The Letter of James gives crucial insight into the nature of temptation. As we encounter our own temptations, may we never tire of calling upon God for the grace we need to face them.
Mass Readings – Tuesday of the 6th Week of the Year
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The parable of the sower teaches us of the crucial need to cultivate the garden of our hearts with care and diligence.
Mass Readings – Wednesday of the the 3rd Week of the Year
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St. Paul reminds us that we hold a treasure from God in our fragile, human hands. As disciples of Jesus Christ we always recognize two issues: on one hand we are inheritors of God’s glory; on the other hand we are weak and prone to sin. May we accept God’s grace and allow the Lord to touch our lives with his healing love.
Mass Readings – Friday of the 10th Week of the Year
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Catholic Inspiration Archives
As Jesus confronts the devil in the wilderness, his response to three temptations shows us how we can face the deceptions of evil in our lives with courage, faith and wisdom.
Mass Readings – 1st Sunday of Lent
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Study: Reflect on a moment when you were in a critical need. What pulled you through?
Pray: Ask the Lord for grace regarding a difficult situation.
Serve: How can you be a helping hand to another?
Mass Readings – 1st Sunday of Lent
Let’s take a look at these readings that help us kick off Lent:
Have you ever been in trouble? Serious trouble? End of your rope? Lost? Confused? Abandoned? Scared? Feeling like you cannot breathe because the air has gone out of your chest? Feeling utterly alone?
You’re in good company. People of faith for over 3000 years have called upon the Lord in their darkest moments – seeking guidance and strength.
And God provides. We don’t have to look very hard to find examples of pain and suffering, hardship and loss, struggle, catastrophe and sin. We also know that there are no promises that life will be easy and free from pain. What we know is simple: God walks with us and sustains us in our moments of need.
Of course this is only a half truth – God walks with us always! God never leaves us, but for some very human reason we seem to call out loud and strong when we recognize our need for the Lord. Isn’t it odd that we “get it” when we are in need…that many of us who dedicate our lives to Christ see much more clearly when the truth is self-evident?
Perhaps not. Perhaps what this first week of Lent shows us is that our need for God (always present in our lives) is most easily observed when we cannot hide from our need. For when we are in trouble, we are confronted with the clear and obvious reality that it is only with the Lord’s grace that we can be guided and sustained. In the times of our testing we discover both our limitations and the Lord’s love.
What are you facing in your life right now? What requires your own personal admission and acceptance of Christ’s mercy? Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble!
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If you are looking for more material to help you this Lent, you might consider this list of presentations I have offered over the last couple of years. Feel free to check it out and share if you find it helpful:
Podcast Resources for getting the most out of Lent
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Note: this post was first published on February 9, 2016.
The temptation and sin of Adam and Eve highlights the reality of evil in our lives. Yet as we embrace the hope that we have in Jesus we acknowledge our need for God’s mercy and return to the Lord.
Mass Readings – Friday of the 5th Week of the Year
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The people in the readings were tempted, even as they were striving to follow God. They show us that we need to be vigilant against temptation as we engage our faith in Christ with the support of one another.
Mass Readings – 26th Sunday of the Year
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