Join the Battle Against Sin!

Sermon by Rev. John Paul Shea

1st Sunday of Lent, Feb. 14, 2016

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, Tucson, AZ

In today's Gospel passage (Luke 4:1-13), we accompany Jesus while He is tempted by the devil. 

There are many areas worthy of reflection in today’s passage and what it means for our lives, but the main message concerns our battle against sin.

Jesus is led by the Holy Spirit into the desert for forty days to undergo temptation. As we reflect on this experience of Our Lord, remember Jesus did not need to be tempted for His own sake. Jesus is the Son of God. He was sinless. 

No, Jesus was tempted -- not because He was inclined to sin -- but to show us His fidelity to the Father. He was led into the desert to give us a model of how we can resist the promptings of the evil one. 

My brothers and sisters, we live in a fallen world, and Our Lord has taken on our

Our Lord's Ascension

humanity to save us! Through His death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven, our Lord has established His Kingdom. Yet, until Our Lord comes again, we need to strive to overcome temptation because the power of the devil is at work. 

Our Lord defeated the devil, and in doing so He has taught us how to strive to overcome the tactics of the devil through the power of God! 

In fact, we live in a time today of great temptations, and these temptations will become more intense as we come closer to Our Lord’s second coming. The devil is destroying marriages. He is destroying families. He is destroying souls! 

Yet, his time is short. This is why he is so active in the world today. Therefore, the Gospel teaches us that we must be on guard.

Jesus -- fasting for 40 days -- is hungry. Satan suggests Jesus  turn the stone into bread. Jesus rebukes him, saying man does not live on bread alone. This comes from from the Book of Deuteronomy:

"He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD." (Deuteronomy 8:3)

Therefore Jesus shows us we must rely on every word from the mouth of God if we want to live. Know God’s word and let it be the focus of your life!

Satan offers Jesus the lure of power, the opportunity to become king of the world. He shows Him He could have anything He wanted. Our Lord  again quotes from the Book of Deuteronomy saying, “You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.”

We put God to the test whenever we place ourselves in the near occasion of sin! Therefore, today’s Gospel calls us to know our weaknesses. We must learn to recognize what can lead us to fall from God’s grace. For example, if we have trouble encountering pornography we should not be on the  

computer or look at material that we know will tempt us.  

We are in a battle against sin! We are in a battle for the salvation of our souls and those with whom we come in contact!

Each one of us is baptized. In our baptism we made a promise to renounce satan, all his empty works and all his empty promises. This promise we not only make on the day of our baptism, we make it every day of our lives!

As we enter into this season of Lent, let us strive to become more aware of the temptations in our own lives. Let us strive for God’s protection from all evil through prayer and frequent use of the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist and Confession. May God keep us and protect us. Amen.

Did you enjoy this homily? Perhaps you would like to read another Lenten Reflection? Wake Up! Repent and Turn Back to God

I Was Thirsty and You Gave Me to Drink

by John Zwicker

"I was thirsty and you gave me to drink.” (Matt. 25:35)

John Zwicker @JohnZwicker1 on Twitter is a Catholic
swimming pool designer/contractor residing in the
Archdiocese of Ottawa, Canada with his wife and 7 children.

Beginning on Ash Wednesday, a handful of Catholics began working together on Twitter in a Lenten hope of raising funds to build a well for a desperate Catholic Mission in Africa. We use the Twitter Hashtag: #YearofMercyWell. 

It is a formidable task.  Preliminary guesstimates for the cost of well construction, including storage tank and plumbing, is $45,000 in U.S. currency. This grassroots collection of promoters are hoping others will come on board to promote the need. They pray, with this increase in numbers, they will have a successful campaign.

Currently, the water for the Awasi Mission in Kenya comes from seasonal natural sources such as streams, creeks and ditches. Awasi is 

Fr. Joseph Mungai at home in Kenya

one of 17 missions, 11 secondary schools, 25 primary schools, plus chapels and hospitals served by Father Joseph Mungai, a Third Order Franciscan Missionary from the Archdiocese of Kisumu, Kenya. He estimates he serves 50,000 of God's people.

During the dry season, water is not available, except through vendors who sometimes resort to unscrupulous means, such as high prices or more alarmingly, the vendors expect sex for water.

“That's what is happening” says Father Joseph, “Sex for water, it's disgusting.” 

Those campaigning for Father Joseph are very concerned for the well being, safety and lives  of the people of the Awasi Mission.  David Ives, managing the campaign's  gofundme account, Father Joe's Water Well,

Fr. Joseph Mungai is visiting 

the U.S. in February to raise money

for his people's water needs

writes: “Their only clean water nearby comes from unscrupulous vendors who may force them to pay with their bodies or with their lives should they refuse. All they need is a well. We can help them.”

Catholic blogger Peg Pondering Again  writes, “They do not have clean drinking water and help is needed.”  Recently, as a result of drinking tainted water, some, including children, were hospitalized.

If fundraising is successful, a well will be installed for the parish, rectory and convent. Importantly, Father Joseph estimates 10,000 to 20,000 people will have access to this clean water.

It is hoped that funds will be raised and the well installed during this Jubilee  Year of Mercy, which began on Dec. 8, 2015 and will end Nov. 20, 2016. Father will dedicate the well in honour of Canadian Mohawk Saint Kateri Tekakwitha whose homeland is shared by both the U.S. and Canada (where it is

Saint Kateri Tekakwitha

Lily of the Mohawks

 presumed most donations will originate). The Lily of the Mohawks took a vow of perpetual virginity after she converted to Catholicism at the age of 19. Noted for her practice of chastity, she is the first Native American to be canonized by the Catholic Church.

A recent newscast detailed the plight of this Awasi Mission and motivated the participants to assist Father Joseph in a Lenten Campaign, commencing Ash Wednesday: Water Crisis in Awasi

				Water Crisis in Awasi
				View on www.youtube.com	Preview by Yahoo

All are welcome to assist in promoting the message.

Donations are accepted at:

1.)  Fr Joe's Water Well 

OR

2.) Sr Larraine

11714 Main Street, Middletown Ky 40357 

Contact: 502–356-9281 or Larraine@waterwithblessings.org

Those wishing to assist in the promotion of this cause may contact any of the following:

Peg Pondering Again 

Fr Joe's Water Well 

Fr. Joe Mungai on Twitter 

Cathy Ives on Twitter 

Catholic for Life on Twitter 

John Zwicker on Twitter 

"I Thirst."

"For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink; I was a stranger, and you took me in. Naked, and you covered me: sick, and you visited me: I was in prison, and you came to me.  Then shall the just answer him, saying: 'Lord, when did we see thee hungry, and feed thee; thirsty, and gave thee drink? And when did we see thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and covered thee? Or when did we see thee sick or in prison, and came to thee?' And the king answering, shall say to them: 'Amen I say to you, as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me.'" (Matthew 25:35-40)   

                                                                                            

Depart From Me, Lord! For I Am A Sinful Man

Sermon by Rev. John Paul Shea

5th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Feb. 7, 2016

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, Tucson, AZ

Praised be Jesus Christ! 

Fr. John Paul Shea

As we begin this Mass of the Celebration of the Holy Eucharist I would like to introduce myself. My name is Father John Paul Shea. I was ordained two and one-half years ago. I have spent this time at Saints Peter and Paul Parish in Tucson, AZ. 

I am a convert to the Catholic Church. I was raised Mormon and left the Mormon Church at a young age and practiced no faith until our Blessed Mother called me to Her Son’s Church, the Catholic Church, several years later. I am very blessed to be Catholic, I am very blessed to be a priest, and I am happy and blessed to be here at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton (also Tucson, Az). 

As we consider today’s readings for this 5th Sunday of Ordinary Time, let us reflect on the greatness of God and our need to humble ourselves before Him. 

All of today’s readings (Isaiah 6:1-8; 1 Cor 15:1-11; Luke 5:1-11) spotlight individuals who were called by God to serve Him.

We start with the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah had lived about 700-800 years before the birth of Our Lord Jesus. He lived during the fall of Israel. Judah alone remained, and Isaiah brought the message of God at a time when idolatry seemed to be taking hold of the land.

Isaiah is said to have found his calling as a prophet when he had a vision in the year of King Uzziah’s death. Overwhelmed by the

Angel puts a burning coal on Isaiah's lips
 to enable him to answer God's call

vision of the Lord, Isaiah said, "Woe is me, I am doomed! For I am a man of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!" 

From the  first letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul describes his call for to be an apostle. He was once a persecutor of the Church of God, but now God had now chosen him to preach the Gospel. 

In the Gospel, Our Lord Jesus calls Saint Peter to discipleship. As he is fishing, Our Lord tells him  to lower his nets for a great catch. When Peter was astonished by the

amount of fish they caught, Jesus said to Peter: “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.”

As we reflect on the call of God for Peter, Paul and Isaiah, we notice one similarity in each situation. All three of these individuals responded in humility. Each recognized their unworthiness. Each humbled themselves before God. 

The Prophet Isaiah response to God's call --  “Woe is me, I am doomed!" -- is similar to both Peter and Paul's response.

Saint Paul -- who before his encounter with Christ describes himself as arrogant -- but

Conversion of St. Paul
on the Road to Damascus

now he calls himself as one born abnormally, the last apostle called and the least. 

And finally after St. Peter's great catch of fish, what does he doe? He falls to his knees and says, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” 

My brothers and sisters, even though we may not have had a sort of radical conversion experience as did Isaiah, Peter or Paul, God wants us to experience His grace in our lives.

If we want to experience God’s grace and  become who He calls us to be, then we need to humble ourselves before Him. If we want to

St Peter: "Depart from me,
Lord, for I am a sinful man"

make progress in our spiritual lives, we must first acknowledge our sinfulness.

 

It is only when we recognize we are nothing without God that He will act in our lives. And He will! God can and will work many great things in the lives of those who humble themselves before Him.

In fact, along with the examples of the individuals we hear in today’s readings, many people became saints because they humbled themselves before God. Saint Therese of Lisieux, for example, who lived in the late 19th century, never did anything great. She became a saint and a doctor of the Church simply because she acknowledged her littleness and her need for God.

 Humility is the key to discipleship. Humility is the path to holiness. If we want to get anywhere in our spiritual life, than we must first humble ourselves before God!

Many in our time and culture of today do not strive for humility. We instead want to be king. We hear terms today in our society such as “pro-choice” or “marriage equality” or “gay pride.” All of these sorts of worldly terms are rooted in pride because they reflect not the will of God but the will of the self. We want to act and live as if our bodies and our lives are ours instead of treating ourselves and others as a gift given by God.

Many Catholics today do not follow God’s call because they ignore the teachings of the Church on contraception. When Catholics are disobedient to the teachings of the Church, this is an act of pride. Pride will get us

A big fat act of pride 

nowhere in our spiritual life or to heaven. Seek conversion. Open yourself to God's grace.  

My brothers and sisters, we need humility. God is calling each one of us to discipleship. He is calling each one of us to eternal life. But, if we want to become who God calls us to be, than we must first acknowledge His greatness and our need to humble ourselves before Him. For if we humble ourselves before God, then His Divine Life will live in us and we will bear much fruit. May God bless us and help us! Amen!

Did you enjoy this homily? Perhaps you might also like to read Who is Fr. John Paul Shea? From Mormon to Catholic Priest