Dearest Goddaughter (LTR-55) - Holy Desires

Dearest Goddaughter,

God does not tempt us, it is the Evil One - Satan - who tempts us in an effort to take us away from God and lead us astray. We read this in today's first reading from the letter of Saint James: ". . .God is not subject to temptation to evil, and he himself tempts no one."

Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, and one of the readings we will hear is how Satan tempts Christ when Jesus is at his weakest after being in the desert for 40 days and fasting. The Father did not tempt His only Begotten Son; however, like He does with us, He permits, allows us to be tempted because God wants us to turn away from temptations and sin and turn to Him of our own freewill.

Moreover, Saint James did not mince words when he wrote: ". . .each person is tempted when lured and enticed by his desire. . ." Lent is a season of penance and the disciplines of pray, fast, and giving alms are meant to help us master our desires rather than allow our desires to have control over us. We speak of unholy desires that "conceive and bring forth sin, and when sin reaches maturity it gives birth to death." Just as anger leads to hate and hate leads to suffering; unholy desires lead to sin and sin leads to death.

Therefore, let our desires be for things of God because "all good giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights. . ." When we desire things of God, God blesses us abundantly in the way that Jesus blesses the disciples abundantly in today's Gospel. The disciples gave what bread they had for the sake of others, Jesus took what they gave him and multiplied it, and returned to them more than that they had given him.

Jesus desires for us to have life and have it abundantly. Let us reflect on this through this Lenten season and desire Him above all through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.

Love,

Bỏ Phúc

P.S. These are the readings for the day: Jas 1:12-18 and Mk 8:14-21 (below).

. . .

The disciples had forgotten to bring bread,

and they had only one loaf with them in the boat.

Jesus enjoined them, "Watch out,

guard against the leaven of the Pharisees

and the leaven of Herod."

They concluded among themselves that

it was because they had no bread.

When he became aware of this he said to them,

"Why do you conclude that it is because you have no bread?

Do you not yet understand or comprehend?

Are your hearts hardened?

Do you have eyes and not see, ears and not hear?

And do you not remember,

when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand,

how many wicker baskets full of fragments you picked up?"

They answered him, "Twelve."

"When I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand,

how many full baskets of fragments did you pick up?"

They answered him, "Seven."

He said to them, "Do you still not understand?"