Lifeissues is mainly concerned with publishing thoughtful articles directly related to issues raised in Evangelium Vitae. However, from the very beginning, we have also published a few related homilies, notably by Fr. Al Cariño, O.M.I., Fr. Tony Pueyo, and others.
Please use the pulldowns below to select a homily by Liturgical Calendar date.
It is because we are frail and prone to give in to temptation that the celebration of Lent makes sense. We admit our frailty and sinfulness. We acknowledge our need for salvation. We also take the effort to open ourselves to the workings of God so that with His grace we may be stronger to resist temptations.
Christ came to enter into human suffering, to fill it with his light, to make it holy; for he loves us, and every human life will be a life of suffering, some far more than others. The Son of God joins a human nature and enters into human suffering in order to keep us company in our suffering, and there are certain people in this world, special friends of his, whom he invites to keep him company in his suffering.
We are told that Jesus "emptied himself" to become man, had no more human advantage than us. All his miraculous works were accomplished for our sake, not his. Who among us has ever sweated blood fighting temptation? Our greatest temptation is presumption, an insidious sin.
Each one of us has our own personal battle, but our battle can now be won; for Christ was victorious over Satan in the desert. To win our own battle, he only asks us to give him our humanity. In return, he will give us his divinity: "You give me your humanity, and I will give you my divinity. With my divinity, you will rise above sin, and ultimately, you will enter into the unimaginable joy of eternal life". This gospel shows us just what is involved in that exchange.
Luke's account shows that even after Jesus had rejected the devil's offer of world power. Jesus' temptations continued all the way to the cross. As we begin Lent, we're reminded that temptations will continue through life, that we will sometimes fail and that because of Christ's faithfulness we can get back up when we fall.