1st Sunday of Lent (A)

(Edited) Sunday Reflections: (From:) Liturgical years 2014 (A), 2015 (B), and 2016 (C)

March 9, 2014
Liturgical readings
Genesis 2:7-9, 3:1-7
Psalm 51
Romans 5:12-19
Matthew 4:1-11

"Jesus was led into the desert by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil."

Reading the text more closely, one can see how the devil uses three things to tempt Christ - and one after the other. In the second temptation, the devil uses Scripture to match Jesus' knowledge of God's Word. Christ however was consistent in all His defense since the beginning. He never wavered from His pure trust in God's Word. Jesus was so firmly anchored on the Truth, quoting from a pure objective: for the purpose of God's Kingdom.

One of the greatest minds in Catholic tradition, St. Augustine of Hippo, knew by experience what temptation to sin is. He gives this deep reflection on the gospel story of Jesus'temptation by the devil in the desert:

'If in Christ we have been tempted, in Him we overcome the devil...
Jesus could have kept the devil from Himself, but if He were not
tempted He could not teach us how to triumph over temptation' .

St. Augustine teaches a practical path to ward off evil: to seek Christ in our soul and to be firmly anchored and rooted in Christ. Only in Jesus can we overcome temptations. Although we may not be victorious over evil every time (as spiritual falls are always a reality), we know that with humility and rising again, Christ will be there for us.

Temptation is part of the daily struggle in Christian life. It enters our life whether we are rich or poor, honored or in disgrace, young or old, and healthy or sick. St. Francis de Sales, another great teacher in Catholic tradition, has this to say for people of all walks of life:

"so long as your will refuses its consent - not only to the temptation,
but to the pleasure which flows from it - God is not offended."

We do not sin if we resist the temptation at its beginnings - even if it troubles us, gives us anxieties, makes us uncertain, or finds us weak. It is in Jesus that we are encouraged, and are able to overcome temptations in life. The more we have Jesus in our mind and heart, and the more we are fed by His Word and Sacrament, we will be equipped to overcome any temptation.

Scripture quotes for reflection:
The Lord God formed man out of the clay of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life (Genesis 2)
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt and of my sin cleanse me (Psalm 51)
Just as through one man's disobedience all became sinners, so through one man's obedience all shall become just (Romans 5)
At that the devil left Jesus, and angels came and waited on him (Matthew 4)

Saints Behaving Badly

"Saints Behaving Badly" by Thomas J. Craughwell

Introduction:

"Saints Behaving Badly" is a book that presents in contemporary writing style the lives of sinners-turned-saints. If the traditional manner of narrating their lives included popular legends and pious stories, the book's presentation includes background information from social and historical sources. It is these socio-historical references that contemporary readers will discover the human side of each saint. In some, there is even a spirit of light humour. The author of the book, however, does not downplay the traditional stories surrounding the saint's life; he situates them according to the actual context of past Catholic culture, with concrete references to the country of origin of each saint.

The book narrates the lives of 28 saints, who even with their initial "bad behavior", were able to change their sinful ways, and lead very holy lives until the last remaining years of their life. These stories can inspire and encourage anybody interested. And the message by author Craughwell is simple: "there's hope for all of us".

A sample of 28 sinners-turned-saints

In the author's sample list, he did not include St. Mary Magdalene - the woman from whom Jesus exorcised seven devils. Because the author uses modern tools in interpreting Scripture, and also employs historical methods of analysis, he explains how tradition sees St. Mary Magdalene as a prostitute, and how modern tools of interpreting scripture presently reveal that she is not. It is this way of presenting the lives of the saints that the author opens our eyes to new ways of seeing the saints: both in their holy and human sides - yet keeping a balance, so that as a whole, their life is viewed as a witness to God's life-changing power.


As one follows the list given by the author and the "sin title" next to each saint, one may be surprised to learn that many of these saints started as cutthroats, crooks, trollops, con men, and devil worshippers. Beginning in the front flap of the book cover, the author mentions three of these gallery of sinners-turned-saints: St. Olga, who unleashed a bloodbath on her husband's assassins; St. Mary of Egypt, who walked the streets looking for new sexual conquests; and St. Thomas Becket, who despite being rich, refused to give his cloak to a man freezing to death in the street.

Saints featured in "Saints Behaving Badly"

• St. Matthew, Extortionist


• St. Dismas, Thief


• St. Callixtus, Embezzler


• St. Hippolytus, Antipope


• St. Christopher, Servant of the Devil


• St. Pelagia, Promiscuous Actress


• St. Genesius, Scoffer


• St. Moses the Ethiopian, Cutthroat and Gang Leader


• St. Fabiola, Bigamist


• St. Augustine, Heretic and Playboy


• St. Alipius, Obsessed with BloodSports


• St. Patrick, Worshipper of False Gods


• St. Mary of Egypt, Seductress


• St. Columba, Warmonger


• St. Olga, Mass Murderer


• St. Vladimir, Fratricide, Rapist and Practitioner of Human Sacrifice


• St. Olaf, Viking


• St. Thomas Becket, Hedonist


• St. Francis of Assisi, Wastrel


• Blessed Giles of Portugal, Satanist


• St. Margaret of Cortona, Rich Man's Mistress


• Blessed Angela of Foligno, Gossip and Hedonist


• St. Ignatius of Loyola, Egotist


• St. John of God, Gambler and Drunkard


• St. Camillus de Lellis, Cardsharp and Con Man


• St. Philip Howard, Cynic and Negligent Husband


• St. Peter Claver, Dithering Novice


• Venerable Matt Talbot, Chronic Alcoholic

Summary:

This book will give us new eyes to see that not all saints started right and ended right. Although saints like Catherine of Siena, Dominic Savio, and Bernadette Soubirous were already filled with God's spirit early in life, other saints started either worldly lives or as sinners like the 28 lives in this book's pages. The 28 true stories in this book help us realize that the call to follow Christ is made to every man and woman and to every situation in life - even to one who has trodden a sinful journey. And the 28 lives featured in these pages tell us of a God whose mercy and compassion can powerfully change lives of sin, to lives of holiness, that can influence many to follow, as they chose to follow Christ. If you by chance to get a copy of the book, you not only enjoy, because of many humorously written passages, but you really get inspired!

Three Degrees of Knowledge According to St. Isaac the Syrian

Introduction

The "In Search of True Wisdom" speaks of a character named Father Panteleimon. Father Panteleimon spoke of three degrees of knowledge according to the teaching of St. Isaac the Syrian. The three degrees of knowledge lead to growth in divine knowledge of God according to the Orthodox tradition.

Profane knowledge

The first degree of knowledge is called profane knowledge. This knowledge is obtained in a university degree - in the arts or the sciences. This knowledge is basic and important because it is necessary for communicating with one another in society - to work together and build families, homes, businesses and industries.

Knowledge acquired through prayer

The second degree is knowledge acquired through prayer, watching, fasting, studying the Sacred Scriptures, and learning from the Fathers of the Church. This knowledge awakens in man a greater desire for things spiritual. This second degree involves a greater sense of detachment from the world and its familiar activities.

Theoria

The third degree of knowledge is what St. Isaac the Syrian calls theoria
. Theoria is divinely infused knowledge - an experiential connatural love-knowledge that only God can give. This third degree of knowledge is a gift from God which can be received through "a glimpse", a "spiritual taste". Usually, it is known during a prolonged retreat.