Ascension : News From The Grotto
Submitted by The Islander (Nathan Prince) 04.03.2004 (Article Archived on 18.03.2004)

Thought For The Week

Well, here it is again, the season of Lent.  It seems like only yesterday we were celebrating the Christmas season.  All the joy of celebrating Christ’s birth, and now, we are observing the events that led to His death.

With Lent comes a time for reflection.  It is meant to be a time for us to look back over our lives, and to recognize, admit to, and attempt to rectify the things that we find do not fit into God’s plans and His teachings.  Every week we are given guidance in this through the readings of the scriptures.  These are His words, instructions in how to live our lives in a way that will please Him. 

In St. Luke’s gospel today, we are told about the forty days that the Lord was in the wilderness, and how he was tempted by the devil.  The devil tempted Him in many ways, playing on His hunger and the promise of ultimate power.  He even chided the Lord to prove Himself by throwing Himself off of the parapet, if He had so much trust in God to save Him.  Imagine how it would be, to be weakened by thirst, exhaustion and hunger, to be tempted into having everything given to you.  But the Lord stood firm, and for every temptation that the devil laid in front of Him, he had an answer for, and He stood firm.  Finally, the devil gave up, and left the Lord alone.

Temptations abound in our lives, and we don’t always do our best to resist them.  We don’t seem to have the strength that the Lord was blessed with in placing all of our faith in God and using His strength to help us out.   The best we can do is continue to try, to pray for strength, and to rely on our faith. 

This time of Lent is the time that we should review our lives, and how we have lived it, not just in the past year, but overall.  We have to ask ourselves “What would God think of how we have conducted ourselves?”  Would He be pleased, or saddened?  Then, if we find our actions could be improved, do we have the strength to ask God for both the guidance and the strength to do better?

During this period leading up to Easter, let us take the time for careful reflection, to review our lives, to ask forgiveness if necessary, and to pray for the strength to live our lives as God would wish.  Let us remember how the Lord suffered in the wilderness, and the strength that He possessed.  And pray that God will grant us some of His strength and wisdom.