Tag: examination of conscience

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Fifth Sunday of Lent

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Reading 1: Jeremiah 31:31-34
Responsorial: Psalm 51:3-4, 12-15
Reading 2: Hebrews 5:7-9
Gospel: John 12:20-33

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/032121-YearB.cfm https://www.deaconrudysnotes.org/

And so today we come to the fifth Sunday of Lent. Can you believe it? We’re two weeks away from Easter! I want to welcome everyone to another episode of deacon rudy’s notes! I’m Deacon Rudy Villarreal, and together, we’re going to explore the readings for this weekend.

With two weeks to go, we’re practically in the home stretch of our Lenten season. Today is a great time to check-in on our Lenten journeys. Remember, our goal this Lenten season wasn’t to give up something trivial like a bit of chocolate. We wanted to dig deep and find out what’s getting in the way of our relationship with God. We wanted to identify patterns of sin and root causes of sin, like ingratitude, so that we could lay them at the foot of the cross and allow God to embrace us with His mercy and love.

And we’ve talked about a variety of things we could do to help us accomplish that goal. Maybe you used the traditional Lenten sacrifices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Perhaps you tried the examen, preferably daily. Maybe it was an examination of conscience, if not every day, then at least weekly. That’s also helpful as we prepare for the sacrament of reconciliation.

Maybe we’ve used this Lenten season to develop some better habits, like reading Scripture more frequently. We could link this to the sacrifice of prayer, so maybe you tried Lectio Divina or Ignatian contemplation. Or perhaps you’ve tried some other forms of contemplative prayer like centering prayer or Christian meditation. Prayer can be a sacrifice because we make time to pray during Lent that we don’t usually do throughout the year.

Perhaps you’ve used your Lenten journey to reflect on the gifts and the fruits of the Holy Spirit. What gifts do you have? Do you see the fruits of the Spirit in your life?

And maybe you’ve spent some time thinking about the virtues and which one you’d like to focus on developing this year? Remember, a virtue is basically an intentional good habit. We want to be more intentional or mindful of what we are doing.

So, how is your Lenten journey going? If it’s going well, that’s wonderful! If it’s not going so well, don’t worry! You still have two weeks of Lent to try something.

Why is all of this important?

Well, in today’s Gospel, Jesus explains why it’s important to tackle the root causes of sin. Jesus says, “Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for enteral life” (John 12:25). Now, Jesus is not telling us we should hate our lives and hate the world around us. Our goal isn’t to become grumpy old people! What Jesus is talking about is spiritual detachment. <1>

Remember, we’ve discussed how easy it is to fall into the empty promises of this world. For example, in an earlier episode, we discussed the many forms of sloth. Perhaps without even realizing it, we’ve been living a life mired in sin! Like the happy pig who enjoys the muck, we might find ourselves enjoying sin a little too much.

Part of this message is to remind us that we want to be aware of and avoid being caught in a web of sin. I mean, at some level, we know better! Right? Like we heard in our first reading from Jeremiah, God placed the knowledge of right from wrong in our hearts (Jeremiah 31:33). We don’t want to get so attached to sin or to our material possessions that we can’t imagine life without them. Many things might bring us comfort and pleasure, but they’re not essential.

For example, I love coffee! I’m not a coffee snob per se, but I’m close. This is how I used to think about coffee. You know, back in the day when we all used to take trips on airplanes? The flight staff would say should the cabin lose pressure and an oxygen mask drop, that for your safety and the safety of those around you, place the mask over your mouth and nose first and then help those around you.

Well, I used to look at coffee the same way. For my safety and the safety of those around me, I needed to have at least one cup of coffee before anything else happened in the morning. I’m happy to report that after years of diet and exercise, both spiritual and healthy life choices, I don’t think of coffee that same way anymore. Don’t get me wrong – I still enjoy good coffee multiple times a day. But the quality of my day doesn’t hinge on a cup of coffee.

Now, there’s a risk of doing all this hard work of self-examination. If we pay too much attention to our sins sometimes, we get too focused on ourselves. That can lead to analysis paralysis or take us down a dark path. Our goal isn’t to weigh us down. Our goal is to know our sins so we can understand the depth of God’s mercy and love for us. But this process also helps us flourish. It helps us become the people God created us to be – to be the best version of ourselves.

This process helps us honor what Jesus says in the Gospel today, “Whoever serves me must follow me…” (John 12:26). Jesus’s radical detachment is a model for us. It’s Jesus’ radical self-giving love that glorifies God. So too, we are called to give of ourselves unselfishly in our relationships with one another – especially our families, to build up the Kingdom of God on earth and ease the pain and suffering of the poor.

Don’t worry! We still have some time, and that leads us to homework! Nourished by the Word of God and the Eucharist, I invite you to reflect on the following two questions. First, how have my Lenten sacrifices or devotions helped me identify the root causes of sin in my life? Second, what are some concrete things I can do over the next two weeks to better prepare myself for Easter?

Do you got it? Do you get it? Good! Now go make disciples! May almighty God bless you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! +Amen!

You’re listening to deacon rudy’s notes. Thank you for joining me today. Silent Partner composed our theme music. You can find all sorts of helpful information on the website at www.deaconrudysnotes.org. I’m Deacon Rudy Villarreal. Join me again next weekend as we break open the Word. Peace!

Image Credit: Lent. Artist Unknown. JPG.

Notes: <1> Martin & Wright, The Gospel of John, 223.

Bibliography/Suggested Readings:
1. Healy, Mary. Hebrews. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2016. Kindle.
2. Martin, Francis and William M. Wright IV. The Gospel of John. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2015. Kindle.

Catechism References http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm:
1. The history of the covenants: 56-64, 220, 715, 762, 1965
2. Why the Word became flesh: 459
3. Christ gathers us into God’s kingdom: 541-42
4. Christ offers his life to the Father: 606-7
5. Jesus’ suffering in love: 609, 616-17
6. Agony in Gethsemane: 612
7. Our participation in Christ’s sacrifice: 618
8. Christ ascended in glory as our victory: 662, 2853
9. The Spirit glorifies the Son, the Son glorifies the Father: 690, 729
10. Jesus’ obedience: 1009, 2825
11. Order of Melchizedek: 1544
12. Jesus’ prayer for us: 2606, 2741
13. Deliver us from evil: 2850-54

Fifth Sunday of Lent https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/032121-YearB.cfm
Year B
Lectionary: 35

Reading 1
Jeremiah 31:31-34
The days are coming, says the LORD,
when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel
and the house of Judah.
It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers
the day I took them by the hand
to lead them forth from the land of Egypt;
for they broke my covenant,
and I had to show myself their master, says the LORD.
But this is the covenant that I will make
with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD.
I will place my law within them and write it upon their hearts;
I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
No longer will they have need to teach their friends and relatives
how to know the LORD.
All, from least to greatest, shall know me, says the LORD,
for I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sin no more.

Responsorial
Psalm 51:3-4, 12-13, 14-15
R. (12a) Create a clean heart in me, O God.
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
R. Create a clean heart in me, O God.
A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not out from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me.
R. Create a clean heart in me, O God.
Give me back the joy of your salvation,
and a willing spirit sustain in me.
I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners shall return to you.
R. Create a clean heart in me, O God.

Reading 2
Hebrews 5:7-9
In the days when Christ Jesus was in the flesh,
he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears
to the one who was able to save him from death,
and he was heard because of his reverence.
Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered;
and when he was made perfect,
he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.

Verse Before the Gospel
John 12:26
Whoever serves me must follow me, says the Lord;
and where I am, there also will my servant be.

Gospel
John 12:20-33
Some Greeks who had come to worship at the Passover Feast
came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee,
and asked him, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus.”
Philip went and told Andrew;
then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.
Jesus answered them,
“The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
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.
Whoever loves his life loses it,
and whoever hates his life in this world
will preserve it for eternal life.
Whoever serves me must follow me,
and where I am, there also will my servant be.
The Father will honor whoever serves me.

“I am troubled now. Yet what should I say?
‘Father, save me from this hour’?
But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour.
Father, glorify your name.”
Then a voice came from heaven,
“I have glorified it and will glorify it again.”
The crowd there heard it and said it was thunder;
but others said, “An angel has spoken to him.”
Jesus answered and said,
“This voice did not come for my sake but for yours.
Now is the time of judgment on this world;
now the ruler of this world will be driven out.
And when I am lifted up from the earth,
I will draw everyone to myself.”
He said this indicating the kind of death he would die.

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Fourth Sunday of Lent

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Mass readings

Reading 1: 2 Chronicles 36:14-16, 19-23
Responsorial: Psalm 137:1-6
Reading 2: Ephesians 2:4-10
Gospel: John 3:14-21

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/031421-YearB.cfm
https://www.deaconrudysnotes.org/

Welcome to another episode of deacon rudy’s notes! I’m Deacon Rudy Villarreal, and together, we’re going to explore the readings for this weekend. Let’s get started!

Over these past weeks, our readings walked us through salvation history, beginning with Noah, then Abraham, and last week, the ten commandments. This week we learn that God allowed the Temple’s destruction to send a wake-up call to the people. Even our responsorial psalm tells the story of the Babylonian captivity. Why did this happen?

Scripture tells us that the people so relished the luxuries and pleasures of the world – undoubtedly many of the same sorts of treasures that Satan used in the desert to tempt Jesus. It worked on the people, and they forgot about God altogether. So, he allowed their world to collapse. But God’s mercy is limitless, and today we hear that God called his people back together. He even placed the responsibility of rebuilding the Temple in the hands of a pagan king.

It’s a great story. But we know how it turned out. It didn’t take long for the people to reduce God to a function – merely a checkbox on someone’s holy roller card. Once again, they didn’t get it. So, God sent His only son to lead the people out of the darkness and into the light.

Today’s Gospel which picks up right after the Temple’s cleansing that we heard about last weekend, gives us some insight. Now, a pharisee named Nicodemus visits Jesus at night. Why at night, I wonder? Was he trying to catch Jesus off-guard at the end of a busy day? Or is he beginning to realize that Jesus might be the messiah they’ve been waiting for?

Of course, we know that Nicodemus defended Jesus before the Sanhedrin (John 7:50-51). After bringing embalming spices, he helps Joseph of Arimathea take Jesus down from the cross and prepare his body for burial (John 19:39-42). But in today’s reading, Nicodemus came in the night.

There is this interesting exchange between Nicodemus and Jesus. Jesus says to him just a few verses earlier than we have in our Gospel reading today, “You just don’t get it” (John 3:10).

He first tells him, “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up” (John 3:14). Now, why did Moses lift up the serpent according to Numbers (21:9)? To heal the people who suffered from the poison of snake bites. So, Jesus, in comparing Moses to what will happen at the crucifixion, tells us that Jesus will heal all of us across time.

Then Jesus says one of the most often quoted lines in Scripture: For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son (John 3:16). Now, this is a vitally important point! Out of God’s love for us, God gave us His son. Jesus is Gift.

Recall that Jesus says to the woman at the well, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is who is speaking to you…” (John 4:10). As the theologian Sandra M. Schneiders writes, “God is love expressed in the Gift who is Jesus.” <1>

Jesus goes on to say, “that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light because their works were evil” (John 3:19). What are these works of evil? Well, we could spend a lot of time talking about the seven deadly sins, for example, but we’re only going to touch on one of them right now: sloth.

Now, when we hear the word “sloth,” we might think of laziness. But actually, laziness is a symptom of the disease. Sloth means rejecting God’s concrete gifts to us as individuals. And that manifests in a variety of ways in our culture today.

Yes, a lazy person might be someone who wakes up late, doesn’t make their bed, and spends the whole day watching shows or gamming.

But sloth could also manifest as the “busy” person who gets to work on time and is busy all day long, but the same pile of work that greeted you in the morning is still on your desk when you leave for the day. This busyness masks laziness.

Sloth could also be the workaholic who loves working ten-hour days, six days a week, and even appreciates their income. The married workaholic ignores the gift of their spouse and children. The unmarried workaholic ignores the gift of their friends, family, and the world around them.

A teenager might demonstrate musical talent, but they refuse to practice. Why? Because they don’t believe they could be the best. They doubt they’ll make first chair or be the top of the class. If they can’t execute their talent perfectly, then why try? Perfectionism which might prevent us from embracing our gifts, is a form of sloth.

Maybe a college student is wildly intelligent. But perhaps this student doubts themselves. So, they choose to hide their intelligence or, worse, ignore it. Ignoring or neglecting God’s gift is sloth.

I’ve even heard people say to me that they don’t pray very well. Maybe their doubt prevents them from devoting more time to prayer. People really don’t like to look or feel silly, so a person who thinks they can’t pray neglects it. This person doubts the Holy Spirit’s gifts of faith, hope, and even time. This, too, is sloth. <2>

Sloth is a deadly sin because it causes us to reject the concrete gifts God gave each one of us. And the root of this deadly sin is ingratitude. Now, we’re getting to the kicker. St. Ignatius once wrote that at the heart of all sin is ingratitude. What are we ungrateful for? God’s gifts. So, we plot our own course. “We can do better than that” is undoubtedly the motto we use to encourage us forward. That’s what Jesus means when he says we prefer darkness to light (John 3:19) – our own course to God’s plan.

In today’s Gospel, we find that the God who is love gave us the gift of Jesus. Out of ingratitude, what was the response to God’s Gift? We murdered Jesus. Again, Sandra Schneiders tells us that when we take the “Gift of God” and murder Him, we “manifest the true nature of the sin of the world,’ that is, the rejection of the God who is love.” <3>

As we move through Lent toward Easter, we need to use our Lenten sacrifices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving to help us identify examples of when we might reject the gifts and talents God gave us as individuals. Perhaps, with the help of the sacraments, especially reconciliation and a spiritual director’s help, we could try to identify root causes of ingratitude in our lives.

Homework! Nourished by the Word of God and the Eucharist, I invite you to reflect on the following two questions.
First, given the examples of sloth discussed, are there any examples in my life where I don’t fully appreciate the gifts God gave me?
Second, how can I use my Lenten sacrifices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving or spiritual exercises like the daily examen or an examination of conscience to understand examples of ingratitude in my life?

Doing our homework can help disciples use our gifts and talents to build up the Kingdom of God. Do you got it? Do you get it? Good! Now go make disciples! May almighty God bless you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! +Amen!

You’re listening to deacon rudy’s notes. Thank you for joining me today. Silent Partner composed our theme music. You can find all sorts of helpful information on the website at www.deaconrudysnotes.org. I’m Deacon Rudy Villarreal. Join me again next weekend as we break open the Word. Peace!

Image Credit: Lent. Artist Unknown. JPG.

Notes:
<1> Sandra M. Schneiders, Jesus Risen in Our Midst: Essays on the Resurrection of Jesus in the Fourth Gospel (Collegeville, Minnesota: Liturgical Press, 2013), 225, Kindle.
<2> These examples of sloth come from Joseph A. Tetlow, SJ and Carol Atwell Ackels, Finding Christ in the World: A Twelve Week Ignatian Retreat in Everyday Life (Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts: The Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2017), 102.
<3> Schneiders, 226.

Bibliography/Suggested Readings:
1. Martin, Francis and William M. Wright IV. The Gospel of John. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2015. Kindle.
2. Schneiders, Sandra M. Jesus Risen in Our Midst: Essays on the Resurrection of Jesus in the Fourth Gospel. Collegeville, Minnesota: Liturgical Press, 2013. Kindle.
3. Tetlow, Joseph A. SJ and Carol Atwell Ackels. Finding Christ in the World: A Twelve Week Ignatian Retreat in Everyday Life. Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts: The Institute of Jesuit Sources, 2017.
4. Williamson, Peter S. Ephesians. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2009. Kindle.

Catechism References http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm:
1. God wants to give man eternal life: 55
2. Faith as a grace: 153
3. Christ as Savior: 389, 457-58, 846, 1019, 1507
4. God takes the initiative to love us: 604-5
5. Christ the Lord of eternal life: 679
6. Name of the Holy Spirit: 691
7. Israel’s exile foreshadowed the Passion: 710
8. Baptism: 1214-16
9. Baptism makes us a new creature: 1265-66
10. Necessity of works: 1815
11. Divinization: 1988, 1996
12. Graces and charisms: 2003
13. All our merit from Christ: 2006-11
14. Seated with Christ in the heavens, 2796

Fourth Sunday of Lent https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/031421-YearB.cfm
Year B
Lectionary: 32

Reading 1
2 Chronicles 36:14-16, 19-23
In those days, all the princes of Judah, the priests, and the people
added infidelity to infidelity,
practicing all the abominations of the nations
and polluting the LORD’s temple
which he had consecrated in Jerusalem.

Early and often did the LORD, the God of their fathers,
send his messengers to them,
for he had compassion on his people and his dwelling place.
But they mocked the messengers of God,
despised his warnings, and scoffed at his prophets,
until the anger of the LORD against his people was so inflamed
that there was no remedy.
Their enemies burnt the house of God,
tore down the walls of Jerusalem,
set all its palaces afire,
and destroyed all its precious objects.
Those who escaped the sword were carried captive to Babylon,
where they became servants of the king of the Chaldeans and his sons
until the kingdom of the Persians came to power.
All this was to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah:
“Until the land has retrieved its lost sabbaths,
during all the time it lies waste it shall have rest
while seventy years are fulfilled.”

In the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia,
in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah,
the LORD inspired King Cyrus of Persia
to issue this proclamation throughout his kingdom,
both by word of mouth and in writing:
“Thus says Cyrus, king of Persia:
All the kingdoms of the earth
the LORD, the God of heaven, has given to me,
and he has also charged me to build him a house
in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.
Whoever, therefore, among you belongs to any part of his people,
let him go up, and may his God be with him!”

Responsorial
Psalm 137:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6
R. (6ab) Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!
By the streams of Babylon
we sat and wept
when we remembered Zion.
On the aspens of that land
we hung up our harps.
R. Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!
For there our captors asked of us
the lyrics of our songs,
And our despoilers urged us to be joyous:
“Sing for us the songs of Zion!”
R. Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!
How could we sing a song of the LORD
in a foreign land?
If I forget you, Jerusalem,
may my right hand be forgotten!
R. Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!
May my tongue cleave to my palate
if I remember you not,
If I place not Jerusalem
ahead of my joy.
R. Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!

Reading 2
Ephesians 2:4-10
Brothers and sisters:
God, who is rich in mercy,
because of the great love he had for us,
even when we were dead in our transgressions,
brought us to life with Christ — by grace you have been saved —,
raised us up with him,
and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus,
that in the ages to come
He might show the immeasurable riches of his grace
in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
For by grace you have been saved through faith,
and this is not from you; it is the gift of God;
it is not from works, so no one may boast.
For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works
that God has prepared in advance,
that we should live in them

Verse Before the Gospel
John 3:16
God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
so everyone who believes in him might have eternal life.

Gospel
John 3:14-21
Jesus said to Nicodemus:
“Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert,
so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”

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.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him.
Whoever believes in him will not be condemned,
but whoever does not believe has already been condemned,
because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
And this is the verdict,
that the light came into the world,
but people preferred darkness to light,
because their works were evil.
For everyone who does wicked things hates the light
and does not come toward the light,
so that his works might not be exposed.
But whoever lives the truth comes to the light,
so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.

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First Sunday of Lent 2019

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First Sunday of Lent 2019

First Reading: Deuteronomy 26:4-10
Psalm: Psalm 91:1-2, 10-15
Second Reading: Romans 10:8-13
Gospel: Luke 4:1-13

“…I saw two roads. One was broad, covered with sand and flowers, full of joy, music and all sorts of pleasures. People were walking along it, dancing and enjoying themselves. They reached the end without realizing it. And at the end of the road there was a horrible precipice; that is, the abyss of hell. The souls fell blindly into it; as they walked, so they fell. And their number was so great that it was impossible to count them. And I saw the other road, or rather, a path, for it was narrow and strewn with thorns and rocks; and the people who walked along it had tears in their eyes, and all kinds of suffering befell them. Some fell down upon the rocks, but stood up immediately and went on. At the end of the road there was a magnificent garden filled with all sorts of happiness and all these souls entered there. At the very first instant they forgot all their sufferings,” (Diary, 153).<1>

That’s an excerpt of the work of Faustina Kowalska, a holy woman who received amazing visions during her lifetime both at Vilnius and in Cracow in the 1930s. The work is called the Diary of St. Faustina. This particular vision is troubling, but it fits so well with our readings for the First Sunday of Lent. Let’s start with Paul.

St. Paul says, “…for, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved,” (Rom 10:X). Is that all there is to it?

But wait, doesn’t Scripture also tell us that the devil believes that Jesus is the “son of the Most high God,” (Luke 8:28)?

And doesn’t Jesus warn us in Scripture, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven,” (Matthew 7:21)?

What are we to make of all of this? Like Faustina’s vision suggests, there are many who confess Jesus as Lord and believe they are saved, but they are on the wrong path. But how can this be? How is it possible that someone who has been saved can fall from grace into the waiting hands of the devil? One word: temptation.

In today’s Gospel, the devil tempts Jesus. So this is a good time to reflect on the ways we might be tempted by the devil, tempted to, perhaps inadvertently, abandon Jesus. Is it bad to be tempted? No. Temptation makes us stronger if we can recognize the temptation and like Jesus if we can send the devil packing.

How does all this work? Well to answer that, we need to go back to the beginning.

In Genesis, the serpent speaks to the first humans. If you put yourself in that story, you can almost hear that serpent say, “Good? You’re not good! You’re human. Look at yourselves! You’re filthy! If you want to be good, then you need to be like God and if you want to be God, then you need to eat the fruit of this tree.”<2>

Do you see the subtly? Jewish scholars suggest that evil doesn’t enter the world with the original sin, but rather with the first temptation. And what was the first temptation? Doubting the goodness of God’s creation. Doubting that we’re good enough or perhaps believing that we deserve better.

That’s a message we hear all the time, isn’t it? You’re not good enough, or you deserve more. Advertisers tell us you can never be happy until you have this new gadget, or that new vitamin, or that new elective procedure that will have you looking great. Or you deserve that new gadget or special pampering or that elective procedure.

But there’s another dimension to temptation.

I think we all have examples in our lives, either personally or through people we know or people we see in shows, who insist they deserve so much more than they have. So, they set unachievable standards for the people in their lives, like their spouses or their children, and when they can’t achieve it, they bully them. They’ll say something like, “This wasn’t my dream!” Or perhaps they’ll say, “You promised me more!” Or maybe they’ll say, “Why can’t you be like so-and-so?”

The person who indulges this kind of temptation holds becomes consumed by all sorts of resentment and anger and hurt and it transforms into a kind of venom that they spew whenever they can. But this venom affects them too. It can physically affect them causing all sorts of illnesses or deep psychological problems.

But here’s the kicker. That person might very well be the sort of person who goes to church, who will jump up and down with their hands raised to heaven and yell, “Jesus is Lord!”

But how can we meet Jesus if we’re filled with such anger and resentments? Jesus doesn’t say, treat those around you cruelly because you were made for more. No! He says, “This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another,” (John 13:35) – love, not hatred or resentment or anger or jealousy. Love is the path of the disciple.

Lent is a time when we try to grow in holiness. That’s what the spiritual exercises of prayer, fasting and almsgiving are all about. Prayer, fasting and almsgiving should lead us to simplification and purification. Our spiritual exercises should help us remember that God, not myself – not my ego, is the center of my reality.

So, we need to confront and conquer temptations as Jesus did. You see, our temptations often show us areas in our lives where we have the opportunity to grow in love. Failure is not bad. Failure teaches us wisdom. But that only works if we are aware, so we need to take the time to see them for what they are. This isn’t a time to beat ourselves up nor is it a time to strive for some kind of holier-than-though perfection. But we need to take time so that we can recognize the temptations and deal with them. And that leads us to our homework today.

Homework!

Today try an examination of conscience. Take just five minutes before bed to reflect on your day. Here are some east steps to follow. First, ask the Holy Spirit for help. Second, reflect back on your day, remembering moments of grace and moments of sin. Third, thank God for His blessings. Fourth, say a penitential prayer, that is to say, say a prayer asking for forgiveness, like an Act of Contrition. And finally make a resolution to live with a greater openness to God tomorrow. Doing an examination of conscience helps us be more mindful of our temptations and trials and that can truly lead us deeper into the arms of our Father.

If you still haven’t found something to do this Lent, perhaps you could try an examination of conscience every night.

Do you got? Are you going to try it? Please do! May each of us come to know the mercy and love of Jesus Christ. May Almighty God bless you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. +Amen!

Notes
<1> Faustina. Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska: Divine Mercy in My Soul. Stockbridge, MA: Marian Press, 2014, 153.
<2> Himes, Michael J. The Mystery of Faith: An Introduction to Catholicism. Cincinnati, OH: St. Anthony Messenger Press, 2004, LOC 348.

Act of Contrition

O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins because of Thy just punishments, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, Who art all-good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasions of sin.

OR

My God, I am sorry for my sins with all my heart. In choosing to do wrong and failing to do good, I have sinned against you whom I should love above all things. I firmly intend, with your help, to do penance, to sin no more, and to avoid whatever leads me to sin. Our Savior Jesus Christ suffered and died for us. In his name, my God, have mercy.

OR

O my God, I am sorry for my sins because I have offended you. I know I should love you above all things. Help me to do penance, to do better, and to avoid anything that might lead me to sin. Amen.

OR

I confess to almighty God, and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have sinned through my own fault, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done, and in what I have failed to do; and I ask blessed Mary, ever virgin, all the angels and saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God.

Picture: Christ in the Wilderness by Ivan Kramskoy, Google Cultural Institute. COPYRIGHT FREE. The author died in 1887, so this work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author’s life plus 100 years or less. This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1924.