FROM THE PASTOR’S DESK
Dear St. Mary’s Parishioners:
The spiritual battle begins! Lent gives us that glorious opportunity to grow in holiness, as we join Jesus in the coldness of the desert for the next 40 days. This is probably my favorite liturgical season, even more than Easter and Christmas. Like our Lord, we confront the Devil in Lent and the false claimants to our hearts. God simply wants our love; he will not settle for second place. The most famous Old Testament scripture verse for the Jewish people tells us why. “HEAR, O ISRAEL!” Moses cries out in Deuteronomy 6:4. “The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” Jewish people recite this verse multiple times a day because they understand that we are weak. It’s hard to love God with all our heart, soul and strength, even as a priest.
They repeat this verse constantly to remind them of their solemn duty. The only job of the Devil is to make us forget this. He wants to distract us from practicing our faith to the full. He wants our hearts to fall in love with the other glittery things in the world. St. John, the Beloved Disciple, wrote about this cunning ploy in his letter. He writes:
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world— the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. (Cf. 1 John 15-16)
The first of the false love of our hearts the devil uses is the “lust of the flesh.” This is all of the sins of the flesh, the drugs, the drinking, the abuse of the body. We all know this distraction well. We see it every time we turn on the television or use social media. This is probably the greatest distraction for us to love God with all our hearts.
The second is the “lust of the eyes.” This false love of the heart is our greed. It’s marked by the endless pursuit of more money, bigger houses, faster cars, more jewelry etc. The list goes on and on. It is our greed for ever more. I guarantee you, let's say I win a billion dollars in the lottery tomorrow. It will feel good for a while, but the excitement will eventually fade into boredom. This greed is a bottomless pit.
The third false love of our hearts is the “pride of life.” As the name points out, it is our pride. Have you ever wondered why the Devil rebelled against God? The Devil was created good; he was the highest angel God created. He had everything. Why did he disobey? Sadly, it’s simple – it was his pride. His ego wanted to be higher than God, so he refused to serve.
These my brothers and sisters, these three counterfeit loves are what the devil uses to lure us away from loving God with all our “heart, soul and might.” He uses these distractions to keep us away from our Heavenly Father and join his idiotic rebellion.
This Lent we say no to false love. We return back to God. No matter how long you have been away from practicing your faith, no matter how many Sunday masses you’ve missed, no matter what sins you have committed, Our Father is always waiting for us to return to him. Lent is the time we live the beauty of our Catholic faith again with renewed passion and begin anew.
A Servant of Jesus Christ,
Fr. Brian J. Soliven
