Thursday 18 February 2016

1st Sunday of Lent 14 Feb 2016 Sermon

1st Sunday of Lent 14.2.16 Temptations

Our Lord fights off the temptations in the desert, and in each case dispatches the devil with fundamental principles.

The devil is the master of deception but he was not clever enough to deceive Our Lord.

He is clever enough, however, to deceive the rest of us.

Not just tempting to sin but tempting to remove sin from the vocabulary altogether.

He is doing it right now, in our general society: trying to make us believe that truth is something that can be changed according to time, and popular opinion.

Time: Something which was wrong in past times may be alright now (eg same-sex ‘marriage’).

Popular opinion. And, that ‘the people’ can decide these things, without reference to God. If enough people believe it should be so, then it must be alright.

So the devil would have us think, and so many people do think.

Some things can be decided by popular opinion. If we want to paint the walls we can ask everyone what colour they prefer, and go by the majority.

But there are certain truths which are sacred and immutable, and no human agency can change them.

Marriage, for example - very carefully created and designed by God, who ‘made them male and female’.

But lots of other truths, such as there is only one God, and God became Man, and established His Church, and guides us still…and all the other things in the Creed…

These things are what they are, and beyond the possibility of change.

More people might become atheists but that does not stop God from existing.

More people might break with the traditional morality, but that does not stop it from being sin, inviting punishment.

Only God could change these things. Not even the Church can do it. Certainly not just the general society.

God is Creator, Father, Saviour, and Judge. He holds all the offices. But He is not some corrupt dictator. He is absolute good. Whatever comes from Him is good, by that fact alone.

We cannot fashion a church of our own liking, like another golden calf. It must be of God’s liking!

Knowing this we have certain beliefs and principles by which we live.

And for this, society will say we are too rigid and lacking in compassion.

Indeed, we want to be sensitive to the needs of others, and charitable to all.

And we are commanded to be those things.

But charity can never be separated from Truth. If we speak and live by the truth, that is being charitable.

Living by God's truth is the best and only way to real happiness.

If we obey Him He will honour that. And all sorts of good fruit will follow. Not least, a stable and peaceful society.

Many Catholics succumb to the pressure of public opinion; in many cases because their own families are caught up in sinful ways. The temptation is to want the rules to be changed so that their family members will not be found guilty of sin.

But we must not confuse love and truth. We can have, and must have, both.

If our family members are doing these things we must pray and work for their conversion.

They must change, not the Church, much less God.

They will want to change when they understand well enough.

We do not have to spare the young. They are capable of recognizing and loving the truth. There are many young Catholics who do see these things, often more clearly than the old.

So all these points of dispute and confusion are part of the present-day temptations. May Our Lord illuminate and fortify us against the ‘wickedness and snares of the evil one.’

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