Too many people today are without good, strong preaching, to the detriment of all. Share the good stuff.
Was there a GOOD point made in the sermon you heard at your Mass of obligation for this 1st Sunday in Lent and in the Novus Ordo 1st Sunday of Lent?
Tell us about attendance especially for the Traditional Latin Mass.
Any local changes or (hopefully good) news?
A taste of what I offered at 1 Peter 5 this week:
[…]
Genesis recounts the serpent’s insinuation and Eve’s gaze: “vidit igitur mulier quod bonum esset lignum ad vescendum et pulchrum oculis aspectuque delectabile et desiderabile ad hoc quod scilicet prudentiam tribueret” (Gen 3:6). She saw that the tree was good for food, delightful to the eyes, desirable to make one wise. The Apostle names the triad: “quoniam omne, quod est in mundo, concupiscentia carnis est et concupiscentia oculorum et superbia vitae” (1 John 2:16). Lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, pride of life. The Hebrew nahash beguiled the first Adam in an orchard, paradeisos. The New Adam confronts the Tempter in a desert.
[…]
Loading ...
Our celebrant discussed the levels of temptation, and that the Devil tempts us according to where we are in our spiritual journey, but not to focus on what the Devil does, but what Christ does to overcome. He preached that if we are not facing temptations, that means we’re not growing in our journeys. Many mentions of relying on the grace of God and the examples of Christ and His saints to encourage us along the way. Very solid homily, all around.
Great references to the martyrology today.
1. St. Margaret of Cortona lived her early adulthood in adultery and luxury with a nobleman. One day the man’s favorite dog urgently roused her and led her to a heap of sticks, under which was her lover’s dead body – he had been murdered. this memento mori sparked a great conversion. she renounced her former ways and lived a life of penance from then on.
2. were today not a Sunday, we would be commemorating St. Peter’s Chair – which emphasizes the teaching authority of the pope.
3. St. Peter Damian (!) you shall face temptation. if you do so with the blood of Christ on your lips, the tempter will flee in terror. The Eucharist is our safeguard.
4. tomorrow we remember St. Polycarp. As he faced martyrdom he said “for 86 years I have served my Lord, i shall not abandon Him now”. He was burned at the stake, but the flames did not touch him directly, they simply surrounded him. witnesses said they didn’t smell burning flesh, but rather baking bread.
We chanted everything including the whole 12 minute tract. we alternated verses between the ladies and the fellows which worked very well. would that i had recorded it. should i live to see Lent 2027, i’ll make sure to do that then.
Attended TLM. Did not pay attention to most of it, what with dealing with an over-tired 10 year old, and two equally psychotic younger kids, BUT… got to confession before Mass, as did our eldest son and the wife. One of the beauties of the TLM for tired and wrung-out parents is the ability to sit back and have the beauty of it wash over you sometimes; especially lovely after confession – having gone due to the urging from a particular blog!
Fortunate to have a priest who is an exorcist offer the Low Mass this morning.
He noted that Satan does not stop at just one temptation in today’s Gospel.
The enemy will engage in a particular line of attack. We are not to respond directly as evil wishes.
We respond by what we know by Faith. Trust God. Go to Him in prayer. Stay in our plan. Call upon the Angels.
Trust God
I happened to be at both a VO and a NO Mass.
At the NO, the priest gave a sermon about the very real existence of the devil, a pleasant surprise.
At the TLM, Father was explaining the three temptations in the wilderness in a different way than I’ve ever heard, focusing on Satan’s attacks on Our Lord’s role as the Messiah. I think it’s worth a thought. The first temptation was that the Messiah should take all the suffering from the world; the second temptation was that the Messiah should make it clear He is the Messiah, leaving no uncertainty and announce Himself to the powerful of the world; and the third temptation was that the Messiah shouldn’t suffer, but have worldly glory and rule.
With the predicted snowmaggedon we elected to attend the nearby Novus Ordo rather than chance the 45 minute drive to our usual FSSP Mass. We were pleasantly surprised by mass with a couple of traditional hymns and Sanctus and Agnus Dei chanted in Latin. Father also used the Roman Canon (Eucharistic Prayer 1). Since we are not in Charlotte, kneelers are thoughtfully provided for those wishing to receive communion in the traditional manner.
In Genesis the Garden of Eden is noted as being Eastward. Since there is nothing superfluous in the Bible, why is this mentioned? Because the East is important symbolically, as the light starts from the East and that represents the light of Christ coming into the world. Traditionally people worshipped facing East. He mentioned that on Ash Wednesday he had faced East and said the Canon in Latin for that reason.
In the Gospel, Jesus goes into the desert and fasts for 40 days. Lent represents for us that 40 days in the desert. God does not send us there as punishment but to free us from the distractions of modern life so that we can see that light from the East and become aware of the heavenly Garden that awaits us.