Poor St. Peter! One minute he is named by Jesus as the rock upon which the Church will be built, and the next minute he is chastised by the Lord for falling prey to temptation. Welcome to the spiritual life! Yet this spiritual battle of building up and tearing down is part of our journey of faith, inviting us to always keep our focus on Christ.
Mass Readings – Thursday of the 18th Week of the Year
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Our faith acknowledges the presence and power of sin in our world today. Temptation is all around us, working to ensnare us and lead us astray. The solution? Jesus comes into our world to free us from the chains of sin and lead us into the grace that only God can provide.
Mass Readings – 10th Sunday of the Year
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Mass Readings – Thursday of the 11th Week of the Year
The Lord’s Prayer is a powerful tool for the Christian life. At 55 words this gift from Jesus provides us with key insights about how we follow the Lord with all our heart. Pray it today; pray it frequently!
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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.
Mass Readings – Thursday of the 3rd Week of Lent
The Lord drives out a demon in the Gospel today, reminding us that while evil is present in the world we continue to call upon God for the grace we need to drive out whatever is not fitting in our hearts for the Kingdom of God.
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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
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:
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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