Tag Archives: satan

Daily Mass: Jesus guides us in the spiritual battle of life. Catholic Inspiration

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Jesus addresses the scribes, revealing his power to cast out Satan and sin. Calling upon the Holy Spirit, we follow Christ in the midst of our spiritual battles and face our challenges with God’s grace.

Mass Readings – Monday of the 3rd Week of the Year

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Catholic Inspiration Archives

St. Vincent & St. Marianne Cope, pray for us!

On this Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children, we call upon the Holy Spirit to help us defend their lives and foster their safety and growth.


Daily Mass: The Lord drives out demons. Catholic Inspiration

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As Jesus drives out demons from two men, the local people are frightened at this display of God’s power over evil. In those moments when we confront the darkness in our lives, may we turn to the Lord for grace and strength.

Mass Readings – Wednesday of the 13th Week of the Year

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1st Sunday of Lent: Confronting the darkness in our hearts. Catholic Inspiration

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The temptation of Jesus in the Gospel of Mark reminds us that the darkness of sin must be confronted in our hearts with the triumph of Christ.

Mass Readings – 1st Sunday of Lent

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Catholic Inspiration Archives


21st Sunday of the Year: Christ is the key to our hearts. Catholic Inspiration

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As Peter receives the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, we know that we have hope for our hearts; for although the netherworld will not prevail in this spiritual battle, it will seek to keep us from Christ, who offers strength for our souls.

Mass Readings – 21st Sunday of the Year


Daily Mass: The fearful boast of Peter. Catholic Inspiration

The fearful boast of St. Peter to Jesus gives us pause to reflect on the power of our speech – for good or evil – within our lives.

Mass Readings – Tuesday of Holy Week

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Catholic Inspiration Archives


1st Sunday of Lent: Dealing with Temptation

jesus-wilderness

Study:  When in life have you been profoundly tempted?  What patterns do you notice in your life?

Pray:  The temptations we face provide a special place in our prayers; bring them to the Lord!

Serve:  How can you support others who are tempted so that they can face them with grace?

Mass Readings – 1st Sunday of Lent

We enter into the great season of Lent with classic readings about temptation, sin and God’s grace:

  • 1st Reading – The temptation of Adam & Eve
  • Psalm – “Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.”
  • 2nd Reading – The sin of Adam is redeemed by Christ
  • Gospel – The devil tempts Jesus…and fails

First, let me be perfectly clear:  Temptation is a part of the landscape of human life.  From the time of our first parents at the dawn of creation, humanity has experienced temptation.  We can wish all we want, but the fact remains that we are constantly facing great and small temptations throughout the course of our lives.

What’s more, we have all experienced times when temptation has led us to sin.  Being tempted is one thing; falling into sin is another.  For once sin is a part of our lives, our souls are wounded in a way that requires God’s grace to cleanse and heal.

This awareness of temptation and sin can easily lead us to a state of despair.  We can fall into the trap that says “Well, you messed up.  What’s the point now?  You might as well just give up.” Admittedly, the devil would like nothing better than to let us think that there is no hope…that we are lost and without strength to find our way out of the messes of life.

Yet we start our Lent with hope.  Yes, we acknowledge that temptation and sin are real, but we take comfort that this is why Jesus Christ came – to break the bondage of sin, restore our relationships with God and one another, and lead us into eternal life.  The Lord knew about temptation first hand, yet not only did he triumph over Satan’s testing, but he freed us through his death and resurrection.

In our moments of temptation and sin may we run to the Cross of Christ!  As we encounter our own trials may we trust that the Lord stands ready to offer us help and strength – both to face what comes before us this day, and to heal us in our moments of need.

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Podcast Resources for a Powerful Lent

Catholic Inspiration Archive

Note: This post was first published on February 27, 2017.


Daily Mass: Betrayal and Denial. Catholic Inspiration

Mass Readings – Tuesday of Holy Week

The situation is intense at the Last Supper as Judas prepares to betray Jesus, and Peter’s boast is met with the foreshadowing that he will deny Christ three times.  As we prepare for the Sacred Triduum we pause to reflect on the moments when we have betrayed or denied the Lord, asking God for mercy when we have sinned.

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Archive of Fr. Andrew’s Podcasts

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Photo credit: The Passion of the Christ, 2004.


1st Sunday of Lent: Facing Temptation. Catholic Inspiration

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Mass Readings – 1st Sunday of Lent

Temptation is a part of life, and the fall of Adam & Eve remind us that we encounter temptations each day as a result of sin.  We have hope, however, for the triumph of Jesus over the temptations of Satan inspires us to return to the Lord when we fail and seek the grace we need to flourish.

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Archive of Fr. Andrew’s Podcasts

 


1st Sunday of Lent: Facing our temptations

jesus-wilderness

Study:  When in life have you been profoundly tempted?  What patterns do you notice in your life?

Pray:  The temptations we face provide a special place in our prayers; bring them to the Lord!

Serve:  How can you support others who are tempted so that they can face them with grace?

Mass Readings – 1st Sunday of Lent

We enter into the great season of Lent with classic readings about temptation, sin and God’s grace:

  • 1st Reading – The temptation of Adam & Eve
  • Psalm – “Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.”
  • 2nd Reading – The sin of Adam is redeemed by Christ
  • Gospel – The devil tempts Jesus…and fails

First, let me be perfectly clear:  Temptation is a part of the landscape of human life.  From the time of our first parents at the dawn of creation, humanity has experienced temptation.  We can wish all we want, but the fact remains that we are constantly facing great and small temptations throughout the course of our lives.

What’s more, we have all experienced times when temptation has led us to sin.  Being tempted is one thing; falling into sin is another.  For once sin is a part of our lives, our souls are wounded in a way that requires God’s grace to cleanse and heal.

This awareness of temptation and sin can easily lead us to a state of despair.  We can fall into the trap that says “Well, you messed up.  What’s the point now?  You might as well just give up.” Admittedly, the devil would like nothing better than to let us think that there is no hope…that we are lost and without strength to find our way out of the messes of life.

Yet we start our Lent with hope.  Yes, we acknowledge that temptation and sin are real, but we take comfort that this is why Jesus Christ came – to break the bondage of sin, restore our relationships with God and one another, and lead us into eternal life.  The Lord knew about temptation first hand, yet not only did he triumph over Satan’s testing, but he freed us through his death and resurrection.

In our moments of temptation and sin may we run to the Cross of Christ!  As we encounter our own trials may we trust that the Lord stands ready to offer us help and strength – both to face what comes before us this day, and to heal us in our moments of need.

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Podcast Resources for a Powerful Lent

Archive of Fr. Andrew’s Podcasts


Daily Mass: Consequences and Compassion. Catholic Inspiration

reaching-out

Mass Readings – Saturday of the 5th Week of the Year

Adam and Eve experience the natural consequences of sin as they face new challenges in their lives and leave the Garden of Eden; Jesus looks on the crowd with pity and responds to the natural consequences of their needs with compassion – inspiring us to face the consequences of our own sins with the compassion of Christ.

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Archive of Fr. Andrew’s Podcasts


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