“Lord, give us strength in temptation, endurance in trial, and gratitude in prosperity.”
This short but powerful prayer is from a Morning Prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours.
“Lord, give us strength in temptation.” Jesus himself was tempted by Satan in a 40-day desert struggle, as well as throughout his ministry. His temptations took many forms. Yet, he never sinned. We are like Jesus in that we, too, experience temptations of many kinds throughout life but, unlike him, we often sin by giving into them. So, our prayer is a petition to the Lord for the grace of his strength, not our own, in resisting temptations. It is a cry for help to one who is both able to help and eager to do so!
St. Francis de Sales had a wonderful remedy for the shame we feel in disappointing the Lord when, at times, we yield to temptations. He writes, “You must forgive your heart; it fails not because it is unfaithful, but because it is infirm.” This most compassionate of saints is, here, echoing the merciful compassion of the Lord Jesus himself.
“Lord, give us endurance in trial.” Throughout every life, there are trials of every sort: health issues, financial reversals, relational difficulties, and spiritual dark nights, just to name a few. It’s never a question of whether we will have trials in this life, but how we will handle them and how we will get through them. Once again, Jesus was no stranger to trials. He was ridiculed, disbelieved, denied, betrayed, misunderstood, falsely accused, tried, convicted, and crucified. Yet, he remained faithful to the Father; he trusted in the Father’s love and care for him even in the deepest darkness. From the cross, his final words are ones of trust: “Into your hand, Father, I commend my spirit!” Jesus has gone on before us in every way and has shown us the way in every circumstance: “I am the way.” His love will get us through anything and see us through everything.
“Lord, give us gratitude in prosperity.” I believe these words may be the most important. We go to God when we want to be forgiven, and we are quick to ask for his help in getting through life’s rough patches. But we often forget to thank him when all is going well. Remember how grateful Jesus was when one cured leper returned to thank him? But he was also saddened by the ingratitude of the others who, also cured, did not return to give thanks.
Let’s have a grateful heart for divine strength received in temptation and trials, but especially when everything is just fine. For God loves a grateful heart!
“Lord, give us strength in temptation, endurance in trial, and gratitude in prosperity.”
V. Rev. Lewis S. Fiorelli, OSFS
Provincial
Wilmington-Philadelphia Province
