TEMPTATIONS OF THE DEVIL. !st Sunday of LENT.

  1. The devil. 

      The Liturgy of the Mass described the steps towards salvation. First, we must know what we have done to offend God; this was taught during Shrove Tuesday. Secondly, we must know how to repent for those past sins; the Church begun to teach us this from Ash Wednesday and forward up to Easter. This consist in living a life of repentance that consist in prayer, fasting and good works. 

      Neither, merely, knowing one's sin nor the life of prayer, fasting and good works can forgive our past sins. Thirdly, we must attain the gift of the Holy Spirit called the fear of God. 

      With the 'fear of God,' the soul, also, obtains the theological virtue of Faith and Charity. 

      The devil who, through jealousy, wants to destroy the souls of men, knows that upon reaching Faith and Charity there is nothing he can do to destroy souls. Satan knows he has to destroy souls before the souls repents or at least when they are in the process of repentance. 

       Most men don't bother repenting so the devil has nothing to do to destroy them.  They are, effectively, destroying their souls without any help from the devil. The devil loves to destroy those repenting, especially those who are approaching the virtues of Faith and Charity.

        The devil does his dirty work through temptations. 

2. God uses the devil in two ways.

    The devil cannot approach or tempt any soul without the permission of God. If God ever allows the devil the approach or tempt men it is for two reasons. First, God allows the devil to tempt men with the virtue of Faith in order to help them advance in virtue and holiness. 

      Christ in the Gospel for today was tempted by the devil. He allowed this to show those who have Faith how to use temptations to progress in the life of virtue and holiness. St. Veronica Giuliani, John Vianney, Padre Pio were some of the saints who were accosted by devil that they may overcome the devil and advance in the spiritual life. 

        The second reason why God allows the devil to tempt, especially, those who have no Faith is this. Those who have no Faith are usually in the state of moral sin, that is why they have no Faith. If these sinners do not immediately repent for their past sins, their punishment from God is that God allows them to fall further into sin. And as they fall deeper into sin more devils possess their souls. So they go from worse to worse to the point that they cannot do anything good either for themselves, for their love ones, for their country or for the whole world. In fact, God punishes them by making them do evil to themselves, their love ones, to their countrymen and to the whole world. And there is nothing they can do to stop this;.....except to stop sinning, repenting and undergo the first among three conversions. 

        However, the deeper they commit more evil, the harder it is to repent. It is still possible but considering all matters especially that the devil will do everything to prevent them, it will be near impossible to save their souls. This is clearly seen in the much publicised lives of Catholic politicians who are pubic sinners, like those proposing abortion; everything they do after their first mortal sins is a descend to greater evil according to the moral theology of their Catholic Faith. They cannot do any thing good, they can only do evil things because this is God's punishment for them for having sinned, while refusing to repent. This is a punishment from God. 

3.The world is in this descend into the bottomless pit..

    Lead by the two leading figures, the Vatican and the USA, God has allowed the devil to tempt them into greater evils because both of them have sinned, the Vatican with Idolatry, the USA with abortion and with their continuous refusal to repent, God has allowed the devil to tempt them to commit more and more sin, driving them deeper into greater evil.

     St. Thomas have written, he who sins against one command of Christ will sin against all the commands of Christ. One who go against one teaching of Christ goes against all the commands of Christ. Everybody seems to be at the bottom of sinfulness and possessed by legions of devils. 

THEY TOLD HIM ALL THEY TAUGHT AND DONE. Saturday in the 4th Weekday in Ordinary Time.

 1. The Gospel. 

         After the apostles preached and performed miracles, they returned to Christ to report to Him what they have preached and what they had done. And Christ led them to the desert to rest.

       The apostles have preached and had done some good works after which they returned to Christ to report what they preached and what they did, to find out if they did things right. Then Christ led them to desert so they can examine their consciences if they had done thing right. 

       At this time, the apostles were just beginners.  It can happen that they have preached wrongly and have done things wrongly. So they had to report to Christ so they can be corrected. Then they went on a retreat to find out what mistakes they have done and correct their mistakes.

       After Pentecost, the apostles will be doing everything right; but now, they were beginners and in humility they knew they could make a mistake so they report to Christ for correction. Then they went to the desert for their life of repentance.

2. Life of repentance

    The apostles were brought by Christ to the desert to train them how to examine their consciences so they can correct their mistakes. Nobody does that today. So we hear priests say wrong things and do wrong things and they do nothing to correct their errors. It is a total lack of repentance when  all priests are preaching wrong things and doing wrong things, all contrary to the teachings of Christ. 

      If all our bishops and priests go to Christ and report on what they have taught and done, they would be getting a stern scolding. Nobody is doing this today, that is why we are in such as mess. Yet the Liturgy reminds all priests and bishops to do this, if they must remain the good teachers of the Faith. We are having very bad teachers. Thus one of the five elements of perfect atmosphere for the salvation of souls is lacking. When one is lacking, all the five are lacking. Again the five elements are, first, souls must know the complete plan of salvation. Secondly, they must have good teachers, i.e. Christ, the apostles, the Fathers and the doctors of the Church. Thirdly, the souls must be fertile soil. Fourthly, they must be in the ideal classroom, i.e. the Community where all have Faith. And fifty, they must know what test they will have and what is the right answer to their tests. All of these are found in the Liturgy of the Mass. 

     Today's Gospel describes good teachers as those, who being beginners, should, always, check with Christ, it they are teaching and doing the right things when teaching. 

3. Bishops conference on the Corona virus and the vaccines. 

     The Philippines Bishop's conference on the Corona virus and the vaccines was on line for all to see and hear. They had a Dominican friar as resource person. They were expected to discuss the Catholic response to the Corona virus and the vaccines. 

      They should be discussing the Doctrine of Divine Providence and the theology of Chastisements as the proper backdrop of their discussion on the virus and the vaccines. They discussed the virus and the vaccines but, absolutely, nothing on the Catholic doctrines on Divine Providence and Chastisements. So they all looked like Pharmaciutical agents selling drugs, rather than clergy saving souls. Not one drop of advice on how to save one's soul before the onslaught of a pandemic where the very vaccine can kill. The Catholic faithful are left completely in the dark. 

       Even the Dominican friar did not mention St. Thomas' treatise on Divine Providence and Divine Chastisement. He sounded more like a stock holder of a medical company. So what about the souls, reverend father bishops? Absolutely nothing for the salvation of souls. 

4. What did they say?

     They were going on, publicly, on TV. They should have checked on what they were going to say and what they were going to do. In fact, St. Francis de Sales developed the above principle into this; they should check what they were going to say and do before they talk and do things. They should check what they were going to say and do during their talk. They should check on what they were going to say and do after they say and do them. This is the better way. 

     Yet, the bishop's conference did neither what the Gospel said and what St. Francis de Sales wrote. So everything they said and did were purely in the pharmaceutical level. Not a single word on the benefits for the soul. 

5. What they should have said?

     It must be a description of the Doctrine of Divine Providence and the teachings on Chastisement, i.e, the corona virus, like all creatures, are all under God's direct control. God controls them for men to see if they are for God or against God. 

     The present pandemic is a reminder that men have sinned. They have not repented. Through justice God will have to punish them to the eternal fires of hell. If man does not still repent,  then God will send them greater chastisements. Their worse chastisement is that God will allow them to commit more serious sins, they will be unable to do anything good and right. And the devil will possess their souls. At this latter worse state, repentance will be more difficult or even be impossible.  And yet they must repent or else.......

     The lock downs, social distancing,  face mask and face shield cannot stop God's action of testing men. If they obey God's message, they can set aside all those useless purely social practices. Because God decides who will live and who will die, and nobody can stop that.

      The vaccine will not make you live longer or shorter. For your lack of Faith by not believing the doctrines of Divine Providence and chastisement, it can even kill you as God's punishment. If the vaccine is imposed on you, as most states will do because they are faithless, take it but don't believe it can save you physically.  

       God is in full control. The only thing man must do is pass his test by showing Faith in God. And the pandemic has been the perfect set up in making an act of Faith.