The epistle of St. James warns us that “desire” is the source of temptation. When we desire something it can blind us to what is really good for us. Many have picked up this theme. St. Ignatius talked about our need for “indifference” — where our own desires are put aside so that we have the freedom to choose always and only what God wants. A contemporary philosopher, Rene Girard, sees desire as the source of human conflict up to and including war. When people desire the same things as others they become rivals as they reach for the same objects. For the Buddha, the ideal state is “desirelessness,” the cessation of all hankering! As we enter into Lent, which of our desires are of God?
