Two Kinds of Trial or Temptation

According to St. Maximos the Confessor

1. Temptation willingly accepted. - produces intended pleasure - produces distress in the soul kai. mh. eivsene,gkh|j peirasmo,n
AND

2. Trial contrary to our wishes. -inflicts unintended pain - produces distress in the senses eivj Pa/san cara.n h`gh,sasqe( avdelfoi, mou( o[tan peirasmoi/j peripe,shte poiki,loij
MY
BRETHREN, COUNT IT ALL JOY WHEN YE FALL INTO DIVERS TEMPTATIONS

h`ma/j
6:13)

LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION (Mat.

The Lord was teaching his Disciples to pray that you reject the kind of temptation which we accept willingly, that is, to pray that they should not be abandoned to the experience of temptations which, when willingly accepted, lead to intended pleasure. For the Lord then adds: avlla. r`u/sai h`ma/j avpo. tou/ ponhrou/
BUT DELIVER US FROM THE EVIL ONE

(Jas. 1:2)

This is in reference to trials which are contrary to our wishes and produce suffering. For, continuing on St. James says: ginw,skontej o[ti to. doki,mion u`mw/n th/j pi,stewj katerga,zetai u`pomonh,n h` de. u`pomonh. e;rgon te,leion evce,tw( i[na h=te te,leioi kai. o`lo,klhroi evn mhdeni. leipo,menoi
KNOWING THIS, PATIENCE. BUT
THAT THE TRYING OF YOUR FAITH WORKETH LET PATIENCE HAVE HER PERFECT WORK, THAT YE MAY BE PERFECT AND ENTIRE, WANTING NOTHING

The Lord teaches us to reject temptations subject to our will because these produce pleasure in the flesh and pain in the soul.

(Jas. 1:3-4).

St. James urges us to rejoice in trials contrary to our wishes because these banish pleasure from the flesh and pain from the soul.

Since distress and pleasure each affect both the soul and the senses, he who cultivates the souls pleasure and patiently accepts the distress of the senses becomes tested, perfect and entire. He is tested by experiencing the contrasting effects of pleasure and distress in the senses. He becomes perfect because he fights unremittingly against pleasure and distress in the senses with self-control and patience. He becomes entire because, through obedience to the intelligence, he maintains the conditions that combat the mutually conflicting experiences of pleasure and distress in the senses. Distress of the soul is two kinds: for ones sins and for the sins of others. . . Cause: the sensual pleasure of either the man who feels distress or of those about whom he is distressed. Strictly speaking, there is scarcely any sin in man that is not first generated by the souls witless attachment to the senses for the sake of pleasure.