Dear Parishioners,

Once again we find ourselves in this holy season of Lent. Easter is so profound that we cannot merely get there and see the depth of its truth and beauty. In a time of crisis, will I remain true to my principles, no matter the cost? The first and third readings on this Lenten Sunday pose this challenging question.

The selection from Deuteronomy is a presentation prayer. Recalled are the experiences of slavery in Egypt and of victory in the Promised Land where the Israelites settled down to farming. The prayer was recited as the first fruits of the harvest were offered. The reading urges the Israelites to preserve their values and principles against the false gods of the Canaanites who also inhabited the land.

Luke shows how Jesus succeeds in his desert experience, in contrast to Israel. Jesus would not be bought off by Satan's offer of political power in the second temptation. Jesus' ultimate victory against evil will come in the passion (see Luke 22:53).

Temptation is real in our human experience. Our free will means a choice between selling out or remaining true. We also have a choice of roles, to be the tempter or the spirit-giver! (Thanks to Fr. Graven for the above).

It may seem that temptation is so powerful, so all pervasive that we cannot survive. If we place ourselves in serious occasions of sin, we may not be able to survive and thus sucomb to sin. Blessed Julian of Norwich writes, "He did not say: You will not be assailed, you will not be belabored, you will not be disquieted, but he said: You will not be overcome."

God will give us great grace to overcome any evil before us. If your spouse is unfaithful, God will place into your heart the love, courage, wisdom, patience, kindness, etc. necessary to remain faithful yourself, and not succumb to bitterness and anger. If your children are on drugs, God will give you strength, peace of heart, right judgment, etc. to struggle through the heartache and pain. If you have children with special needs God will fill your heart with a love closely akin to His own, namely loving and serving without reward.

Whatever the temptation, God will not abandon you. He will stand by you, with you, above you, around you, behind you; suffer any kind of insult or injury to an even deeper degree than you; lay down His life for you in order that you might overcome the evil before you.

We can experience the freedom Jesus experienced by doing just what He did - not living on or in our senses, seeking power, or avoiding responsibility for our lives - but by living in sacificial love. Love that is more concerned about others than myself. Love that looks out for the other before it looks out for me. Love that can see goodness in ohers even when they make it difficult. Love that forgives and lays aside the angers and hurt. Love that works for justice in relationships and in the larger community. In other words, the kind of love that is God. God is Love as St. John writes.

This is not the easiest kind of love. It is the most difficult, but also the most rewarding. It is ultimately Good Friday love, that opens the door to Easter Sunday love. We cannot have one without the other.