The Divine Mercy

 

 Most of us are aware that Our Lady has appeared many times over the past 200 years in places such as Lourdes and Fatima. What we may not be aware of is that, over that same period of time, Jesus has also appeared.

 One of his recent appearances took place less than one hundred years ago in Poland to a young woman named Faustina Kowalska. Between 1931 and 1938, Jesus revealed to her that she was chosen to spread the message of His Divine Mercy. He wanted her to tell the whole world how great His love was for mankind and that if we would only turn to Him we would experience forgiveness and limitless blessings. At the urging of her superiors and spiritual director, Sister Faustina kept a diary of her conversations with our Lord. They are available in a book entitled, Divine Mercy in My Soul.

 In one appearance, Jesus asked that the Sunday after Easter be celebrated as “Divine Mercy Sunday.” It would be a blessed day when sinners would find relief from their transgressions and grace to live holy lives. Jesus describes this feast to Sister Faustina in these words recorded in her diary: “On the day of my feast, the feast of mercy, you will go through the world and bring fainting souls to the spring of my mercy. I shall heal and strengthen them.”

And so, on April 30, 2000, Saint John Paul II honored our Lord’s request by declaring that the first Sunday after Easter be celebrated by the whole Church as Divine Mercy Sunday.

 We often hear people say, “If I walked into church, the ceiling would cave in.” There is nothing sadder that a person can say. It shows a total lack of trust in Jesus and His mercy. Jesus came to save sinners. He died on the cross so that all of us could find forgiveness. There is no sin so great that God cannot forgive it. And no one is so sinful that they cannot turn to Jesus and through His grace become a great saint. Jesus said as much to us through Sister Faustina when He said: “The greater the sinner, the more right he has to my mercy.

She Said "Yes"

With Mary, God begins His work of restoring nature to the purity He intended- the beauty which is a reflection of Himself.

 Many have compared God's work of grace in our lives to snowfall which cloaks the barren tree, giving beauty to otherwise fruitless branches. Iced over with freshly fallen snow, the tree glimmers in the sunlight more brilliantly than its brown bark would allow. The glaze replaces the natural beauty of the leaves and fruit which the winter has stolen.

 But, that image of grace presupposes that we are too corrupt to be restored. It presupposes a winter that will never end. Grace, in this image, cannot bring us back to our original luster, but can only cover us over so we don't look so bad.

As Catholics understand it, grace is more like the sun whose rays warm the barren tree stimulating the bud, the leaf and, finally, the fruit. Grace restores the original beauty marred by the winter of sin.

 If grace were like snow, our branches would never bear fruit. They would remain iced over, unable to thrive. But, God wants us to grow and to reflect the beauty He intended for His creation.

 The Marian feasts- the Immaculate Conception, the Assumption, the Annunciation- all celebrate not what Mary accomplished, but what God accomplished through Jesus. Mary, as the first disciple of Jesus, is the first to receive the benefits of Jesus' saving work. She is the first to taste the victory over sin by being herself exempted from its stain at her conception. She is the first to celebrate the resurrection of the body through her assumption into heaven.

 What she has received is also what God holds in store for us. Like Mary, He wants to restore us to the sinless, pure creatures He intended us to be. We, like Mary, will one day know victory over sin when all the scars of sinfulness will be healed. And, like Mary, we will know God's victory over death when our bodies are raised on the last day.

So, today's feast of the Annunciation is not for Mary to celebrate alone. It's not like a birthday party in which only one person is honored. Today's feast is about the power and purpose of God's grace which restores the original beauty sin has deformed- not to cover over our shame, but to render us truly good and truly beautiful as God intended.

God achieved it in Mary so that she could be equipped with everything she needed to serve as Jesus' mother. God will achieve it in us when His work of restoration is consummated at our individual deaths and at the end of the world.

One Mind And One Heart

 

This Sunday's first reading from the Acts of the Apostles describes the first community of believers. They are really the first parish founded by the apostles. As Saint Luke describes it, it is a community marked by deep love for one another. They shared everything they had so that none of them went hungry or homeless. Though the community of believers was experiencing rapid growth, no one was lost in the crowd or left out. All shared a sense of belonging and friendship because of their common faith in the Risen Lord. 

In today's world, people long for community and to belong. Many of us live far from our extended families and childhood friends. Our work schedules and the technologies that surround us increasingly isolate us. We do not want to be another face in the crowd. We want to belong. We want to be missed when we don't show up. We want to be known and loved. This lonely world so often makes it difficult for people to believe and trust in a good God.

If we, as disciples of Christ, are going to effectively spread the good news of his resurrection, then we must be a people marked by love as were the first community of believers. As a parish united by faith, we are called to welcome each other, to take care of each other and to testify to one another about the power of God at work in our lives. Most people come to know and believe in God by meeting someone who is filled with God's love. God wants to make this parish a family where people encounter his love and become convinced that he is real because of the goodness of our lives.

The Resurrection And Everlasting Life

 

Now that Jesus has died for us and risen in glory, the gates of Paradise that had been closed to us because of Adam and Eve’s sin have been opened up again. Not only do we have hope of living beyond this life, we have the hope that it will be a glorious, joyful existence. We won’t just be souls drifting along aimlessly in a gray mist. But we hope to be resurrected- both body and soul- to rejoice in the presence of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit for all eternity.

 The sad thing is that, even though it has been almost two-thousand years since Jesus rose from the dead, most people still live as if this world is all that there is. They are not even thinking about life after death. Their only hope is in this world and what it offers. In their minds, earth is the only Paradise we can ever know. The only thing that makes sense to them is to live for today.

 However, as Christians, the resurrection of Jesus Christ has opened up a new horizon for us. There is more to our existence than just our earthly life. Our eyes are fixed on more than what this world can offer. Rather, our goal is eternal life with Jesus. That is what we strive for. That is where our hope lies.

 Saint Paul tells us in Sunday’s second reading, “So, if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (Col 3:1-2 RSV). 

This is the wonderful truth that we proclaim. Our resurrection from the dead and the eternal life that Jesus has won for us is not just a future event. It is not like a ticket we cash in on only after we die. It is a reality that we are already living because of our baptism. That is why Saint Paul can say, “SINCE you have been raised.” He doesn’t say WHEN you are raised or UNTIL you are raised. He talks about it as a reality that has already happened. Jesus’ resurrection from the dead opened up a new possibility of life which is ours through baptism and faith.

 This is how Saint Paul puts it in his letter to the Galatians, “...I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal 2: 19b-20 RSV).

Our life here on this earth is an extension of the risen life of Jesus Christ. If we have been baptized, then Christ is living in us. It is Jesus’ breath in our lungs. It is His strength in our limbs. It is His love beating in our hearts and His hope running through our veins. We have been raised with Jesus, so our faith is what must guide us.

Every Sunday Is Easter

 

Jesus Christ rose from the dead on a Sunday morning. Every Sunday since, believers have gathered to celebrate and re-live the joy of the resurrection. In fact, not one Sunday has passed since that day without Christians somewhere in the world getting together to read the Scriptures and break the bread of Eucharist. The resurrection is the center of our Sunday worship and gives meaning to what we do together.

 Every Mass is meant to be not only a commemoration of that first Easter Sunday but an experience of what heaven will be like. Every Sunday, Christians gather around the table of the Lord to hear His voice just as the disciples did. The Risen Lord speaks directly to us in the Scripture. He calls out to us to follow Him, to live as He did and to experience the joy that comes from giving ourselves over to Him.

 We also gather around the Lord’s table to share a meal with Him. He gives His Body and Blood to us in the form of bread and wine so that His Risen life can be ours. He gives Himself to nourish us. Every Sunday we not only remember the resurrection but we experience it for ourselves in a hidden way.

 We also experience the presence of the Risen Lord in the community that gathers for worship. At every Mass, the presence of Christ is palpable in the joy that fills the church, especially on Easter. Every Sunday may not be as festive as Easter is, however we still experience our Lord alive in the people who surround us.

 If we were to take a second to look around us, we would notice that the assembly at Mass is unlike any other we take part in. For the most part, we cannot tell who is wealthy and who is poor. There are no special seats for dignitaries or business leaders. In this place the poor sit next to the rich and the sinner rubs elbows with the saint. It is a foretaste of the life God wants for us in which the distinctions that normally separate us from one another melt away and we can experience real communion with others no matter how different from us they may be. We experience the longing of our hearts to be loved as we are and to be free to love others in return. The resurrection of Jesus from the dead was the first step in a long journey of bringing all people together in faith, hope and love.

Jesus, Our Passover

 

On April 22, our Jewish brothers and sisters will be celebrating the holy feast of Passover.

 Every year, they gather to remember all the wonders God performed to free them from slavery in Egypt. When God sent the angel to kill all the first-born sons of the Egyptians, he passed over the homes of the Hebrews who smeared the blood of the Passover lamb on their doorposts. When the pharaoh changed his mind about allowing them to leave and sent his army to kill them in the desert, they remember how God dried up the Red Sea and allowed them to pass over it to escape the chariots that were pursuing them. During these days of celebration, they will also recall how God led them through the desert with a column of cloud by day and a column of fire by night.

 When Jews celebrate the Passover, they are not only calling to mind historical events of the distant past. They are not just reenacting something that happened long ago to their ancestors. Rather, they celebrate Passover as if they themselves- both as individuals and as a people were liberated from slavery. It is not only the story of what God did in the past but what He continues to do for them in the present. It is not only the story of their ancestors that they recall but their own story.

 As Christians, we too celebrate the liberation of our Jewish brothers and sisters from slavery in Egypt. Like them, we see it not only as their story as God’s chosen people but as our story as fellow believers in the God of the Bible. However, we see God’s work on behalf of His people as a foreshadowing- that is, as a sort of preview- of the liberation that God would accomplish in Jesus Christ.

 Just as the people of Israel were saved by smearing blood on their doorposts, so we are saved by the blood that Jesus shed on the cross. Just as the people of Israel were saved from Pharaoh's army by passing over the waters of the Red Sea, so we are saved by passing through the waters of baptism. Just as the people of Israel were led through the desert by a column of cloud by day and a column of fire by night, we are led through this life by God’s word and by the teaching of the Church which Jesus established.

All the symbols we use during the Easter Vigil point to this. Our procession into church at the beginning of Mass is led by incense, representing the column of cloud. The Easter candle which is blessed at the door of the church, represents the column of fire. As each of us lights our individual candles from the flame of the Easter candle, a darkened church becomes flooded with light. This symbolizes the truth that our world was dark until Jesus came to fill it with the light of God’s love and truth. Later on in this Mass, after we renew our baptismal vows, we bless the waters of the baptismal font, calling to mind that our salvation comes through our baptism.

 On the holy night of Easter - the holiest night for Christians- we celebrate the Passover of Jesus Christ from death into life- and our Passover from death into life along with Him. 

It is not just a story from the past but it is our story. Our world is different- our lives are different- because Jesus Christ is risen from the dead

Signs of Resurrection Are All Around Us

 

Sunday’s gospel tells the story of that first Easter morning.

Mary Magdalene discovers that Jesus is no longer in the tomb. Her first reaction isn’t joy. Rather, she feels confused and distressed. We hear the pain in her voice as she tells Peter, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him.

We will see this theme throughout the Easter Season. The signs of new life and resurrection are all around the disciples, but they cannot recognize it. They are too focused on their trauma and despair. In many cases, even when Jesus appears to them personally, they don’t know that it’s Him. They have to have it spelled out to them before they can understand and believe.

 The same is true for us. The signs of Jesus’ resurrection are all around us. It is in the Church He established which has endured despite violent persecution. It is in hearts that choose forgiveness and love over revenge and hate. It is in the progress we make through faith and grace to overcome our sinfulness and grow in holiness. It is in sinners who realize God’s mercy and embrace His love. Jesus is alive. He is present and active in our world. If we believe it, we will see it.

That is not to say that there is not much suffering in our world. It is all around us. But it is precisely in this that we make our faith known. Because of Jesus’ resurrection, we can say that suffering, sin, and death will not have the last word. Rather, all of history is building up to the day when God’s victory will be revealed. We are all on a journey to a bright and glorious future when we can say with Saint Paul, “I believe that the sufferings of the present are as nothing compared to the glory that will be revealed in us” (Rom 8:18). It has all been set in motion by Jesus Christ who is risen from the dead. 

 We are active participants in this victory. It is up to us to proclaim it to the world. It is up to us to live it in our homes and in our communities.

The Resurrection - Today

 

 How do we experience the Resurrection of Jesus for ourselves today?

 First of all, we experience the Resurrection in our lives by the forgiveness of our sins. 

Saint Peter teaches us in Sunday’s first reading that “...everyone who believes in [Jesus] has forgiveness of sins through His name.” All of us have experienced the shame, discouragement and suffering that come with sin. We have made bad choices and brought pain into the lives of others. With the Resurrection of Jesus, there is hope for us. We can be forgiven. He has taken upon Himself all our sinfulness. We can put our weakness, sin and guilt into His hands and be assured that He will erase it from our conscience through the blood He spilled for us on the cross and the new life He holds out to us in His Resurrection. Jesus, risen from the dead, has conquered sin and offers all of us who turn to Him with real sorrow in our hearts the gift of forgiveness

 Secondly, we experience the Resurrection in our lives through hope in everlasting life.

As believers in Christ, we no longer need to fear death. It is not the last word on our lives. Rather, because Jesus conquered death, we can be assured of everlasting life if we believe in Him and follow His commandments. Death now is the means by which we enter the inheritance that is ours as sons and daughters of God

 Finally, we experience the Resurrection in our lives through the good works we perform for others.

  It is natural for us to put ourselves and our needs before others. We fear that if we do not watch out for ourselves, no one else will. However, through the power of Jesus’ Resurrection, we receive power to overcome our selfishness and pride. As we ponder all that He did to save us, we cannot but be filled with the love of God. And that love energizes us to serve others through works of mercy. We put aside our own needs trusting that God will meet them for us and so are open to the work of the Spirit within us calling us to feed the hungry, to visit prisoners and to pray for the needy. All this is a result of the new life that flows into our hearts because of Jesus’ victory over sin

Easter Mysteries Of The Rosary

 

The First Mystery 
JESUS APPEARS TO MARY MAGDALENE 
 For the virtue of charity

The Second Mystery

JESUS APPEARS TO THE DISCIPLES ON THE ROAD TO EMMAUS 

 For the virtue of love of Scripture

The Third Mystery

 JESUS  APPEARS TO THE APOSTLES

 For the virtue of fear of the Lord

The Fourth Mystery

 JESUS APPEARS TO THOMAS 

 For the virtue of faith

The Fifth Mystery

 JESUS APPEARS TO THE DISCIPLES AT THE SEA OF GALILEE 

 For the virtue of accepting the forgiveness of Jesus 

A World Transformed By The Resurrection Of Jesus

 

 There is no celebration like the liturgy we celebrate at the Easter Vigil. 

The Church pulls out all the stops- fire, candles, water, incense, extra readings, special songs. All of it is meant to capture the grandeur, the might and the joy of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.

The evening starts with a darkened church. It is meant to symbolize the ignorance of sin and the hopelessness of a world without God. 

One candle enters the church giving a small glimmer of hope. And, finally, as we light our individual candles from the Easter candle, the whole church is flooded with light. Christ's resurrection has scattered the darkness of ignorance, of fear and of sin. We no longer have to grope around in the darkness not knowing where to find meaning or truth or love. 

There is now no doubt. In the light of His resurrection, we have found our meaning, our truth and our love in Christ.

 How do we tap into the power of Jesus' resurrection so that His new life can be real and active in our lives?

 It is already ours through our baptism. 

Our baptism seals us with the gift of the Holy Spirit and the promise of the gift of faith.

 Like most elements of our faith, baptism has its roots in the experience of the people of Israel. To escape slavery in Egypt, God parted the Red Sea for his People. And, after forty years in the desert, the people of Israel crossed the Jordan River to enter the promised land, a land flowing with milk and honey. The waters, then, came to symbolize the passage from enslavement to new life in the promised land. John the Baptist chose the Jordan River and the symbol of baptism as a means of preparing the way for the coming of Jesus. Jesus himself chose to undergo John's baptism and commanded his disciples to baptize in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 

The faith, the new life and the power of Jesus' resurrection are ours 2000 years later because of baptism.

Most of us were babies when we were baptized. Our parents and godparents made a profession of faith on our behalf and committed themselves to raising us to know and love Jesus. 

But, at the Easter Vigil, we have an opportunity to renew the promises of our baptism. We reject sin and embrace the new life offered to us through faith in the resurrection of Jesus. We make our own the promises made for us at our baptism so that the Resurrection of Jesus Christ can be the driving force of our lives. 

Why?

 

Every Good Friday we read together the story of the Lord's passion from the gospel of John and have to ask ourselves, "why?". Why would anyone want to torture and kill Jesus? He came to preach the love of God but encountered such hate. He came to heal but was stripped, beaten and scourged. 

Why?

The cross convinces us how offensive our sins are to God. If our reconciliation with the Father required his Son to take on flesh and die for us then how far must our sins drive us from God? If our sins caused Jesus to die, then can there be any such thing as a "harmless" or "victimless" sin? 

The cross not only teaches us about the love of God, but it also teaches us something about ourselves. It convinces us that we are sinners in need of mercy and forgiveness. And it teaches us to fly to the cross for strength in temptation and for mercy when we have sinned.

Just as importantly, the cross begins to answer for us the most heart-wrenching question that every human being faces, "If God is good and all-powerful, why is there so much suffering?" 

When we look upon the cross, we do not see a God who keeps himself at a safe distance from the suffering of the people he created. We see instead a God who is with us in our trials, who feels every pain we feel and who carries us in our affliction. 

Because of Jesus' sacrifice, suffering takes on a whole new meaning in our lives. By accepting our pains and difficulties and offering them to God together with Jesus, we participate in the mystery of salvation. 

 The second reading from the letter to the Hebrews tells us that Jesus learned obedience from what he suffered and was thus perfected to become a means of salvation for the world. God wants to use our suffering to bring forgiveness of sins to the world. 

Without the cross, our suffering would be meaningless and would drive us to despair. Now in the light of Jesus' sacrifice, our pains and difficulties do not separate us from the Father but help us to grow closer to him

We Remember, We Re-live

 

 Though the word, "remember", appears frequently in the Old Testament, we only hear Jesus use the word during the Last Supper. 

It is not his miracles or his parables that Jesus tells his disciples to remember. Rather, it is the gift of his Body and Blood in the Eucharist that he wishes to leave as an everlasting legacy to his followers. 

As a good Jew, when Jesus says to his disciples, "Do this in remembrance of me", he is not asking them to reenact the Last Supper the way we might reenact a play. Instead, he wants his Body and Blood to be given to believers to sustain them throughout the centuries. 

What we celebrate is not just a commemoration of what Jesus did. It is the real thing. Whenever we celebrate Mass, we are at the foot of the cross where Jesus' body is offered and his blood spilled for us.

 It is what Saint Paul describes so clearly for us in this evening's second reading: "For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes" (1 Cor 11:26 RSV). 

 One of the most powerful and moving Negro spirituals is "Were You There." In beautiful simplicity, the song asks us if we were there when they crucified our Lord and invites us to tremble at the thought of our Savior's death. 

We were not there. We were not in the upper room at the Last Supper to share a meal with Jesus and have our feet washed by him. We were not in the garden when Jesus was undergoing his agony. We were not at the foot of the cross when he suffered and died. Nor were we at the tomb when the women discovered that it was empty and that Jesus was alive. Yet at every Mass we are brought there through the power of memory and the mystery of faith. 

Jesus comes to us in the form of bread and wine just as surely as he was present to the apostles. It is the same flesh crucified to the cross and the same blood which was spilled which we receive. Our sins are truly forgiven and we are empowered to live a new life in the Spirit.

 With this evening's liturgy, Lent officially comes to an end and the great feast we call the "Holy Triduum" begins. 

During these three days- Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil- we relive the events of Jesus' life which won for us the forgiveness of sins and the promise of everlasting life. These days mark our Passover from the slavery of sin and death to the freedom of the children of God. 

Through our commemoration of these saving events, we are brought "there"- to Jerusalem, to the upper room, to Golgotha- so that we may bring Jesus and his saving power "here"- "here" to our homes, "here" to our schools, "here" to our places of business, and "here" to our hearts. 

 The thought of it should cause us to tremble

Having The Same Mind As Christ

 

Palm Sunday begins Holy Week- the most solemn week of the year for Christians. We spend these days remembering all that Jesus did to save us- the indignities He suffered, the blood He shed, the life He gave. He willingly suffered such a cruel death out of love for you and for me. He took upon Himself the punishment we deserved for our selfishness, pride and hatred. The forgiveness of our sins and the hope of everlasting life are ours because of the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross for us.

His death on the cross was an act of pure love. He had the power to put an end to it all, to allow the cup to pass Him by. He could have called down legions of angels to save Him from the Roman soldiers. As the Son of God, He could have come down from the cross. Instead, He chose to lay down His life and so take upon Himself the sins of all the world. 

 Because of His great love, He accepted a humiliating death even though He knew that so many would still refuse to recognize Him as Lord. He knew that many would still reject Him or be indifferent to His sacrifice. He knew that for many people His death would make no difference in the way they lived. Yet He pressed on obedient to the will of His Father. As the prophet Isaiah writes, “[He] set His face like flint knowing He would not be put to shame”.

This is the mystery we remember and celebrate on Palm Sunday as we read the account of His passion and death with palm branches in our hands.

 But we would miss the purpose of today’s solemnity entirely if all we did was remember it. It would be nothing more than a retelling or a re-enactment of an historic event of the past. Rather what we must do is imitate our Lord in His humility, patience and, most especially, His love. As Saint Paul tells us in the second reading, we must have within us the same attitude that Christ had.

 As He suffered for us, so we must accept suffering for Him and for others. Just as He loved those who hated Him, we must love our enemies as well as our friends. Just as He forgave those who tortured and killed Him, so we must forgive those who offend us. And just as He has shown mercy to us poor sinners, so we must reach out to the poor who are in need of our generosity.

 When we do so, the love of Christ becomes real for us and the healing power of the cross breaks into our world which can so often be dark and cold. Considering all that Jesus has done to save us, how could we ever close our hand to or turn our backs on our neighbors in their need?

Holy Week Mysteries Of The Rosary

 

1.THE ANOINTING AT BETHANY

For the virtue of magnanimity

2. THE TRIUMPHAL ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM

For the grace to welcome Christ into our hearts

3. THE CLEANSING OF THE TEMPLE

For purity of heart

4. JESUS WASHES THE DISCIPLES’ FEET

For love of neighbor

5. JESUS PRAYS FOR HIS DISCIPLES

For unity among Christians

Let Him Enter, The King Of Glory

 

 Every year of his life, Jesus made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover, the commemoration of His people’s freedom from slavery in Egypt. For most of those years, He went unnoticed. He blended in with the crowds who prayed in the temple and offered sacrifice according to the Jewish law.

 However, today things are different. Jesus enters triumphantly into the Holy City. Rather than walking through the gates of the city, He rides a donkey. Rather than join the bustling crowd filing its way through the cobblestone streets, He enters the city as part of a festive parade with crowds chanting His name, laying their cloaks on the street before Him and waving palm branches in celebration.

 The crowds gathered in Jerusalem for the Passover that year had a sense that something was about to change. They had the feeling that somehow they were part of an historic occurrence, a once in a lifetime opportunity to witness history in the making. The atmosphere was charged with excitement and anticipation. And Jesus was at the center of it all.

Those crowds could not have known that in only a few short days the man they hailed as Messiah would be executed as a criminal. They could not have known that they would soon turn on Him and demand His crucifixion. Much less could the political and religious leaders who were already planning His death know that, within a week’s time, He would rise from the dead and change the course of history forever. They were all part of an historic event, but they could not yet begin to grasp its meaning for themselves and for the world.

 Jesus enters the Holy City of Jerusalem as its King and Messiah. But unlike an earthly king, He does not conquer through military power. He does not rally His disciples to attack His opponents or devise a plan to coerce the people to hand power over to Him. Rather He comes as the Suffering Servant described in today’s first reading from the prophet Isaiah. He defeats evil by doing good. He returns a blessing for a curse and forgiveness for injury. He refuses to attack those who arrest Him or to defend Himself against those who torture Him. And by so doing, He changes everything.

On A Colt, The Foal Of An Ass

 

On this Palm Sunday, we commemorate Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. 

He comes as a king to take the throne of David. But he is no earthly king. He does not enter on a muscular steed, but on a lowly donkey. It is not a well equipped army that escorts him through the gates of the royal city but a band of peasants. And he does not enter the city to take it by force but to surrender himself to a sentence of death. 

Jesus is not at all what we would expect from someone who claims to be the Son of God and Savior of the World.

 If we are to be his followers then we cannot live only for our own comfort and well-being but for his glory. 

But if we do take up our cross and follow him, we will know a joy and a peace which no one can ever take from us. And we will have treasure in heaven more glorious than we could ever hope for or imagine.

Spiritual But Not Religious? Really - Self-Centered And Naïve

 

It is common nowadays for people to describe themselves as "spiritual and not religious." We all have friends who say that about themselves or have seen the phrase written on bumper stickers.

 But what do people mean when they claim to be "spiritual but not religious"?

 Generally, they mean that they have a relationship with God or with a "higher power" without belonging to a church or adhering to any dogmas or creeds. In fact, they claim to have respect for all religions, picking and choosing from each the teachings that suit their lifestyle and the "god of their understanding". For such people, religion is not a shared, communal reality, but a personal, interior experience.

What they really mean, however, is that they are not willing to commit to anything or anyone but themselves. When you hear "spiritual but not religious" read "self-centered and naïve." 

Jesus gives insight into what it means to be genuinely spiritual in Sunday's gospel.

 Andrew and Philip approach Jesus to tell him about some Greeks who want to meet him. It is the week of Passover, close to the time when he would suffer and die. His upcoming death is weighing heavily on his heart. His "hour" is approaching, and he takes the opportunity to instruct the disciples and us about what it means to be a true follower. It means having our hearts set on eternal life. And the only way to enter into that heavenly life is to hate our earthly life. The only way to reach the glory of heaven is through death. Jesus say, "Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit." And so the person who loves Jesus is willing to follow him when it is inconvenient, when it is painful and when it is costly. The truly spiritual person who has his or her heart set on the things of heaven will follow Jesus even to the cross. The person with genuine insight into spiritual matters realizes that Jesus cannot be separated from his cross nor can eternal life be separated from death to self.

 The words of Jesus are very different from the language we hear from the "spiritual but not religious" crowd. For them, being spiritual is not a way of dying to self but of enriching oneself. It is not a way of glorifying God but of growing in self-esteem and self-fulfillment. It is not a way of seeking the things of heaven but of having a better life on earth. It is not about knowing God as he has revealed himself in Scripture and in Church teaching so that we can humbly serve others but about having secret knowledge that gives one a sense of superiority over others. This so-called "New Age" spirituality is really something very old trying to achieve the glory of heaven without the shame of the cross.

To be a true follower of Jesus, we must be both spiritual AND religious. 

We don't want to deny ourselves the experience of worship with other believers. We want to learn from the words of Scripture and the teaching of the Church. We want to benefit from the wisdom of the believers who have gone before us. We want to encounter Jesus in the Eucharist. 

This abundance of spiritual riches is ours through baptism and faith. It is a taste of heaven given to us who have decided to pick up our cross and follow Jesus. 

Grace Happens

 

 Saint Paul, on the way to persecuting Christians in Damascus, had an encounter with the Risen Jesus who interrupted his plans and changed his life forever. Instead of being the great persecutor of Christians, he became the greatest missionary for Jesus who ever lived. Grace “happened” in Saint Paul’s life, and the world has never been the same.

In last Sunday's second reading, Saint Paul writes, “even when we were dead in our transgressions, [God] brought us to life with Christ- by grace you have been saved.” Our salvation is a free gift of God. He doesn’t give it to us as a reward for any good we have done. In fact, it is precisely because we are sinners that He comes to rescue us. There is nothing we can do to earn it. It is a simple gift of His love. The word “grace” comes from the Latin word “gratia” which means “free” and communicates this idea of God’s love as a rich expression of His mercy to us.

 In last Sunday’s gospel, Jesus tells Nicodemus, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him might not perish but might have eternal life.” There are many ways that God could have saved us from our sins. But He chose to send His only Son. He chose to surrender what was most precious to Him to make it clear to us how great His love for us was.

So when the world seems most dark, when we are most lost, when things seem as though they couldn’t get any worse, that is when “grace happens”. That is when God steps in and makes the way clear for us, gives us strength to go forward, and puts within our reach what seemed impossible.

 God is not watching our lives from afar. He is intimately involved with us at every second of every day. He is close to us. He is near to us whenever we call Him. We don’t have to do anything to get His attention. Rather, it is He who is trying to get our attention! We can count on Him, especially when we are most in need. Like a loving Father, He will always give us what we need. His grace will “happen” in our lives when we most need it and often when we least expect it

A Nighttime Visit To Jesus

 

 Nicodemus was a Pharisee, a man with much power and influence. He considered himself an authority on the Jewish Law and a teacher of the people. Like the other Pharisees, he would have felt some responsibility to guard the people from error. And so he would have been especially cautious of Jesus. Nonetheless, he felt drawn by his words. So he visits Jesus at night in secret to see for himself what he is all about. He is not ready to become a follower, but he is not ready to turn his back on him either.

 Jesus welcomes Nicodemus. He does not turn him away because he is skeptical and unsure. He does not tell him to come back when he has more faith. Rather Jesus builds on the faith he already has and challenges him to recognize the gift of salvation and eternal life which he is being offered.

 There are two parts to Jesus' message to Nicodemus.

First, he speaks to him about the great love of God. Jesus was sent into the world by the Father, not to condemn it, but to bring eternal life to all those who would believe in him. God's desire is not to find fault with us but to draw us into a relationship of love with him. For this reason, Jesus would be lifted up on the cross as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert to bring forgiveness and healing.

 Second, that gift of eternal life is available to anyone who believes in Jesus. Those who believe are the ones who are willing to step out of the darkness of sin and falsehood and into the light of faith. Remember that Nicodemus is visiting Jesus at night, when it's dark, so that no one will see him. Jesus is challenging him to step into the light and not be ashamed to be counted as one of his followers. It will mean leaving behind the prestige and power he has as a leading Pharisee. It will mean being rejected and ridiculed by many of his friends. But, more importantly, if he can find the courage to step into the light, it will mean being a friend with Jesus, seeing his great works, and knowing the Father's love in a way he could not otherwise imagine

 There is a little bit of Nicodemus in each of us. Most of us have an admiration for Jesus and are moved by his words. Yet there is still a part of us that wants to hold back. We are not ready to follow Jesus all the way. We fear what others will say about us if we live our faith wholeheartedly. Or we aren't ready to give up some sinful behaviors to embrace the full message of the gospel. Others of us can't get over the shame we feel about our past life and aren't ready to welcome the Father's promise and gift of forgiveness. Each of us, in some way, prefers to meet Jesus in the dark where our ugly faults and failures can be hidden from sight.

The Second Tablet Of The Law

 

 Down the ages, rabbis have taught us that the Ten Commandments have two tablets. 

The first tablet contains the first three commandments which have to do with our relationship to God. We are to serve no other gods than He, we are not to take His name in vain and we are to keep holy the Sabbath day. 

The second tablet of the Ten Commandments deals with our responsibilities to our neighbor. It begins with the fourth commandment: “Honor your father and your mother that you may have a long life in the land.” God makes it clear that the secret to a good life in the land He had promised them begins with the family. Marriage is to have pride of place and to be respected in the order that God established. It is the only institution that can unite children with the father and mother who brought them into the world by their love. In the family, children learn the meaning of respect, hard work and sacrifice for others.

 Families are the foundation of a good society. When families are healthy, the community as a whole is healthy. When families are stable, then schools, businesses, churches and governments are also stable. Good families create good citizens.

We live in a world in which family life is under extreme pressure resulting in negative consequences throughout our society. At this point, the problem may seem too massive for any one of us to resolve. However, there is something each of us can do. By attending to the needs of our own families, we can strengthen society as a whole. That means being the best father and husband or wife and mother you can be. It means loving your children and nurturing them to the best of your ability. It means being a good and obedient son or daughter. Those small daily efforts to strengthen our families will have positive ripple effects throughout the society as a whole.

God wants us to live in peace with one another. He wants all of us to enjoy the natural resources of the world He created. The first step to lasting peace and justice in our world is to acknowledge Him alone as God and to refuse to put money, power or pleasure in His place. The second step is to protect and strengthen marriage and family life. These Ten Commandments, though carved in stone, still have relevance in today’s digital world because God’s word never passes away. If we put that word into practice, we will begin to see a world filled with justice, peace and goodwill.

Jesus Flips Out

 

 Because Jesus is a human being as we are, we can expect to see the full range of human emotions in Him. When His friend Lazarus dies, we see Him weep. As He is about to be arrested in the garden, we see Him torn by anxiety. We see Him experience disappointment as He is betrayed by Judas and denied by Peter. We also see Him rejoice when people come to believe in Him.

And we see Him get angry.

Last Sunday’s gospel is one of the most perplexing in all of Scripture. It goes against our image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd. We cannot understand how this gentle and humble man could fly into such a rage. How could Jesus, who was perfectly sinless, act in such a seemingly violent manner?

 A little information about the customs of the time might help us to understand better what made Jesus react as He did.

 The Temple in Jerusalem was the center of all Jewish worship in Jesus’ day. It was there that the people offered sacrifices to thank God for some blessed event such as the birth of a child or a fruitful harvest. It was also where they went to ask for forgiveness of their sins. The animals used in those sacrifices were sheep, oxen and doves. Because many of the pilgrims to the Temple were traveling long distances, it was less expensive to buy the animals in Jerusalem than to have to bring them from their native land. Also the animals had to be perfect with no blemish. Imagine bringing an animal all the way to Jerusalem only to find out that, when it is examined at the Temple, it had an imperfection that would keep it from being used as a sacrifice? By buying the animal at the Temple, the pilgrims could be sure that they were without blemish.

 As so frequently happens, those who sold animals at the Temple began to take advantage of the people coming there by overcharging them. They would also bribe those who would examine the animals to make sure that any sheep, oxen or doves brought in from the outside would be deemed unworthy for the sacrifice. Then they would have to buy them from the Temple at a higher price. The same was true of the money changers who offered less in exchange for foreign coins than banks outside of the Temple.

 This situation outraged Jesus. Hardworking people who made the sacrifice to come to Jerusalem for the feast to worship God were being taken advantage of by unscrupulous men. And He would stand for it no longer. He would not allow the poor to be exploited for profit or to be kept from worshiping in the Temple. So He did something about it. He put an end to the unjust situation and He called the authorities to task for their corrupt behavior.

 

Rebuild My Church

 

When Saint Francis of Assisi first started on the path of holiness, he wasn't sure what God wanted from him. One day, he found an old church that had been abandoned and was falling apart. It was called the Church of San Damiano. He poked through the ruins and found half buried in the dirt a beautifully painted cross. He pulled it from the ground, propped it up against some rocks and began meditating on it. As he entered deeper and deeper into prayer, he heard Jesus speak to him from the cross. "Francis", our Lord said, "rebuild my Church which you see has fallen into ruins." 

Francis assumed that Jesus was speaking about the church of San Damiano. So he began gathering stones to rebuild the abandoned building. Seeing his efforts, others began to join him. However, soon young Francis came to understand that Jesus did not mean that he wanted him to rebuild the church building made of stones but to build up the Church which is the People of God. And so he gathered together the men who had been helping him and started the Franciscan order dedicated to living Jesus' teaching in the fullest way possible in poverty and joyful witness to the good news. 

Francis learned from his experience that what Jesus wanted from him was not so much to renovate buildings but to renovate minds and hearts through the power of the gospel.

 In this Sunday's gospel,  the temple leaders fall under the same misunderstanding that Saint Francis did. When they asked Jesus what right he had to clear the moneychangers from the temple, he responded with something of a riddle: "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it up in three days." Like Saint Francis of Assisi, the people thought he was talking about the temple building. But Jesus was talking about his body which will rise from the dead three days after he is crucified. 

Jesus is the new temple. He is the new lamb of sacrifice. His body is the place we worship and the offering we make to God for our sins. Like Francis, Jesus will rebuild the temple, but not with stones. He will rebuild it with people, the people who believe in him, follow him and live as he lived. We are the new temple.

Each of us is called to help Jesus rebuild the Church which is his body. Like the different parts of the body, all of us will have a different role in the Church's mission of preaching the good news. But one thing is true for each and every one of us no matter what our station in life may be. Each of us is called to build up the Church by living a holy life. 

A Transfigured Humanity

 

 There are many ways that God could have chosen to save us. But He chose to send His Son to take on a human nature, die and then rise from the dead. Why did He choose such a difficult means? Saint Paul gives us a hint in last Sunday’s second reading: “He who did not spare his own Son but handed him over for us all, how will he not also give us everything else…” The Father sent the Son to suffer and die to demonstrate the extent of His love for us. The Son of God became man so that we could see and experience for ourselves the love of God.

 Not only is God’s love shown through Jesus Christ, but, by becoming man, He transforms our human nature. All who accept this love of God into their hearts are permanently changed. We no longer live for ourselves but for the One who died and rose for us.

We see this awesome reality on display in last Sunday’s gospel. Jesus is “transfigured” in front of Peter, James and John. The glory He has as the eternal Son of God shines through His human body. From now on, human beings can reveal the glory of God through His love at work within us. This is the profoundest meaning of salvation- not just that we can get into heaven after we die but that even now we can experience God’s presence bringing about real transformation leading us from self-centeredness to generosity, from indifference to charity, and from resentment to joy. All this takes place in those who welcome God’s love into their hearts through faith in Jesus Christ.

 When Peter, James and John came down from the mountain, Jesus instructed them to keep what they had witnessed to themselves until after “the Son of Man had risen from the dead.” Well, friends, Jesus has been raised from the dead. It is now time for us to bear witness to Him.

For You And Me

 

 It is one of the most well-known and popular verses in all of the New Testament. Fans hold up signs with this verse on posters during sporting events. Athletes write it on their uniforms.

 It is from the gospel of John chapter 3 verse 16: " For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever should believe in Him may have eternal life.

Because this verse is so well known, its power and meaning can sometimes be lost on us. So let us listen to it again:

 God loved you and me so much that He gave His Son to save us.

God saw how lost we were and what danger we were in because of our sin. He loved us so much that He refused to leave us in such a state. To rescue us, He sent not only prophets and other people of faith, but He sent His Son. And He sent Him not only to teach us, but ultimately to suffer a cruel death for us. He loved us so much that He did not spare His only Son to save us. It is an awesome thought that the God who created the universe with all its wonders would care so much about you and me who have so often gone astray and betrayed Him. Yet God shows how great His love for us is through Christ Jesus our Lord.

 It is important for us to understand exactly what we mean when we say that Jesus is the Son of God. He is not simply a good man who obeyed God and helped others. He is not merely a powerful prophet and wonder-worker. When we call Jesus, “Son of God”, we are saying that He is God. That is what we mean when in the creed we say that Jesus is “consubstantial” with the Father. We are saying that He shares the same nature with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Like them, He existed from all eternity. Along with the Father and the Holy Spirit, He created the world. Whatever we can say about God, we can also say about Jesus.

That is why God the Father proclaims in last Sunday's gospel account of the Transfiguration, “This is my Beloved Son. Listen to Him.” When Jesus speaks, it is God Himself speaking. When Jesus heals, it is God Himself healing. And to bring it up to our day, when we receive the Body of Christ in Communion, we are receiving God Himself.

 Therefore, when God gives us His only Son to save us, He is giving Himself. He is giving all that He has to give. He has nothing else left to give us.

Be Perfect?

 

Jesus says, "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matt 5:48).

Is that possible? John Henry Cardinal Newman says, "Yes!"

    If you ask me what you are to do in order to be perfect, I say:

        - first, do not lie in bed beyond the due time of rising;

        - give your first thoughts to God, 

        - make a good visit to the Blessed Sacrament;

        - say the Angelus devoutly, 

        - eat and drink to God's glory,

        - say the Rosary well

        - be recollected,

        - keep out bad thoughts;

        - make your evening meditation well,

        - examine yourself daily,

        - go to bed in good time

    and you are already perfect.

(as quoted in, Pathway To Our Hearts, Archbishop Thomas Collins)

Giving Ourselves To God

 

“If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but handed him over for us all, how will he not also give us everything else along with him?” (Rom 8:31-33)

 Because God offered up His only Son for us, we can trust that He will not hold anything else back from us. We can trust that He will provide for us in our need. We can trust that He will comfort us in our sorrows. We can believe that, no matter how great our sins may be, He will forgive us. We can also rest assured that, no matter how far off we may have strayed, He will always call us back to the right path. He has made a big investment in us by handing over His only Son and we can be sure that He will not rest until that investment pays dividends in our lives.

What does God ask for in return for His great generosity? He wants nothing more than that we love Him in return. As He has devoted Himself to us, He desires that we devote ourselves to Him. As He has invested Himself one hundred percent in us, He longs for us to trust Him enough to invest one hundred percent of ourselves in Him.

 This is the great truth of the spiritual life that so often gets lost on us. God’s desire for us is not just that we keep commandments, follow rules or make sacrifices. All those practices only have meaning if we do them as an expression of our love for the Lord. Without love- without a willingness to give ourselves completely to God- they have little value. What God wants more than anything else from us is our heart. Once we give our heart to the Lord without holding anything back, then all the rest will fall into place.

 In his classic work, The Imitation of Christ, Thomas a’ Kempis expresses this truth beautifully. Jesus says, “I care for nothing that you offer me besides yourself; it is not your gift I want, it is you....[N]othing you give can please me, if you fail to offer yourself.”

 That is the purpose of the prayers, sacrifices and charity we offer during these forty days of Lent. We go without meat to teach our heart to hunger only for God. We give our money to others to teach our soul that only God can provide us with what we really need. And we pray to remind ourselves that our Heavenly Father wants nothing else than that we give ourselves totally to Him just as He has given Himself one hundred percent to us in His Son, Jesus Christ.

God Did Not Spare His Own Son

 

Losing a child is about the worst thing that could ever happen to anyone. It is every parent's worst nightmare. Parents who experience such a tragedy tell us that for many years afterward they continue to struggle with grief, anger and guilt over losing their child. Even when they are able to accept the loss and find some measure of peace, the thought of their child is always on their mind. And tears are never far away.

 Today's first reading presents us with a man who is faced with the imminent death of his son. What was going through Abraham's mind when God told him that he was to sacrifice his only son Isaac on Mount Moriah? Was he angry that God would ask so much of him? Did he wonder what good killing the boy could possibly do? If these thoughts were going through his mind, the Scripture does not tell us. Just as shocking as God's request is Abraham's determination to obey God's command. And God rewards Abraham's heroic faith and obedience by sparing his son and declaring that he will be the father of many nations.

We might think that God is cruel for requiring so much of Abraham. But have any of us ever thought that, while God spared Isaac by having Abraham substitute a ram in his place, he did not spare his own Son, Jesus, but gave him up to death for us? What we most fear - the death of a child - is exactly the price God was willing to pay to save us from our sins and to hold out for us the gift of everlasting life. God loved us so much, that he was willing to do the unthinkable to ransom us from the power of death.

Jesus Battles Satan

 

 What is it about sports that we love so much? On the surface, it is just two teams chasing after a ball. However, deep down, there is something in our human nature that loves to see a fight. Perhaps it is because we are all in some kind of a fight. All of us are struggling in one way or another. By watching others put everything they have into whatever sport they’re playing, we can believe that we can also overcome whatever challenges we are facing in life.

 In Sunday’s gospel, the Spirit drives Jesus into the desert for forty days to be tempted. Saint Mark mentions it in passing. Nonetheless, it points to a fight that has cosmic proportions- a true heavyweight battle. Jesus is going into the desert to struggle against the ancient serpent who led our first parents, Adam and Eve, to disobey God and lose Paradise. He is Satan, who down through the centuries has deceived the nations and caused so much suffering and misery. Jesus goes into the wilderness to draw the devil out into the open, confront him, and defeat him.

 Of course, it isn’t a fair fight. Jesus is the eternal Son of God. He created the devil out of nothing along with the other angels who were meant to serve God and humanity. But out of pride and envy, the devil and a third of the angels rebelled and were thrown out of Heaven. The devil hates God and he hates us because we are made in God’s image and likeness. Jesus, as the divine Son of God, could easily banish the devil to hell with just a word from His lips.

 But something else happens during these temptations in the desert. He does not simply banish Satan to Hell. He does not call down angels from Heaven to defeat the devil. Rather, He struggles against Satan through his human nature. Remember, Jesus is not just the eternal Son of God, but He is the Son of Mary, and is human in every way we are. He shares our human weaknesses and vulnerabilities, which the devil attacks. So, when Jesus overcomes Satan, it is not just a victory for God but a victory for us, who share His humanity. Jesus defeats Satan, and we share in that victory.

 This is an important truth for us to remember as we begin this Lenten Season. Many times we look around and see evil everywhere. And, as we confront our sinfulness during this time of penance, we also see a lot of evil within ourselves. That can be discouraging. It can tempt us to doubt that Jesus really has the upper hand over the devil. In fact, that is one of the ways the devil likes to tempt us. He wants us to get discouraged and feel defeated so that we will give up. That is when we have to remind ourselves that, in Jesus, we have already won the victory. We can stand up to evil in the world and in ourselves with confidence that, no matter how difficult the struggle will be, in Jesus we will ultimately prevail. As Archbishop Fulton Sheen once said, “The devil may have his hour, but God will have His day.” 

What should we do then when we’re facing temptation and feeling discouraged? We should keep our eyes focused on Jesus.

To Never Again Destroy The Earth

 

The story of Noah and the flood is one of the best known and fascinating narratives in the Old Testament. Not only is it a gripping saga about a family trying to survive a devastating natural disaster in an ark filled with animals, it is also a tale about the destructive power of sin and God’s desire to save us.

 The book of Genesis tells us that, when God saw the wickedness on the earth, “[He] was sorry that he had made humankind....” (Gen 6:6). These words sound harsh to us today; however, God does not utter them out of anger and contempt. Rather, He says them out of profound grief. The people whom He breathed His own life into and created to be “very good” had turned out to be wicked. God is saddened by the sinfulness of His people.

 Because sin offends God who is “all good and deserving of all our love”, it warrants punishment. In civil society, when laws are broken, a fine or jail sentence is handed out to restore justice. Just so, when God’s commandments are broken, a punishment must be inflicted to bring the evil doing to an end so that no one else may be harmed. In the story from Genesis, that punishment comes in the form of a devastating flood.

 However, the story does not end with sin and punishment. For all the terror and destruction the flood inflicted on earth, the point of the story is that God wants to save us, not punish us. For that reason, He commanded Noah to build the ark to protect his family and to give His creation a fresh start. When the waters recede, He makes a covenant- that is, a sacred promise- that He will never destroy His creation again. God makes that promise on His own initiative because He wants a relationship with the people He created. In the end, God is willing to put aside His right to punish us so that He can loves us and be loved by us in return.

The ultimate sign of God’s desire to save us comes in the person of Jesus Christ. He took upon Himself the sins of the world and endured the punishment we deserve by dying on the cross. Any good works or any penance we might perform over a lifetime could never begin to make up for the offense against God that only one of our sins causes. However, because Jesus never sinned, His offering on the cross is pure. Also, because as God, Jesus is infinite, the blood He shed on the cross can be extended to all people who ever lived and ever will live. It can never be used up. There will never be a point where the wickedness of humanity will exhaust all the forgiveness that flows from the cross of Jesus Christ. 

 We no longer have to fear punishment. We do not have to be defeated by sin. We do not have to despair because of the shortness of our lives on earth. Sin and death have been defeated on the cross. Everlasting life is offered to us through the resurrection of Jesus. This everlasting life which is ours through baptism is not something we will reach only at the end of our lives. It is a power which is at our disposal even now to defeat temptation, to fight injustice and to do good. It is simply a matter of drawing on it when we need it. Then we will be truly living out our baptism and experiencing the victory of Jesus every day.

The Lie At The Core Of Every Temptation

 

Temptation and sin are realities that all of us face, no matter how far along we are on our spiritual journey. The devil tempts us because he wants us to fall away from God and lose our hope. However, that doesn’t have to happen if we keep turning to our Heavenly Father with confidence in His mercy.

 In Sunday’s gospel, Jesus goes to the desert to confront Satan. Throughout Scripture, the wilderness is the place of temptation and testing. During their wanderings in the desert, the people of Israel fell to the temptation to worship a false God and to lose hope that He would provide for them during their journey. Though Saint Mark doesn’t tell us how the devil tempted Jesus, we know from the other gospels that they were similar to the ones the people of Israel and all people face - namely, to turn to something other than God for our well-being, security, and hope. Jesus does not fall to temptation but vanquishes the devil. In doing so, He gives us assurance that we can do the same.

So, we can face temptation with confidence. It doesn’t have any power over us because Jesus has already conquered Satan not only in the desert but by His cross and resurrection. Temptation only has power over us if we give in to it. If we resist it, push it out of our minds, and remind ourselves that Jesus has power over it, we will conquer our temptations. As Saint James tells us, “Submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

 When we are tempted, we should always remember that Satan is the father of lies. At the core of every temptation is a lie. We might be deceived into thinking that giving in to sin will relax us and make us feel better. However, all sin can do is leave us feeling empty and guilty. Satan might whisper into our ear that it is only a small sin and nobody will get hurt. Then, consequences we didn’t anticipate arise from our sinful acts and innocent people are hurt in the process. In any case, our relationship with God is always damaged whenever we give in to sin. So, whenever we are tempted, we should ask ourselves, “What is the lie that Satan wants me to believe?” When we bring that temptation into the light of truth, we will see it for what it really is and it will lose its power over us.

This beautiful season of Lent is an opportunity for us to face our sinful selves and turn to Jesus with confidence and trust. As we prepare for the celebration of Easter, we spend these weeks renewing our baptismal vow to reject Satan, and all his works, and all his empty promises. We reject the glamor of evil and refuse to be mastered by sin. Standing up to temptation, arming ourselves with the word of God, and staying close to Jesus in the sacraments will ensure that we will share His victory over sin and one day reign with Him in heaven.