1st Sunday of Lent - Remain Strong Against Temptation!

Homily for the 1st Sunday of Lent.  Feel free to share questions, comments, thoughts, etc. in the comments section.  God bless! 

READINGS:

1^st Reading: Deuteronomy 26:4-10

Resp. Psalm: Ps. 91:1-2, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15
2^nd Reading: Romans 10:8-13
Gospel: Luke 4:1-13

FOCUS: Our Christian pilgrimage through life is filled with “spiritual warfare.” 

FUNCTION: Practice the Lenten disciplines in order to be strong in moments of temptation. 
 

          The Gospel reading for this First Sunday of Lent is always the story of Jesus being driven by the Holy Spirit into the desert to be tempted by Satan.  It wasn’t quite a desert, but a group of parishioners and I recently made our annual mission trip to Haiti to visit and support St. Francis Xavier’s sister parish, Holy Cross, in Fonds-Verrettes, Haiti.  Being down there was like a desert experience – drinkable water is a precious commodity, there didn’t seem to be too many paved roads, and I only took 3 showers in 8 days.  It was a hard trip for several reasons, but we didn’t go there to relax, or to see the sights, or to sunbathe.  We went to Haiti in order to serve the needs of the people – to provide supplies and support and help with things that needed to get done. 

          One of the best things we did was help out at the clinic in Oriani – a small village about an hour’s drive away from Holy Cross parish in Fonds-Verrettes; there at the clinic, an energetic little 50-year-old religious sister – Sr. MaryAnn – sees approximately 60-70 patients a day.  While we were at the clinic, the doctor and the nurse on our team (and others, too) worked hard to see about 140 patients in the course of a 10 hour work day.  Those of us who weren’t involved in seeing patients accomplished others things like painting different parts of the clinic that needed painting, as well as visiting the school in order to deliver supplies and talk to the students, as well as taking the time to toss around the Frisbee and play soccer with some of the kids who also showed up at the clinic.

          During our time in Haiti, we were often stretched and challenged by our circumstances – whether it was the bus getting stuck in the water as we drove through a stream while driving from Port-au-Prince to Fonds-Verrettes (thanks be to God for the bulldozer that pushed us out!), or the lack of electricity at the clinic in Oriani, or the hike up to the waterfall for a “shower” in Fonds-Verrettes.  There were lots of things that were difficult, but it was all worth it.  I believe these kinds of experiences shape us and transform us; they give us perspective and make us appreciate the blessings of life here in America that we so often take for granted.  In short, I had a tremendous experience on the mission trip to Haiti – not only do people really benefit from our great generosity, but every person who goes on the trip is changed for the better by the experience; and as we became fond of saying, “It’s all a part of the experience.” J 

 

          In the same way, we need “desert experiences” like the experience Our Lord had of being in the desert for 40 days and 40 nights.  There’s a reason why this Gospel passage is always the first Gospel that we hear in Lent – our own experience of Lent is called to echo the experience of Our Lord in the desert.  When we fast, particularly on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, we’re supposed to experience hunger – it’s helps us appreciate the fact that millions and millions – if not billions – of people throughout the world experience hunger on a daily basis and regularly go to bed hungry; when we abstain from eating meat on Fridays, it’s supposed to be a sacrifice because meat is probably a staple in most of our diets; and when we give things up for Lent, it’s supposed to be a struggle to maintain that discipline, because we know there are plenty of things in our lives that don’t contribute to making us better people.  Lent is supposed to do all of this and more.  It’s our annual 40-day retreat every year – our annual time to examine our lives, repent of our sins, and try to become better people. 

          But, of course it’s not easy; in fact, it’s often anything but.  The typical disciplines of Lent – prayer, fasting, almsgiving, making sacrifices – they’re all supposed to help us become better people – people who are more humble, loving, compassionate, forgiving, patient, and generally more virtuous.  But just as Jesus was tempted in the desert, we, too, will be tempted during Lent.  That doesn’t mean that we should give in to temptation; just the opposite – it means we should fight all the more to resist and remain steadfast. 

          Our Lord experienced three temptations in the desert that were specifically designed for Him; likewise, we, too, will experience temptations this Lent that will be specifically designed for us – maybe it’s the temptation to eat meat on Fridays, or to indulge in the thing or activity we gave up for Lent, or to not observe the fasting that the Church asks us to observe specifically on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, or maybe it will be something altogether different – something that the Evil One has cooked up just for us.  And then we’ll have a choice to make – will we give into the temptation, or will we resist the temptation because we know it’s the right thing to do?

          Our Christian pilgrimage through life is filled with what’s often referred to as “spiritual warfare” – an invisible battle that we constantly face both against the dark spiritual forces known as demons (aka, fallen angels or evil spirits) and against our own disordered and sinful desires.  Saint John of the Cross, along with other great spiritual masters of the Church, have often identified three great enemies of the spiritual life – the world, the flesh, and the Devil.  The Gospel this weekend highlights the activity of the Devil (aka, the Evil One or Satan); just as he tempted Our Lord, he’ll also tempt us.  First of all, we need to remember that the Devil actually exists and that he continues to be active in the world.  The Church teaches that Satan is a real, personal being – a fallen angel, a being created by God, but who fell from grace and who led other angels to fall with him in their rebellion against God and His angelic army.

          Beware: temptations will come this Lent, whether from the world, the flesh, or the Devil, and we need to be prepared to fight the spiritual battle, to engage in “spiritual warfare” for our good and the good of others.  Lent gives us a few weapons in this warfare, the most powerful of which are the sacraments – namely, the Most Holy Eucharist and the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  So stay close to the Real Presence of Jesus in Holy Communion – sign up for Eucharistic adoration during our 40 Hours devotion or make an effort to attend Mass during the week.  Likewise, receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation – give your sins over to God and God will show you His mercy and love.  Make more time for prayer and quiet, discipline yourself through fasting, if possible, try to be even more generous in the collection basket, and ask trusted friends to help keep you accountable to your Lenten sacrifice.  These practices will keep you strong on the spiritual battlefield, and will help you conquer both the Devil and all his temptations.  This Lent, may God strengthen you in the face of every temptation.         

Jesus vs. the Power of Evil - Jesus Wins!

Homily for the 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B)

READINGS:

First Reading: Deuteronomy 18:15-20
Responsorial Psalm: Ps. 95:1-2, 6-7, 7-9
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 7:32-35
Gospel: Mark 1:21-28s

 FOCUS: There is a spiritual war being battled for our souls, but Jesus’ voice brings deliverance.

FUNCTION: Seek to hear Jesus’ voice in prayer, and thus find deliverance from evil. 

          Any kind of discussion about the subject of demons in today’s world is simultaneously fascinating and frightening.  You only need to take a glance at some of Hollywood’s recent cinematic productions to understand that the question of the demonic has captivated the popular, cultural imagination.  All kinds of questions come up: “Is it real, is it fiction?  Could demonic possession ever actually happen?  Is this something I should really be afraid of, or should I just laugh it all off as superstitious nonsense?”  These are good and reasonable questions….and evidence that – as a larger society – we don’t quite know what to do with stories involving demonic influences.  Culturally, I think we’re deeply conflicted about the issue.  Should we write them off as wild and crazy stories or give them credit as true and possible events?

          Some of us here might be asking that question regarding the Gospel story we just heard, namely, Jesus’ confrontation with a demoniac – a person possessed by an unclean spirit.  But before we can better understand what happened in that situation, I think we have to understand what came before it.  Here’s the set-up: “Then they came to Capernaum, and on the Sabbath Jesus entered the synagogue and taught.  The people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.” 

          Jesus did not enter the synagogue in Capernaum acting like other Rabbis, quoting the teachings of previous Rabbis who likewise quoted previous Rabbis, going all the way back to Moses and ultimately to God Himself.  Rather, when Jesus taught, He taught on His own authority – as the only-begotten Son of God – and not like the Rabbis or the scribes, who constantly appealed to others.  It is this authority that the people found so astonishing.  Some might have found it presumptuous for Him to teach on His own authority, but this was the mark of a prophet, of someone who was more than just a Rabbi. 

          The first reading gave us Moses’ prophecy about what God would do in the future for the people of Israel: “A prophet like me will the Lord, your God, raise up for you from among your own kin; to him you shall listen.”  When Jesus of Nazareth began His public ministry in Israel, He began to look more and more like this prophet that Moses had foretold that God raise up among the people of Israel.  His word had a different quality than the words of the Rabbis, and He Himself was a bit different.  His presence commanded attention, His words commanded respect, and His teachings commanded obedience, as though they came directly from the mouth of God Himself.

          Enter stage left: the man with the unclean spirits.  Suddenly, there was a confrontation of cosmic proportions….a kind of showdown between Jesus of Nazareth and the power of evil.  The man with the unclean spirits cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?  Have you come to destroy us?  I know who You are – the Holy One of God!”  But the victor in this confrontation becomes immediately apparent.  Jesus only needs to say, “Quiet!  Come out of Him!” and the duel is over before it even really began.  And then “The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him.”  The winner in this battle is abundantly clear: Jesus of Nazareth – 1; unclean spirits – 0.

          Jesus came among us to accomplish this very thing – to root out evil from the heart of humanity, whether in the form of sin in general, or in the form of the evil one’s control.  Jesus was always confronting the power of evil in the course of His ministry; and He continues to do so in our own day.  Whether we want to acknowledge it or not, we are in the midst of spiritual warfare – an invisible battle between the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light. 

          The power of evil – the Devil and his fallen angels, the unclean spirits – wants to capture our souls for all eternity.  But God wants to claim us as His own, so that we might know His amazing love and His saving power.  On a daily basis, we experience the pull between temptation and grace, between darkness and light, and between the power of evil and the power of good. 

          And we need to realize that we’re in this spiritual struggle in order to gain the upper hand and not be overwhelmed by the dark forces of evil.  The Church teaches that the Devil and evil spirits do exist.  They are a part of the created order, ultimately subject to God, but are able to exercise an amount of influence in our lives through our free will.  But when they are confronted by the voice of Jesus of Nazareth – the Son of God – they lose all power and must obey His commands.  And therefore we can find freedom and deliverance through Him, through hearing His voice in the depths of our souls.

          This is why prayer is so important in the spiritual life, because it is through prayer that we are able to hear the voice of the Son of God and find deliverance from the power of evil.  Without prayer – without being connected to God’s grace and mercy – we cannot hope to overcome the dark forces that surround us or find ultimate victory over the evil powers that threaten to overtake us.  We need Jesus; we need to hear His voice.  Only in Him can we win the spiritual war.

          So it’s good to develop a concrete habit of prayer.  You might say a quick prayer before you get out of bed in the morning, asking God to help you meet the challenges of the day.  Praying before meals is also a good practice.  It’s also good to pray and examine your conscience every night.  And we mustn’t forget about praying when we celebrate the sacraments…before, during, and after….especially here at Mass before we receive the Real Presence of Jesus in Holy Communion and when we go to confess our sins in the sacrament of Reconciliation. 

          Some people like to pray when they’re in the car on their way to work or running errands…a good opportunity to get in a Rosary or a Divine Mercy chaplet.  Some people also pray the official prayer of the Church, the Liturgy of the Hours, as a way to sanctify the different times and “hours” of the day.  And praying and meditating with Sacred Scripture or the lives of the Saints or another devotional prayer book is always a good practice. 

          What matters most is that we’re praying.  And it doesn’t have to be simply the “traditional” prayers.  We should feel free to pray spontaneously, to speak to God as we would to a friend, to tell Him what we’re thinking and feeling and what matters to us most.  And we shouldn’t always ask for things.  We can praise Him for His goodness or thank Him for the graces we’ve received.  We can adore Him with our hearts and minds and tell Him how sorry we are for the times we’ve offended Him.  The tradition of Christian prayer is actually quite vast.  So we don’t need to get stuck in any one form; we can try out many forms of prayer. 

          That way, if we should ever feel like we’re about to be sucked into the darkness by the power of evil – as the man in the Gospel must have felt – all we need to do is appeal to Jesus through prayer and we will always find deliverance from evil and the strength necessary to win the battle.