St. Alphonsus de Liguori, in The Practice of the Love of Jesus Christ, writes,
“As soon as we become aware of some thought that has an evil look about it, we must immediately dismiss it, close the door, so to speak, in its face, and deny it entrance into the mind, without stopping to decipher what it says or what it seeks to do. We must shake off such wicked suggestions as we shake off sparks of fire when they land upon us.” Pratica, chapter 17, 9: http://www.sanpiodapietrelcina.org/pratica/capitolo17.htm. Author’s translation.
The image is apt: as quickly as we would dislodge a spark that alights upon us, so quickly should we dismiss the enemy’s temptations when they first appear.
Gallagher, Timothy M.. Setting Captives Free (p. 214). The Crossroad Publishing Company. Kindle Edition.
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