March 3, 2023

Dear Friends, 

            I don’t always have a brilliant turn of phrase in a daily mass homily, due to lack of sleep and/or lack of coffee.  Sometimes, I utter something that impresses even myself!  At the end of my homily for Friday’s daily mass I said, “All of us may stumble but it does not mean we cannot find our way back to redemption.” I feel like the theme of redemption is probably what this lent encompasses for me. I preached about it on Ash Wednesday and again this past weekend.  Be wary of the things that lead us from the Lord and do not fall prey to temptation.

            A friend sent me a quote which guided what I was already planning on writing. Pray without ceasing because Satan will never cease preying. There are so many things in this day that lead us away from the call to live as a good disciple of Christ. Any news site, whether it be the homepage or entertainment section, has titles such as (Actor name here) in (clothing item here) bares it all or At (age here) (actor name here) defies the odds with their amazing (body part/parts here). What is the purpose of these titles? Is it really to showcase the person? Is it click bait? Is it to make US feel like we are failing at being healthy? I do not begrudge those in the entertainment industry their lifestyle. However, we must realize the unrealistic expectations put upon us, our kids, our family, and friends to look like these people. I want to remind you that those in the entertainment industry do work hard, but at the same time, they get paid to be fit and in shape. They spend weeks training for roles. Last time I checked, most of us do not get paid to do pushups or CrossFit or any of that stuff (unless you are a personal trainer).  We try to fit some type of exercise into a 9-5 job and busy nights/weekends.

            While you may not see it the way I do, I want to point out that this is a way to lead us from God (whether it is because we really want to stare at those rock-hard abs or compare ourselves to these people). It is not healthy for us. It brings up our insecurities and doubts.  It is a way for Satan to prey upon us because it seems harmless. It is the harmless articles we look at or click through that could influence us. As I said at mass last weekend, for all the good that technology brings, there is so much evil that we need to watch out for as well. The temptation to post something, say something, do something that we know is inherently wrong just because we can, is not a good thing.

            We must resist the things that tempt us and cause us to stumble.  We must focus on the promise of redemption. Lent is a good time to reestablish these habits. Go to mass as often as you can.  Go to the station of the cross.  Go to reconciliation, dust yourself up from when you stumbled and find that redemption in God.

God Bless, 

Fr. Brian 

P.S. It could snow again tomorrow or just rain.... It's still up in the air