Section 4 | Rule 22: The Temptation Toward Infidelity

Temptation toward infidelity is not merely a personal failure, but a spiritual assault that undermines a man’s fidelity, fractures the family, and ultimately weakens the very foundation of the Kingdom of God.

The Temptation Toward Infidelity

The Link Between Infidelity and the Fall of the Kingdom of God

Let the Custos be aware that the evil spirits will condition, lure, entice, and tempt him to break the bond of fidelity between him and his wife; they know that holy marriages are the foundation of holy families, that holy families are the foundation of a Holy Church, and that it is a Holy Church that brings about the conversion of sinners. The evil spirits know that if the Custos is ensnared in ongoing, habitual sin, the Kingdom of God will be hindered.

How the Evil Spirits Use Infidelity to Overpower a Man

As the holy apostle says, “Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin; and sin when it is full-grown brings forth death” (James 1:14–15). And as the proverb says, “He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy” (Prov. 28:13). The evil spirits will lure a man into sin, and then, after he has sinned, they will plague him to conceal that sin in darkness. Yet the more his sin remains in darkness, the more power it has over him.

Addictive Sexual Sin

The power of the sin, especially sexual infidelity, leads a man to the addiction or habituation of that disordered and evil action. When this occurs, the Custos’ ability to be a “good steward of God’s varied grace” (see 1 Pet. 4:10) has been severed, and he and his marriage will certainly not prosper. The evil spirits will especially tempt the Custos to commit sexual, emotional, and financial infidelity while also conditioning him to develop shameful addictive habits that he will conceal.

Let the Custos be aware that the evil that remains in the darkness of his soul sows a secret, metastasizing, often (at least initially) externally unnoticed division in the married couple’s relationship.

Call to action: Step out of the darkness and into the light: reject the lie, run to the Sacrament; confess what must be confessed, and reclaim your role as a faithful Custos—guarding your heart, your wife, and your vocation—so that your marriage may become a source of grace, strength, and life for your family and for the Kingdom of God.

Related articles:

• When She’s Not Giving Your What You Need
• She’s Checked Out Emotionally
• She’s Not Responding -4 Things a Husband Can Do
• Why Your Wife Isn’t Secure in Your Love

Devin Schadt | Executive Director of the Fathers of St. Joseph

Ite ad Joseph