Don't Tempt Me

Hi Friends,

This First Sunday of Lent shows us Jesus fighting off the temptations of the Devil by turning to the help of God. His temptations were real and strong just like ours. But He was able to overcome their lure by His trust in His Father.
Before He was tempted Jesus had just spent forty days in prayer and fasting. As we begin our Lenten journey of prayer and fasting let’s get serious about fighting the sin and temptation that we face. The best way to do that is by practicing some penance. Practicing penance not only helps us stop sinful and unhealthy behaviors, it also helps us involve God in fighting off the temptation to sin, and it helps us establish virtuous and healthy habits to replace what was sinful. The following is an article concerning penance from Creighton University’s Online Ministries Lenten Website. I hope you find it helpful.

Practicing Penance

When I sprain my ankle, part of the healing process will involve physical therapy. It's tender, and perhaps it is swollen. It may be important to put ice on it first, to reduce the inflammation. I may want to wrap it an elevate it and stay off of it. Then I will need to start moving it and then walking on it, and eventually, as the injury is healed, I'll want to start exercising it, so that it will be stronger than it was before, so that I won't as easily injure it again.

Penance is a remedy, a medicine, a spiritual therapy for the healing I desire. The Lord always forgives us. We are forgiven without condition. But complete healing takes time. With serious sin or with bad habits we've invested years in forming, we need to develop a therapeutic care plan to let the healing happen. To say "I'm sorry" or to simply make a "resolution" to change a long established pattern, will have the same bad result as wishing a sprained ankle would heal, while still walking on it.

Lent is a wonderful time to name what sinful, unhealthy, self-centered patterns need changing and to act against them by coming up with a strategy. For example, if the Lord is shining a light into the darkness of a bad pattern in my life, I can choose to "stop doing it." But, I have to work on a "change of heart" and to look concretely at what circumstances, attitudes, and other behaviors contribute to the pattern. If I'm self-indulgent with food, sex, attention-seeking behaviors and don't ask "what's missing for me, that I need to fill it with this?" then simply choosing to stop the pattern won't last long. Lasting healing needs the practice of penance.

Peace and Blessings,
Fr. Chuck