Shiny Juicy Temptation

~~~2 Corinthians 11:1-11 ~~~ Psalm 111 ~~~ Matthew 6:7-15

This morning this phrase was highlighted in the homily.

Paul is speaking to the people of Corinth.

He begins by reflecting on the garden where 

Eve was tempted and ultimately succumbed to disobedience.

Her initial pure intentions became corrupted.

The shiny juicy temptation won over her commitment to God.

...from a sincere and pure commitment to Christ.

The question I ask myself is,

How can we protect ourselves from taking the 'apple'?

When does the temptation become greater

 than our sincere commitment?

How can we renew and affirm our commitment?

We can start now to renew

our sincere and pure commitment to what 

has been freely given to us.

Sincerity...

freedom from deceit, hypocrisy, or duplicity.

Our thoughts and our words must both

 mirror our sincerity.

 Our words and our actions must be pure.

Eve ended up playing a game with herself...

she did not believe that one simple action would 

damage her commitment.

Perhaps she was not sincere to her own heart.

Years ago I remember being taught to close a letter with...

Sincerely yours...then the signature.

You were committing

 to the words you had written.

But I am afraid that...

your thoughts may be corrupted...

No one can control your thoughts.

Scriptures can nourish our true commitment to love.

Without love our thoughts, words, and actions

can hardly reveal sincerity.

Protect your thoughts with love.

That is our best defense.

No temptation is worth giving up your 

sincere and pure commitment to Christ

no matter how shiny and juicy.

Be strong!

~~~Peace~~~

Self Banishment

~~~ First Sunday of Lent ~~~

~~Genesis 2:7-9; 3:1-7~~Psalm 51~~Romans 5:12-19~~Matthew 4:1-11~~

Cast me not out from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me.

Adam and Eve ate of the tree of good and evil...the tree of knowledge...
after being tempted by the serpent.
The knowledge they gained was that they were naked.
Before their transgression their natural bodies were not an issue for them.
They were exactly as God had created them to be...
perfect in every way.

Once they had gained knowledge from the fruit of the tree they
banished themselves from the presence of God.
They hid and covered themselves with the largest
leaves they could find...

When we sin it is not God that casts us out
we remove ourselves from his presence.
The magnificence of God is such that sin makes
us repulsive to ourselves.
God, on the other hand, is always more than willing
 for us to repent and return to his gaze.

When we turn away from sin and return to God it is just
as wonderful as when the Prodigal Son returned to his earthly father.

It is very early in our Lenten time of repentance and mercy.
We repent and God forgives in his infinite mercy.

I invite you to use this Lent to examine what you are hiding from God.

Of course we know that we can hide nothing from him,
but still we look for somewhere to hide our face.

We are blessed to have a Creator God who forgives all
of our indiscretions.
Peace.