The Hour of Temptation

     “Lead us not into temptation. . . We ought to offer this prayer very seriously. Our Lord knew what it was to be tempted and what bitter struggles temptation may entail. Who can be sure of himself? When things are going well we let these words pass over us negligently, thinking very little about them as if they really did not apply to us at all. And then all of a sudden the sky becomes overcast -- a storm arises, and with the wind blowing from all directions at once, we do not know which way to turn.
      Take this journey of mine up the perilous face of my cliff. How many hours of weakness and despair have had to be endured in making that climb, hours of sheer helplessness, of doubt, not knowing which was the best course. How is it that conditions suddenly get distorted, their balance disturbed and their threads twisted and entangled, producing a pattern far from our intention and quite beyond our power to unravel?
     No one can escape the hour of temptation. It is only in that hour that we begin to sense our weakness and have a faint inkling of the vital decisions we are expected to make. If only I can manage to keep a hold on this perilous perch and not faint and let go.
     I have committed my soul to God and I rely on the help of my friends.”                                                                                                                               Father Alfred Delp, S.J.


     Oh the wisdom of Father Delp’s words! How often the phrase, “lead us not into temptation,” passes mindlessly through our lips. We have become so adept to praying the “Our Father” that the words have lost the meaning that Jesus intended. Christ was very deliberate in composing this prayer and did not haphazardly add this phrase without the knowledge of our need.

His Gaze of Mercy

     While I don’t really experience a lot of physical suffering, I was being plagued by interior suffering, and I was not faring well! Interiorly, I felt as if I were experiencing labor and could not handle it. I wanted to scream! I wanted to shout! I wanted to give birth without all the pain that goes along with it. I tried to unite my suffering with Jesus,’ but that did not seem to make a difference. I was struggling within myself between what I felt like doing or saying, compared with how I knew I should act. The duplicity in my heart made me feel like a hypocrite. I knew I was in need of supernatural help, so off I went to Confession.

Head in the Right Direction

     “My food is to do the will of the One who sent Me and to finish His work.”                                                             John 4 vs 34


     God has given to each of us work to accomplish. Work which reveals itself to us as each day of our life unfolds. Our work is not a single task but a continuum of tasks we accomplish one after another.

     Following God’s commandments, as well as the teachings of the Catholic Church, helps us in navigating the road to His will. Fulfilling the duties of our state in life, to the best of our ability, will keep us heading in the right direction.

Listen and Respond

     “Even though we know that God’s will and commandments apply to everyone, we do not always have the strength to fulfill them. Now, every time we respond faithfully to a motion of the Spirit, out of desire to be docile to what God expects of us, even if it’s something almost insignificant in itself, that may make us capable of one day practicing the commandments that up until then we had not been capable of fulfilling entirely.”                        Fr. Jacques Phillipe


     There is a very good chance that since you are reading this blog, you are striving to grow in your relationship with God. You are trying to grow in grace, holiness and virtue. You are looking deep within yourself, to discover your weaknesses and imperfections. You long so much to change, to please God in all that you do.

Recognize the Gift -- Accept It

     I don’t know about you, but when it comes to the spiritual life, I tend to be a slow learner. But I am blessed to have a “Papa” who loves me unconditionally and is so very patient. He has an image of the woman He has called me to be from all eternity, and realizes that I am a “work in progress.” God usually teaches me a lesson and then uses the events of my life so I can practice each of them – again and again and again – until I finally “get it!” Such was the case this past Advent and Christmas season.

Christ Visible

     “If we approach with faith, we too will see Jesus . . . for the Eucharistic table takes the place of the crib. Here the Body of the Lord is present, wrapped not in swaddling clothes but in the rays of the Holy Spirit.”                                                            St. John Chrysostom


     During the Christmas holidays, our churches look so beautiful with lighted trees, rich altar tapestries, and of course, the stable where baby Jesus lies in the manger. As we sing, “O come let us adore Him,” I am sure many of us would have loved to have been present to experience the birth of Our Lord long ago. If, by some great miracle, God was humanly present in our churches, on a particular day at a particular time, I feel certain we would do whatever was necessary to be there – just to gaze upon our sweet little Jesus.

And the Word Became Flesh

     “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God, all things came to be through Him, and without Him nothing came to be. And the Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. He was in the world and the world came to be through Him, but the world did not know Him. He came to what was His own, but His own people did not accept Him.  (Jn 1 vs 1-5, 14, 10-11).


     When Joseph and Mary arrived in Bethlehem, it became clear that the Babe in her womb, the Word of God, was to be born. The town was teeming with others who had come to register in the City of David. Every place Joseph turned for shelter, they found rejection. The inns were all filled! They turned them away and sent them off. It was not their problem. Let somebody else help them.