“At the heart of all temptations is the act of pushing God aside because we perceive him as secondary, if not actually superfluous and annoying, in comparison with all the apparently far more urgent matters that fill our lives.” (Pope Benedict XVI)

And why do we do this?  Is it not because we forget who God truly is?  For if we remembered, we would never push Him aside, would we?  This is, in fact, my biggest temptation these days.  I have brought this to confession numerous times these past months.  For me, I push Him aside not so much because of the urgency of other matters–although that has been a big factor this past week–but because I am one of “little faith”, diminishing God to my idea of who I think He is, reducing His love to my narrow ideas of it.  Over and over again, I have had to decide to trust Him, to put my trust in who He says He is, rather than in my apparent experience at the moment—to let Him lead me out into the “wilderness” and there speak tenderly to my heart . . .  (Cf. Hosea 2.14)