Billy Field, the Australian singer, had a song in 1981 entitled "Bad Habits." It starts: "I can’t help myself bad habits, I am running wild lost control." There are seven headings under which we can be tempted to run wild and be sidetracked from the way we are called to live and love: pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, anger, and sloth. We need to practice virtue and the grace of God to help us stay on God’s pathway to happiness and life.

In the gospel, Jesus, like us, was tempted to go the wrong way. Unlike ourselves, Jesus' temptation was external; God cannot sin. Jesus certainly knew what it was to be tempted externally, and knows how in our ignorance and weakness some sins can appear to be good, but not for him. To use a rough analogy: a person who has no idea about mechanics could be tempted to buy an unreliable brand of car, whereas a mechanic who knows the problematic models would not be tempted. Having original sin is like having a car which tends to veer off the road because it has been damaged in an accident.

We were made by God for God, and human nature is fundamentally good, but because of original sin, we are all in some way tempted to go off the mark. God did not intend for anyone to be living in constant unending internal conflict. The word "devil" comes from the Greek word to divide, to separate us from God. The stations of the Cross during Lent remind us of the goodness and love of God who came to set us free and fill our lives with joy and hope.

In the spiritual life, we have an examination of conscience to help eliminate vices and come to a knowledge of our weaknesses. Pilots, before they take off, go through their checklists and make sure everything is mechanically fine and they have enough fuel. We have Lent because we are on the best journey ever, back to God. We have prayer, fasting, and almsgiving to help set and keep our hearts and minds pointed in the right direction.