Dear friends in Christ,
 
                                                                 The Lie of Temptation
 
Jesus was tempted! It is important to know or be reminded of this as we immerse ourselves in the deep penitential purple of Lent. Satan, the diabolical one, tempted Jesus our Lord in the desert after fasting for 40 days (Matthew 4: 1-11). As we strive to overcome self, world and Satan through spiritual strength drawn from prayer, fasting and sacrificial giving, we must refer back to the tempted Jesus whose victory over the lie of temptation becomes a source of encouragement for us in our struggle against the temptation to sin. We are always tempted, we shall be tempted even more as we engage in spiritual warfare during the season of Lent but we must be wary of the lure and the lie of temptation-it always looks attractive and seems appropriate as the tempter was able to confuse and deceived Eve and Adam to admit (Gen 3:1-7). We pray to our Father in heaven not to allow us to be lead into temptation, not to fall for the lure and false appearance of it because it is a lie that leads to death. But if we fall, if we disobey the Lord, we are so blessed because “through the obedience of the one (Jesus), the many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:19).
 
The Catechism of the Catholic Church is very helpful in conveying the message on the temptation to sin, and how to distinguish between temptation and falling into temptation:
“The Holy Spirit makes us discern between trials, which are necessary for the growth of the inner man and the temptation which leads to sin and death. We must also discern between being tempted and consenting to temptation. Finally, discernment unmasks the lie of temptation whose object appears to be good, a 'delight to the eyes' and desirable, when in reality its fruit is death” (2847).
 
Let's always make that distinction. Jesus was tempted but did not sin. We are tempted to draw out the best in us and give glory to God. We do fall into temptation because it is deceitfully appealing. The good news is that the grace is giving to us to choose not to fall for the lie of temptation just like Jesus did. This Lent is a time to develop the will to say no to temptation. The grace abounds if we follow the lead of Jesus by living a life of prayer, penance, and charity. Let us always remember that if we sin, God forgives us and renew us. He restores us to life in the sacrament of reconciliation.
 
What are the sources of your temptation? How do you intend to attack those sources this Lent?

In Christ, the Victor over sin,

Fr. Bernard Oniwe, OP
 

 
                                             Have a Holy Lent!
 
Dear friends in Christ,
 
This Sunday's readings from the book of Leviticus and Gospel according to Matthew call us to holiness, to perfection. The holy season of Lent which begins on Ash Wednesday is a good time to respond to that call. All of us are called to holiness as the Catechism of the Catholic Church points out:
 
“All Christians in any state or walk of life are called to the fullness of Christian life and to the perfection of charity, All are called to holiness: Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” In order to reach this perfection the faithful should use the strength dealt out to them by Christ's gift, so that...doing the will of the Father in everything, they may wholeheartedly devote themselves to the glory of God and to the service of their neighbor. Thus the holiness of the People of God will grow in fruitful abundance, as is clearly shown in the history of the Church through the lives of so many saints (CCC 2013).
 
The Lenten journey is traditionally accompanied by an intense life of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. This spiritual living, aided by the grace of God makes us holy, leads to perfection, just like the saints we read about in our parish Advent spiritual reading, Matthew Kelly's Rediscover the Saints. I hope our choice of Lenten spiritual reading this year, Bishop Robert Barron's Lenten Gospel Reflection would be equally transformative.
 
What are you going to do different this Lent to become more like Christ?
 
Have a holy Lent!
 
In Christ,
 
Fr. Bernard Oniwe, OP
                                                                             ~~~~~~~~~~~
A special congratulations to  Pat Minick, who is the recipient of the 2020 Diocesan Lorica Award for the  North Lancaster Deanery. This award is  given by Bishop Gainer to lay persons in the Diocese of Harrisburg who contribute to the life of the Church and the common good of their community. All are invited to attend the award ceremony on March 17th at 6:30 at St. Patrick Cathedral in Harrisburg.
 

The Law, Christ, and Grace
 
Establishing his divine authority, Jesus offers the deeper meaning of the Law of Moses and spells out its spirit concerning specific sins of killing, which for Christ goes beyond the actual physical mortal act itself to include harboring hatred and undue resentment from the heart towards another; adultery, understood not just in terms of sexual intimacy with another person's spouse but also entailing a sinful glance at him or her; and abuse of oaths or perjury, which means not just taking God's name in vain by lying under oath but insisting as well on sincerity and honesty in relation to truth.
 
In the New Covenant founded on Christ, we enter into the dispensation of Grace. We are enabled by a supernatural disposition to do the good and the right concerning God's divine precepts but God still leaves it to us to cooperate with that grace. In the verse from Sirach, he tells us that if we choose we can keep the commandments and be saved (Sir. 15:15). St Augustine affirms this in regard to our free will to cooperate or not cooperate with God's superabundance grace in his classic words: God who created us without us: but did not will to save us without us. The wisdom and Spirit of the commandments are there for our good (1 Cor. 2:10) and they grant us access into the kingdom of heaven.
 
Christ holds us to a higher standard because of Grace. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us ( Philippians 4:13). How are you responding daily to graces you receive in the Sacraments? Will you respond to the nudge of the Holy Spirit this week as He leads you to fulfill God's commandment you have often struggled to keep? Christ's grace is available, let's make use of it.
 
In Christ,
 
Fr. Bernard Oniwe, OP
 

 
Today's readings focus on the importance of letting our light shine in the world through our bold witness, especially to the poor. Prophet Isaiah asks us to share our “bread with the hungry”, the Psalmist tells us that the just gives lavishly “to the poor“, St Paul in his first letter to Corinthians testifies to the power of God “in weakness” and in the Gospel according to Mark, Jesus instructs us to let our light “shine before others.”
 
All these teachings are made concrete in the ministry of St. Vincent De Paul here at St. Peter. Thanks to the credible witness of Andy Gladfelter and his team, our parish SVDP ministry is serving the poor by working to make sure they retain their human dignity. I am using this opportunity to remind us that the Society of St Vincent De Paul Poor Box by the door opening into the church is for us to drop in whatever we deem fit to support this important ministry. Please, the box is NOT a trash collector but money collector for the needs of the poor. Thanks for your generosity.
 
Also inline with this week's message on justice to the poor, we shall welcome next weekend a guest priest from Cross Catholic Outreach to address us on the importance of the option for the poor to our Catholic faith. Outreach Priest, Reverend Richard T. Kunzman, ordained for the Diocese of Camden in 1963 will celebrate all the masses next weekend, sharing the mission of “delivering food, shelter and hope to the poorest of the poor” with us. Please let us be welcoming and supportive of his mission.
 
In what particular ways am I called by Jesus to shine the light of Christ to all, especially the poor?
 
Fr. Bernard Oniwe, OP
 
P.S. I want to recognize and express our thanks to St. Peter's Knights of Columbus' Blood Drive this past weekend. They had 25 parishioner donors, collected 19 units of blood that will help 57 people in need! Thanks to Dr. Gregory Martin and his council members. What a beautiful way to make sacrifices for others. May Jesus renew all our donors.