First Sunday in Lent: Help in Temptation
by VP
Posted on Sunday March 09, 2025 at 12:00AM in Sunday Sermons
Behold angels came and ministered to Him.”—MATT. iv. 16.
1. We are sure to be tempted.
2. We forget to cry for help.
3. Our Lord suffered Himself to be tempted for our instruction and encouragement.
4. Angels ready and faithful to assist us.
5. Let us imitate St. Antony's defence.
"THE gospel tells us to-day how our divine Lord suffered Himself to be tempted by the devil. It was for our sakes that He did so. Each one of us, that we may be worthy to win heaven, must be tried, and assaulted, and pass through the conflict. We must face this
fact-we shall be tempted by the devil. It is not within anyone's power to escape temptation. The misery of it may wellnigh overwhelm us. Our selflove will be crushed, for we did not think that we were so vile as the spectres of temptations around us would make us think. We find oftentimes that, when we have resolved to do our best, temptations are the most importunate. Yes, it is true, we are tempted by the devil.
In our misery, when thus tempted and tried, how often do we make a great mistake. We have not the sense of children. In fear and danger, children cry for help: we forget! There is One near us, with His angels, ready to minister to us; only waiting to be invoked, "Lord, save us, or we perish.' "Wherefore it behoved Him in all things to be made like unto His brethren, that He might become a merciful and faithful high-priest before God, that He might be a propitiation for the sins of the people. For in that, wherein He Himself hath suffered and been tempted, He is able to succour them also that are tempted " (Heb. ii. 17, 18). "For we have not a high-priest Who cannot have compassion on our infirmities; but One tempted in all things as we are, without sin" (Heb. iv. 15).
Our Blessed Lord accepted the ministration of angels after His temptation to teach us that we are not alone in our misery and our danger. To be tempted is not a sin; but to trust to ourselves to be able to resist and overcome is presumptuous. Pride goeth before a fall. To come out of the conflict unscathed needs help, and help is at hand if we humbly invoke it. The angels are our guardians to assist us in our struggle with their fallen brethren. If the fallen angels hate us because we are Christ's, the good angels are anxious to shield us from evil and ruin for that very same reason. A prayer can summon them to the rescue. To forget their assistance, to venture to stand alone and defend ourselves single-handed from evil, is to imperil our souls. We are bound to pray for help in grave temptation. To fall into sin is our own fault; always our own fault. We could have been saved from the sin, if we had prayed for assistance. The angels are with us wherever we go through life; in every occurrence, in every danger they are at hand. Our passage through the temptations of life is not a forlorn hope; we have our leaders, our friends, our guardians around us. But alas! how often are they forgotten and ignored. Temptations seduce us. Careless souls even love the danger; foolishly disregarding the imminent and eternal consequences.
With what an occupation have the ministering angels been entrusted by God! They first have to arouse us to be afraid of evil; to wish to escape it. Instead of fearing sin, we turn a deaf ear to the remonstrances which the angels prompt our consciences to urge upon us. We are reluctant to turn from the evil suggestion; the wicked companion; the occasions that we know will be our ruin. It is not that the angels are remiss in their endeavours; it is all our own fault yielding to our sinful desires, clinging to bad habits that will be our eternal ruin.
Pray that the angels may not grow weary of us, and that their divine Master may not recall them from their rejected ministrations. How faithful they have been to us! They are interested in us and devoted to us, because we are destined to be their brethren for all eternity. They rejoice over every soul they can save, for each one is another soul redeemed by the precious Blood of our Lord, and rescued from eternal loss.
This life is a time of trial and temptation; but to be forewarned is to be forearmed. We must not cowardly give way, though we have to face the combat, for we are not alone. Remember we can instantly summon assistance. Imitate the great St. Antony, the model of those who are tempted. He tells us that his weapons were the sign of the holy Cross and the most holy name of Jesus. That sacred name, that blessed sign, would bring us instant help. "God is faithful, Who will not suffer you to be tempted above that which you are able" (I Cor. x. 13). He will send His angels to defend you, to drive away the enemies of your soul. Tempta
tions would be robbed of their terror, they would be vanquished, if we only remembered to invoke and trust. We must learn this lesson in life-the lesson to remember and pray; for as death approaches, temptations may be more powerful and deadly. The good habit of prayer will then spring to our rescue. The angels will redouble their vigilance. Not only our own prayers, but the prayers of the Church for the dying will be our safeguard. The priest before he anoints us bids the evil spirits to be banished, and the angel of peace to stand by us; and he prays the Almighty Father to send His holy angel from heaven to guard and protect and defend. Happy indeed will be the death of one who has trusted in the angels in the days of his warfare. He will have endured temptation bravely; his fidelity will have been proved, and his consolation then will be that the angels will come forth to meet him, and bear his soul to receive the crown of life." Short Sermons on the Epistles & Gospels of the Sundays of the Year By Fr. Francis Paulinus Hickey
Saint Dominic Savio
by VP
Posted on Sunday March 09, 2025 at 12:00AM in Saints
" The college boy of fifteen, Dominic Savio, attracts us with the charm of youth. In 1911 the Eucharistic Congress of Madrid sent a telegram to Pius X, begging him to hasten the beatification of Dominic Savio, who, because of receiving his First Holy Communion at the age of seven and his extraordinary devotion to the Most Blessed Sacrament, merited recommendation as a pattern for children and was deemed worthy of the title "Child of the Holy Eucharist."
The life of this angelic boy proves how wisely Pius X acted in strengthening children early and often with the Bread of Life. His admirable teacher, Don Bosco, has himself written the wonderful life of Dominic. He was born on April 2, 1842, at Riva, near Turin, the son of a blacksmith, and was early introduced to all practices of piety by his parents. The seductive power of evil had no influence on him. On the contrary, he energetically repulsed others who gave him bad example. We can not but marvel at his precocious intelligence of heavenly things, an intelligence matured by divine grace. "He is indeed a boy of whom much may be expected," writes his spiritual guide. "May God open to him a career in which so precious a fruit may ripen." When the boy of seven was told that he was to receive Holy Communion the joy of his heart knew no bounds. From that time he was almost continually in the church to prepare himself worthily for the great day approaching. The seriousness of purpose which he showed on this occasion remained his guiding star during all his life. It was clear that so promising a boy must study and, seeing that his parents were wanting in the necessary means, the priest of the place enabled Dominic to attend an academy in the neighborhood of his native town. At twelve he went to the Oratory of the Venerable Don Bosco in the district of Valdocco, and from this institution he was sent to the college in Turin.
Don Bosco and Dominic Savio soon understood one another. A divinely inspired teacher and a pupil with an unspoiled and generous heart had met. Dominic soon laid hold of two ideas with all the fervor of his ardent soul, he would become a saint and, if possible, save his soul. With tenacious energy he strove for complete self-mastery. Like all saints he gave himself to works of supererogation in prayer and penance. Don Bosco had to curb his zeal. Among his companions in the Oratory and in the college the boy worked like a true apostle. He strove especially to foster among his associates devotion to the Immaculate Conception and the reception of the Sacraments. Such zealous persons are as a rule not liked by the young. But it was not so with Dominic. Not at all obtrusive, no disturber of youthful gaiety, he was a genuine boy, alive with a boy's nature. He did even more by example than by words, which showed to all how earnestly he was trying to be a saint. His youth was not without its difficulties, but they served only to strengthen the more his steadiness of character.
Dominic had reached
the sixth class in the college when he was stricken with a disease of
the lungs. Don Bosco, filled with anxiety, hoped that a change of air
might bring relief, and sent the boy to his parents at Mondonio, where
they were then living. But what Dominic had
long confidently foretold now came to pass. On the evening of March 9,
1857, he died in the arms of his sorrowing father. The news of his
death at first brought grief and mourning to his relatives, friends and
teachers, but this soon gave way to joyful conviction that a new
intercessor for them stood before the divine throne. Men soon began to
ask favors from Dominic and their prayers were not in vain." The Holiness of the Church in the Nineteenth Century: Saintly Men and Women By Rev. Konstantin Kempf, S.J. 1916
Prayer:
Dear Saint Dominic, you spent your short life totally for love of Jesus and His Mother. Help youth today to realize the importance of God in their lives. You became a saint through fervent participation in the sacraments, enlighten parents and children to the importance of frequent confession and Holy Communion. At a young age you meditated on the sorrowful Passion of Our Lord. Obtain for us the grace of a fervent desire to suffer for love of Him.
We desperately need your intercession to protect today's children from the snares of the world. Watch over them and lead them on the narrow road to Heaven. Ask God to give us the grace to sanctify our daily duties by performing them perfectly out of love for Him. Remind us of the necessity of practicing virtue especially in times of trial.
Saint Dominic Savio, you who preserved your baptismal innocence of heart, pray for us.
Day 5. Lent with the Cure d'Ars: Homily on the Gospel for the First Sunday in Lent
by VP
Posted on Sunday March 09, 2025 at 12:00AM in Lenten Sermons
"Our Divine Lord, having been our model in every thing, would be our model in temptation also. For this end He allowed Himself to be led into the desert.The good soldier has no fear of the battle, and so a good Christian ought to have no fear of temptation. All soldiers are good in garrison: on the field of battle we see the difference between the brave and the cowardly.
The greatest of all temptations is to have none. We may almost say that we are happy in having temptations; it is the moment of the spiritual harvest, when we lay up stores for heaven. It is like the time of harvest, when we rise very early, and take a great deal of trouble; but we do not complain, because we gather in a great deal.
The devil tempts only those souls that wish to abandon sin and those that are in a state of grace. The others belong to him: he has no need to tempt them.
A saint, passing one day before a convent, saw a quantity of devils tormenting the religious, without being able to succeed in seducing them. He passed afterwards by a town, and saw a single one sitting down with his arms across, and guiding the whole population. Then, the saint asked him how he came to be alone in a great town, while there were so many tormenting a handful of religious. The devil answered him that he was quite enough for the town, because he tempted those who were already inclined to hatred, impurity, drunkenness, and it was done in a moment; while with the religious, it was more difficult. The army of devils occupied in tempting them lost their time and their trouble; they could gain no ground. So they waited till others should come, who might grow weary of the austerity of the rule.
In a monastery, during the Holy Sacrifice, one of the brothers saw devils prowling round those good religious. He saw one in particular stamping on the head of a monk, and another advancing and receding by turns. After Mass, this brother asked the two religious what had occupied their minds during Office. The first said he had thought of a floor he wanted to have made in the convent; and the second said that the devil had come to attack him, but he had always tried to drive him away. This is what all good Christians do; and, therefore, temptation is to them a source of merit.
The most ordinary temptations are pride and impurity. One of the best means by which we can resist them is a life of activity for the glory of God. Many people give themselves up to idleness and indulgence; so it is not surprising that the devil has them in his power.
A religious complained to his superior of being violently tempted. The superior ordered the gardener and the cook to call him every moment. Some time after, he asked him how he was getting on. "O father," he said, "I have no time now to be tempted !" If we were penetrated with the holy presence of God, we should find it easy to resist the enemy. With this thought, God sees thee! we should never sin.
There was once a good saint - I think it was St. Teresa - who complained to our Lord after having been tempted, and said to Him, "Where wert Thou then, O my most loving Jesus, during that horrible tempest?" Our Lord answered her, "I was in the midst of thy heart, taking pleasure in seeing thee fight against it."
At the moment of temptation we must firmly renew our baptismal promises. . . . Now listen well to that. When you are tempted, offer to the good God the merit of that temptation, to obtain the opposite virtue. If you are tempted to pride, offer the temptation to obtain humility; that of immodest thoughts, to obtain purity; or charity, if it is against your neighbor. Offer also the temptation to obtain the conversion of sinners; that spites the devil and puts him to flight, because the temptation is turned against himself: yes, after that he will be sure to leave you alone.
A Christian ought always to be ready for battle. As in time of war sentinels are always placed here and there to see if the enemy is approaching, so we ought to be always on our guard to see if the enemy is not laying snares for us, and if he is not coming to surprise us. One of two things: a Christian either rules his inclinations, or his inclinations rule him; there is no medium. It is like two men taking each other by the collar to try which is the strongest - one will throw the other down. One will almost always end by overthrowing the other; and when he has him on the ground, with his foot upon his neck, he does not care much for him: he has the upper hand. So with our passions; the struggle is seldom equal, either we guide our passions, or they guide us.
My brethren, how sad it is to let ourselves be led by our passions! A Christian is noble; he ought to command his vassals like a noble. Our vassals are our passions. A shepherd was asked what he was. He answered, that he was a king. Over whom do you reign? Over my subjects. And who are your subjects? My inclinations. This shepherd was quite right in saying that he was a king.
We are in this world like a ship upon the sea. What causes the waves? The storm. In this world the wind is always blowing. Our passions raise a tempest in our soul; and these struggles will gain us heaven.
We must not imagine that there is any place on the earth where we could
escape from this war. We shall find the devil everywhere; and everywhere he will try to deprive us of heaven. But everywhere and always we
may be the conquerors. It is not like other battles, in which one of
two parties is always beaten; in this, if we choose, with the grace of
God, which is never refused us, we may always triumph.
When we think all is lost, we have only to cry out, "O Lord, save us; we
perish!" For our Lord is there, close to us, looking at us with
complacency, and saying to us with a smile: "In truth thou lovest Me; I
see that thou lovest Me." It is indeed by battles against hell, and by
resistance to temptations, that we give God proofs of our love.
How many souls, unknown in the world, will one day be seen enriched by these victories of every moment! The good God will say to these souls, "Come, ye blessed of My Father, enter into the joy of your Master."
Our guardian angel is always there by our side, pen in hand, to write down our victories. We must say every morning,"Come, my soul, let us labor to obtain heaven. This evening our battles will be over." And in the evening, "Tomorrow, my soul, all the troubles of life will perhaps be over for thee."
We have not yet suffered like the martyrs. Ask them if they are sorry now... The good God does not require so much from us. There are some people who are upset by a single word. One little humiliation capsizes the ship... Courage my brethren, courage! When the last day comes, you will say, "Happy struggles, that have purchased heaven!"
Let us then fight generously. When once the devil sees that he has no power over us, he will leave us in peace. This is the way he usually treats sinners who are returning to God; he lets them taste the sweetness of the first moments of their conversion, because he knows very well that he would gain nothing; they are too fervent. He waits a few months, till their first ardor has passed away; then he begins to make them neglect prayer and the Sacraments; he attacks them with divers temptations; then come the battles, and then indeed is the time to ask for strength, and not to let ourselves be overcome. Some people are so weak that when they are a little tempted, they give way, like soft paper. If we were always marching forward like good soldiers, we should raise our hearts to God when war or temptation come upon us, and take courage. But we linger behind; we say, "Provided I am saved, that is all I want. I do not wish to be a saint." If you are not a saint, you will be lost, there is no medium - you must be one or the other; mind that.
All those who will one day possess heaven will be saints. The souls in purgatory are saints, because they have no mortal sins; they have only to be purified, and they are friends of the good God. Let us work hard, my children; the day will come that we shall find we have not done at all too much to gain heaven."Source: The Spirit of the Cure d'Ars by l'abbe Monnin, p.133, 1865.
Prayer for Lent: O Lord who, for our sake, didst fast forty days and forty nights; give us grace to use such abstinence that, our flesh being subdued to the spirit, we may worthily lament and acknowledge our wretchedness, and may obtain perfect remission and forgiveness of Thee, the God of all mercy, who livest and reignest with the Father and Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen
Source: Lent with the Cure d'Ars Compiled by the CAPG