Saint Maximus the Confessor
All these sad events happen to us in order to either educate us, or to eradicate old sins, or to correct our present neglect, or to prevent future sins.
So anyone, who thinks that he is tempted for one of these reasons, does not feel angry when they beat or they are unfair or they do harm to him.
As he senses his sins, one does not blame the one who causes temptation, since, by any means, one ought to drink the cup of divine righteousness.
On the contrary, one seeks and thanks God for the temptation, while blaming and accepting willingly the pedagogical trial, as David did (2 Kings 16: 5-13).
On the other hand, the wicked man often asks God to be merciful and to free him from his suffering. However, when He grants him mercy, he does not accept it, for that is not what he wanted, but as the Omniscient God judged it to be profitable.
That is why he is anxious and upset. Sometimes he is angry with the people. Sometimes he curses at God.
However, he becomes more ignorant while the temptation is strengthening.
The demons cause temptations either by themselves or by playing those who are not afraid of God against us.
Those demons tempt us, when we are separated from the crowd, as they did to Jesus in the desert (Matt. 4: 1-10) • or they tempt us through people, when we live among them, as Jesus through the Pharisees (Matt. 16: 1 • 19: 3).
Looking at our model, Jesus, let us reject them in both cases.
Every sin is done through pleasure, and every sin is eradicated through suffering and sorrow, either voluntary, through repentance, or sent from the economy of God, through temptation allowed to exist by His Providence.
Because, as the Apostle says, “if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment. Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world.” (1 Corinthians 11: 31-32).
The temptations bring either pleasures, or sorrows, or body aches.
Depending on the cause of the passion in the soul, the Omniscient God will find the appropriate remedy based on His righteous judgments.
When you were tempted, without expecting it, do not blame the one from whom the temptation came, but consider carefully why it came, and you will find a way to correct it.
The wise person, considering the healing effect of God’s judgments, endures with gratitude the temptations, while considering their sins to be the only source of the temptation.
On the contrary, when the unwise one, due to his ignoring God’s Providence, sins and is disciplined thought temptations, that person considers God or the people to be the cause of theses temptations.
Whoever wants to be saved does not resist to remedy.
And this remedy consists of pains and sorrows that come with the various temptations.
But whoever resists remains ignorant for one’s whole life.
