The serpent tempted Adam and Even by saying, “you will be like gods.” You will be able to do whatever you want, you will not have to listen to anyone, you will only seek to satisfy yourself. In many ways all temptations are a repeat of the first one. We are tempted to act according to our will instead of heeding the will of God for us. C.S. Lewis once said that in the end of time there will only be two responses. Either we will say to God, “Thy will be done” or God will say to us “Thy will be done.” Contrast the willfulness of Adam and Eve with the openness to receive God’s gift we find in the Gospel. Jesus gives the gift of healing to the deaf/mute. The challenge before us if we are to resist temptation is to accept the gifts that God gives us and not insist on our plans and our desires.
