In the stories of the Desert Fathers there is one concerning Monk John, the Dwarf. He prayed to the Lord that all passion be taken from him. His prayer seemed to be granted. He became totally passive and temptation free.

In this condition he went to one of the elders and said:

“You see before you a man who is completely at rest and has no more temptations.”

The elder surprised him. Instead of praising him, the elder said:

“Go and pray to the Lord to command some struggle to be stirred up in you, for the soul is matured only in battles.”

Pray for the strengthening of your love and resolve. Jesus himself was tempted right up to the end to give up.

Monk John did this, and when the temptations started up again, he did not pray that the struggle be taken away from him. Instead he prayed:

“Lord, give me strength to get through the fight.”

Temptations are part of our lives and will always be with us. We must remain open to God’s call and challenge to us to grow more like Him.

c/f Thomas Merton, The Wisdom of the Desert (New York: New Directions, 1960), p. 56-57.]