Reflection Starter from Lord Chesterfield

“Aim at perfection in everything, though in most things it is unattainable. However, they who aim at it, and persevere, will come much nearer to it than those whose laziness and despondency make them give it up as unattainable.” – Lord Chesterfield

“Fill This Temple”

As we continue our Lenten observance, I offer this version of the Benny Hinn Crusade Choir singing Don Moen’s “Fill This Temple”:

First Sunday of Lent

Today the Church celebrates the First Sunday of Lent. The assigned readings are Genesis 2:7-9, 3:1-7; Romans 5:12-19; and Matthew 4:1-11. The Responsorial Psalm is Psalm 51 (Psalm 51:3-6, 12-13, 17).

For one version of the Responsorial Psalm set to music, please visit:

YouTube: Be Merciful, O Lord (Haugen setting)

The Gospel reading is as follows:

At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry. The tempter approached and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread.”

He said in reply, “It is written: ‘One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.’”

Then the devil took him to the holy city, and made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: ‘He will command his angels concerning you and with their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.’”

Jesus answered him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.’”

Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence, and he said to him, "All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me.”

At this, Jesus said to him, “Get away, Satan! It is written: ‘The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.’”

Then the devil left him and, behold, angels came and ministered to him.

Reflection on this feast:

Oblates of St. Francis de Sales: Sundays Salesian: First Sunday of Lent (March 9, 2014)

Msgr. Charles Pope: Tackle Tempation or Risk Ruination. A Sermon for the 1st Sunday of Lent (8 MAR 14)

Dr. Marcellino D’Ambrosio: The Great Temptation

The Sacred Page: Overcoming Temptation: 1st Sunday of Lent (3 MAR 14)

The Quiet Corner: True wealth is being in communion with God (6 MAR 14)

Word on Fire: Sermon 687: What Is The Matter With Us?: First Sunday of Lent

Dr. Scott Hahn: Tale of Two Adams (March 9th 2014 - First Sunday of Lent)

The Catholic World Report Blog: A Cross-less Christianity is a lie of the devil (8 MAR 14)

Spirituality of the Readings: Unscrambling (First Sunday of Lent A)

The Word Embodied: Unmasking the Great Deception (First Sunday of Lent A)

Historical Cultural Context: Spirits (First Sunday of Lent A)

Thoughts from the Early Church: Commentary by Gregory Nazianzen

Word to Life Radio Broadcast: First Sunday of Lent (7 MAR 14)

Thank You, Lord

Thank you, Lord, for the presence of Your angels in our lives.

Deacon Greg Kandra on Selfless Giving During Lent

“I was doing perfectly fine, sitting at the diner, scanning the menu and steadfastly determined to have a tuna melt for lunch … until someone at the table next to me made a fateful decision.

“They ordered a cheeseburger. It was all downhill from there. It arrived at the table, oozing melted cheese, heaped with French fries, the air fragrant with the faint aroma of just-broiled bacon. My salivary glands kicked into overdrive and before I could stop them, my lips were forming the words: ‘I’ll have the burger deluxe.’

“Several minutes later, swabbing the ketchup from the plate with the last French fry, I heaved a deep sigh. I found myself once again back at square one, trying to maintain my Lenten fast.”

In a recent commentary, Deacon Greg Kandra reflected on selfless giving during Lent,

To access Deacon Greg’s complete essay, please visit:

Legatus Magazine: The trouble with fasting (1 MAR 14)

Reflection Starter from St. Thérèse of Lisieux

“Our Lord’s love makes itself seen quite as much in the simplest of souls as in the most highly gifted, as long as there is no resistance offered to his grace.” – Saint Thérèse of Lisieux

Jimmy Dean and the Oak Ridge Boys: “Big Bad John”

As this blessed week draws to a close, I offer this version of Jimmy Dean, backed up by the Oak Ridge Boys, singing “Big Bad John” (from a 1995 presentation on The Nashville Network’s Music City Tonight):

Thank You, Lord

Thank you, Lord, for the many ways You touch minds and hearts through sacred choral music.

Br. Leo Camurati, O.P., on the Role of the Pope in the Life of the Church

“A prophet keeping vigil for the dawn of world socialism, H.G. Wells’ gaze was firmly fixed on the future. The past, on the other hand, was much less reliable. C.S. Lewis famously described Christianity as the myth become fact; Wells, as might be expected, wrote it off as fairy tales.

“If the Gospel is myth made fact, then the Holy Father, the Vicar of Christ, could also be considered a sort of walking myth. The secularist is simultaneously intrigued by the traditions and practices of the Papacy, while contemptuous of their purpose. The modern world is both skeptical and egalitarian: remaining hierarchies and distinctions are regularly flattened, and the authority and mystery of the past is frequently spurned. Yet these same skeptical moderns are fascinated by the ceremony and reverence that surrounds the successor of St. Peter. Why do people of this enlightened age still heed the teaching that comes from the Petrine throne?”

In a recent commentary, Brother Leo Camurati, O.P., reflected on the role of the Pope in the life of the Church.

To access Br. Leo’s complete reflection, please visit:

Dominicana: Chairmen (21 FEB 14)

Reflection Starter from Blessed Pope John Paul II

“A constant danger with Christians, even zealous Christians is that they become so immersed in the work of the Lord that they neglect the Lord of the work.” – Blessed Pope John Paul II

Thank You, Lord

Thank you, Lord, for Your great love for each of us, for each of the people You created.

Fr. Longenecker on Pope Francis an Evangelical Catholic

“Is Pope Francis an Evangelical Catholic? First, we have to define our terms: ‘evangelical’ in its simplest form refers to the ‘good news,’ which is the definition of the word evangelos. The authors of the Gospels are called ‘evangelists’ because they have recorded the ‘good news’ of Jesus Christ, and Mark’s Gospel begins with the words, ‘The beginning of the good news about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.’

“However, the word ‘Evangelical’ also refers to Protestants who hold to a conservative (and often anti-Catholic) understanding of the Christian faith. Evangelical Protestants are known for their simple devotion to Jesus Christ, their zeal for spreading the Gospel, and their joy in communicating the basic message of Christianity to the world.

Pope Francis is an Evangelical Catholic. . . .”

In a recent commentary, Father Dwight Longenecker (parish priest at Our Lady of the Rosary Parish, Greenville, SC) reflected on why he considers Pope Francis an Evangelical Catholic.

To access Fr. Longenecker’s complete post, please visit:

aleteia: Pope Francis: Our Model for Evangelical Catholicism (26 FEB 14)

Background information:

Dwight Longenecker - Catholic priest and author