THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

Her Doctrine and Morals

Third Sunday in Lent

12 March 2023

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The Sunday

Sermon

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Dear Friends in Christ,

Today we remind ourselves that we must pray for the grace of perseverance. It is not enough to begin well — we must continue to the end. Beginnings are essential because if we do not start, we will never reach the goal of eternal life in Heaven. However, it is the end that we seek. To get there, we must begin, and then we must persevere to the end.

Jesus tells us very clearly in today's Gospel reading that the devils relentlessly seek our destruction. Even after we have driven them from us, they keep returning, trying to lead us away from God. The more we advance in the Spiritual Life, or the closer we come to our goal, the greater efforts the devils put forth to destroy us. We cannot let up in our labors to reach Heaven or even look back. We must keep our eyes focused on Jesus and follow Him through the darkness, trials, temptations, and tribulations throughout the rest of our lives here on earth.

If we have made any progress in our spiritual lives this Lenten Season, we should thank God for this and increase our resolve to keep the burning flame of love aglow for God. The devils will not forget about us or leave us alone. As we advance in grace and virtue, spiritual assaults will increase in intensity and frequency.

We often say that while there is still breath, there is hope. The opposite is true as well. As long as there is breath, there is still the chance of ending in Hell. If the devils can discourage us enough to stop trying, then they have won.

It appears that despair and depression are very prevalent in the world today. The devils are very good at presenting an image of life as useless, bothersome, and even outright evil. If they can convince us by any means possible to stop striving for Heaven and Jesus, then they have won. If we stop striving, we have forfeited and given up on ever fulfilling our life's purpose here on earth — knowing, loving, and serving God so we can be happy with Him in Heaven.

The evils in the world around us are many, but the grace and power of God are even greater. With every trial or temptation, God gives us the grace to resist and overcome and even to advance in the way of virtue. We can truly say with the saints that we can do all things in Him Who strengthens us. If we do not give up on God, He will not give up on us. We fall and fail, but He always invites us to get up again, seek His forgiveness and continue on again.

Our lack of virtue is not because of a lack of grace. God's grace is as powerful and available as ever. He can do everything and wants us to rise above the devils and their traps. He gives us everything that we need. We simply need to cooperate with Him. Even if we are separated from the Sacraments, we can always lift up our hearts in burning desire for them, and God accepts the desire for the deed. Indeed, we cannot receive Sacramental grace when we have not received the Sacraments, but we may still receive the fruits of our love and conformity to God's Will.

We have no excuse. God has given us all that we need. We must rise up and put to good use what He has given us. Now is the moment of His grace. Now is the acceptable time. Let us not put it off any longer but lift up our hearts and minds to God so that we may be filled with the fire of His love. The spark is in our souls at this moment. We only need to nurture the spark and then fan the flame. When the fire is burning intensely, we must continue to add fuel to the flames, lest they once again become reduced to a tiny ember — or, worse yet, become extinguished, and we find ourselves in Hell.

Let us not grow weary of our prayers and penances nor become discouraged or disheartened. The devils' suggestions are ringing loud and clear in our world. They tell us that it is useless; we are already lost; there is no hope; we should give up and stop trying. Or they strive to lull us into inactivity with suggestions that we have done enough, worked hard enough, are safe now, and can relax and take our ease for a while. We must not listen to them. And we must redouble our efforts to please and serve God.

May the Immaculate Heart of Mary inspire, guide, and protect us!