From Our Pastor

02-26-2023Weekly ReflectionFr. Aruldoss, Pastor

Dear People of God,

I appreciate all the members of St. Lawrence PCCW and K/C for providing delicious breakfast on Last Sunday after the Mass. Now the Lent is upon us. There are a few opportunities being offered at our parishes for communal enrichment. Stations of the Cross will be offered at Immaculate Conception, Fountain City on Fridays at 6:00pm. Confession is available during Stations of the Cross. Also, on Tuesdays there will be an additional Mass at 4:30pm and followed by soup in the Hansen Hall, Fountain city. There will be a Healing Mass and anointing on Sat, Mar 11 at Boniface, Waumandee. This year, the Triduum will be at Boniface, Waumandee.

On this first of Sunday of Lent, the Scriptures contrast two responses to temptation. Our first parents, Adam and Eve, chose their own inclinations to the will of God. Jesus, on the contrary resisted temptation. Let us see how Jesus responded to the temptations.

The first temptation was about food. “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread,” the tempter says to Jesus. His reply is surprising: “One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.” We must always seek God’s will above all. At every moment we must listen to God’s Word, seek God’s will.

The second temptation was to seek fame and celebrity. “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. He answered, “You must not put the Lord your God to the test!” For us it is a warning not to be rash and superficial. Finally, in the scene on the mountaintop, seeing all the kingdoms of the world, suggests a temptation to become a political messiah, and impose his will upon people, like it or not. He dismisses this notion too by saying, “The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.”

Temptation is unavoidable. The Temptations warn us not to let selfishness rule us. Instead, we listen to the Holy Spirit, who continues to prompt and revive our conscience. We imitate Christ by making an honest response to life and cheerfully accepting what providence sends us. Let the Spirit be a major influence in our lives, so as to keep us close to the God who made us. Have a

Happy and Blessed Sunday!

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Doss

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