We must possess the virtue of excellence of character. That is, we must possess the virtue of humility rather than the sin of pride. We should not be arrogant with the attitude that we deserve to be in heaven because we are better than the next person. We should not look at ourselves as good, and then find fault in our neighbor. The vice of pride is the root of all sin. We go to confession to be accused not excused. Therefore, when you go to confession, do not make excuses or attempt to lessen or justify what you have done. Admit your sin. When we became discouraged by our sin, it is a matter of pride. We should love the God of consolation rather than the consolation of God.

God’s chosen people were the Hebrews. Jesus chose another people, us. God commands us to do certain things because of the agreement/covenant He entered into with us. But that agreement is better with Jesus. Jesus expanded on the commands. Rather than thou shall not kill, Jesus said, thou shall not get angry. We are His special people provided we do what He commands.

Mary was a unique person. Born without sin, she observed all the commands of God with all her heart and soul. Mary did not get angry when her Son was crucified, but rather she prayed for her Son’s murderers. We must be the example of Mary.

To hear the voice of God we need to be open to the Holy Spirit. To be sacred in the Lord, we must be truthful. Today the world is a world of lies.

We hear about our agreement with God at every mass. We must tell everybody of the covenant we have with God.

Lent and Temptation.

The number 40 is used biblically several times. Moses fasted 40 days, Jesus was tempted for 40 days in the desert, Elijah was 40 days in the wilderness and the Israelites were in the desert 40 years before being freed. Just like the Israelites had manna from heaven to sustain them in the desert, so today we have the true bread from heaven to sustain us through our journey through life. During these 49 days of lent we should listen more intently to the word of God. Pope John Paul II says: "The church urges us to go with Jesus into the desert to feel the closeness of God in prayer and fasting, learning from Him the secret of victory over evil, if in fact it is only through an authentic journey of inner purification that it is possible to have a true expression of Easter to rise again with the Lord to do right."

We die to come to a new life. Through the cross, we come to the resurrection. As our Lord said: He who would save his life will lose it, or he who would lose his life for My sake will find it. It is in dying that we come to a new life. As we grow in grace we begin to understand that more and more. Because of the things that we have gone through, we have a greater understanding of the trials of others. God brings good out of all things for those who love and trust in Him. Our trust is being increased.

God loves us so much that He does not let us become less than we are capable of being. He calls us to be more. He calls us to grow and mature in our faith. A parent does not want a child to waste his life. God more so wants us to reach our full potential, a life with grace.

Temptation

As Eve took the apple from the tree and ate it, it was not what she thought it was going to be. It brought death. Temptation is a lie. The Devil is a liar and a murderer.

We can be enjoying the pleasure of the sin, but then we receive an inspiration, a signal, to stop, to repent, change your ways, and we can refuse to hear the advice, and if we continue to ignore the inspirations we receive and keep going our way, then we might endure a punishment. The punishment is not one because of hatred, but it is given to call one into repentance.

Sin does have consequences. Suffering is there so that we do repent. He loves us so much, He wants us all to be what we were made to be.

Jesus showed us that it is possible to overcome temptation. St. Paul says, where there is temptation, the Lord gives us a way out. This gives us an opportunity to grow in fidelity to God. Every time we say "no" to temptation, we say "yes" to God. Sin is a consent to temptation. Give the devil and "inch" and he will be your "ruler."

Seven Capital sins:

• Pride - making ourselves the supreme ruler. If tempted to pride, make an act of humility.
• Avarice - putting money, profit above people. Instead be generous.

• Envy - we want to be the top dog. Instead practice brotherly love.
• Wrath - unnecessary anger. Justified anger is not a sin. Wrath is going beyond what is necessary. Instead be meek.
• Lust - we are surrounded by the world which leads us to events of lust. Be chaste in mind, thought and body.
• Gluttony - do we live to eat or do we eat to live. During lent, make sacrifices - moderation in eating and drinking. Be temperate.
• Sloth - are not diligent in what we are doing. Be diligent.

Two types of temptation:

• External - those of which we become aware, but not sensibly drawn to them.
• Internal - those that we are drawn to - desire urging you on to do something sinful.

• Negative - withhold consent, but we don’t do anything more.
• Positive - we resist but we also do something positive such as offer prayer for the temptation, to remove the temptation and an act of thanksgiving to God.

Sources of Temptation:

• Satan - confront this enemy - he is nothing and he can be overcome.
• World and its values - not all, but many things in the world entice us to sin.
• Our own fallen nature- original sin.

Our Lady’s message at LaSalette was the foundation for the rest of her messages. The message of LaSalette was read by Darrell.

Two things which made the arm of Jesus heavy at that time were: labor on Sunday and swearing by using Jesus’ name.

Four ifs in the message:

• If my people will not submit, I shall be forced to let fall the arm of my Son;
• If the harvest is spoiled, it is all on your account;
• If you have wheat, it is no good to sow it; and
• If they are converted, the stones and rocks will change into mounds of wheat and the potatoes will be self-sown in the land.

Mary as the good mother is trying to put the house in order before the Father gets home.

Jesus is the same, yesterday, today and forever. Jesus healed when he walked the earth and he continues to heal today. Jesus wants to share that healing power with us. Jesus demonstrated to the disciples that he has power over (1) nature, quieted the stormy sea, (2) the devil or evil spirits, when the evil spirits were driven into the pigs, and (3) sin, pick up your mat and walk.

Father Ray related a story of a family for whom he personally prayed for several members, and they were healed. Because of your faith you are healed. Must have faith to be healed, however, if the ill person does not have faith, the faith of others will help. We can heal by bringing people to Jesus. Prayer will heal, though not all of the time. It is only if God wills it. Go to Jesus in faith and prayer and ask for healing.

SATURDAY NIGHT BIBLE STUDY - FR. RAY BOURQUE

 Tonight we study Lenten Penance. Pre-Vatican II those who did not have to fast were: soldiers, pregnant women, laborers, students, travelers, and several other groups. The point is that a lot of people did not have to fast. There was abstinence on Fridays, which meant no meat on those days. Either people feasted on seafood such as lobster or eating fish on Friday was not a sacrifice But Jesus said, unless you do penance you will perish. This is divine law, a God made law. Penance is here to stay. 

We observe abstinence on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday and all Fridays of Lent. Anyone from the age of 14 years to death must abstain. Fasting, however, is eating less, and in the United States it applies to all 18 years or older to age 60. Parents of younger children should educate their children to do penance of some type since they need not fast.

Pope Paul VI changed the system of penance. In some countries where meat was only available to some of the people on Fridays, it did not make sense to prohibit them from eating meat on Friday. Also, in poorer countries where people did not have enough to eat to begin with, it made no sense to call for eating less as a penance. Therefore, we needed a new system.

John the Baptist preached repent; Jesus preached repent; Paul preached repent. Repent means to reform your lives and turn to God. Repent is divine law. Do penance or go to hell. We are in the world, but the world is in bad shape. The more the world is in bad shape, the more we need to do. There are links which bind us to Christ and his actions. All people are called to participate in the work of Christ. We need to help to pay for sins.

We need continuous conversion and renewal. Conversion means an about face. Convert from sinful acts, do an about face. The RENEWAL BIG FOUR are to renew: 1) Interiorally, 2) Individually, 3) Externally and 4) Socially. We must also show people how to use earthly goods. Our job-we are supposed to consecrate the world, make the world sacred.

Non-christian groups do penance. Penance is important with many other peoples other than Catholics. In the Old Testament we see penance: 1) after sinning, 2) when they had bad big problems, 3) to avoid some danger and 4) seeking a favor. Penance needs to be tied in with conversion. The aim of penance is more love of God. God must be No. 1 on your life. Ten days of Lent have already gone by, have you changed anything? Forty days in Bible means change. Conversion is detachment from sin and striving to God. What do you need detachment from? After confession God has forgiven you, but you must make up with the person you sinned against. Lent is the make-up time - chastise our own soul, humble ourselves, turn our face toward God, dispose ourselves better with prayer, prepare ourselves to meet Jesus, that is Lent.

People did penance before the times of Christ. Moses fasted for 40 days. Be ready to turn in your account of your life to Jesus when he comes. We need to be like Jesus. We need to be configured - need to take the figure of Jesus - make sacrifices. We need to be crucified through penance. Lent is preparing us for the death and resurrection of Christ. We are restored from sin by confession and penance. The year 2000 has to be a year of penance says Pope John Paul II.

When we sin we hurt the church and offend God. Penance given to us by a priest after confession is tied in with the infinite reparation of Jesus on the cross. It is urgent we do penance. The new system of fast and abstinence suggests to us to find new ways of penance. Penance is time of liberation so that we can become the way God wanted us to be. We do not do penance to show off.

The church reaffirms primacy of penance. Beyond fast and abstinence, the church insists that the virtue of penance be experience with faithfulness to our duty of state (what is your job); offer all your difficulties, all infirmities and patience in bearing trials, illnesses, poverty and misfortunes. The whole thing, offer up your life and all that happens in it to God. Offer up the good, the bad, and the ugly. Unite our sorrows to the sufferings of Christ. But priests and religious must do more.

We need to do more than everyday acts. Prayer, fasting and charity will not change. It is fundamental. Where economic well being exists, as in the U.S., more penance is needed. Penance is done out of love. Everybody is required to do penance. If you do not fast, get a substitute.

SUNDAY MASS HOMILY - FR. NEVINS

The world we Americans live in is instant. What we want and do today is instant and we want it instantly. Haste makes waste, haste leads to mistakes, life can be affected. The dangers of living in a push button world leads us into taking the easy options. To be a true follower of Christ we must not take the easy way out, we must become the real thing. But old problems remain with us even in this push button age. There are no shortcuts in life.

Today we celebrate the Transfiguration of Christ. We can easily get the impression that everything was different for Christ. But it wasn’t. We might presume that all he had to do was go up that hill, tune in the magic, and He was transfigured into glory. But all the evidence of the gospels goes against such a presumption. St. Paul tells us the glory that belonged to Christ as the son of God was put aside when he assumed our human nature. The glory which came to Christ was through a life of obedience, love, pain, shame and death. It was by his pain and death that he was transfigured in glory. There is no short cut to glory, there is no short cut to holiness, there is no shortcut to sainthood. Every one of our pains and trials is our ticket to our glory.

Let us not settle for the quick fix, the easy way, the short cut. Christ had no shortcuts, and neither do we.