyD. A longer version of the post below appears there.

James nails it in today’s first lectionary reading: “But one is tempted by one’s own desire, being lured and enticed by it.” (James 1:14, NRSVCE)

There’s no point in us coming up with a form of Adam and Eve’s excuse that someone or something made them stray from the Lord’s path. They made that decision for themselves. And so do we.

Yes, the evil...