Dear Parishioners,

This week, we are kicking off the Annual Catholic Appeal. So, in lieu of a homily, I would like to take a moment to reflect on what Our Lord’s temptation in the desert teaches us about temptation in general. Temptation is an incitement to sin. It is not the same thing as sin because even if we have a desire to do something wrong, God grants us a free will to choose what is right. What is right may be difficult to discern or hard to do. So, that is why we need the grace of God to overcome temptation. Through His grace, we are able to discern right from wrong and to practice saying yes to what is good.

How do we know right from wrong? This can be a tricky process since often we bend our intellect to what we desire to be true, rather than to change what we desire to correspond to what we know is right. If we are deeply ingrained with our sins, it is like dragging ourselves out of quicksand. That’s why we need our Lord Jesus. We can look at His life and the life of the saints (who are the people who followed Him most closely) and see the type of life we should be leading. We can look at the teachings of the Church on Christian morality and see where we have fallen short. We can even ask simple questions like does this or that action draw us closer to God or help us love our neighbor, or does it do the opposite?

And, knowing something and doing something are two different things. We can know something is wrong but still find ourselves doing it especially if we have bad habits. If we find ourselves in this situation, the first thing one ought to do is go to regular confession, as much as necessary. In confession, we not only receive forgiveness of our sins but grace to resist sin in the future. Sinning hurts our ability to choose what is right, but the grace of God helps to heal our will. Secondly, remove yourself from situations and people that cause you to sin. These are known as near occasions of sin and you are better without them. Lastly, learn to pray to God. By realizing God is present and that He loves you, you begin to see the world as it actually is: a gift of God to delight in, not to abuse.

Over time, our wills then become stronger and we begin to detest the sinful things we used to enjoy. This is how the grace of God turns even the worse sinners into the greatest saints.

God bless!

Fr. Carter