Resisting Temptation and John Jay Ramifications

By Bishop Paul S. Loverde
Bishop of Arlington
(From the issue of 3/4/04)

The following homily was given by Bishop Paul S. Loverde during the Mass celebrated for the First Sunday of Lent at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington Feb. 29.

"Led by the Spirit into the desert for 40 days, (Jesus was) tempted by the devil." This scene, from today’s account from St. Luke’s Gospel, is very instructive for us as we gather on this First Sunday of Lent. Four days ago, on Ash Wednesday, the annual 40-day retreat of Lent began.

Again this year, as in every year, God the Holy Spirit leads us into the desert of our Lenten observance. During Lent, we are to live more intensely the Christian life we should be living all year long. St. Leo the Great says it well, " … what Christians should be doing at all times should be done now with greater care and devotion."

Part of our Christian living each day involves being tested or tempted. In each temptation, we are at a crossroads: to choose God’s Way — His Will, or not. Now, the Evil One tempts us in subtle ways, that is, he never presents something which appears clearly evil. Rather, he deceptively clothes it with the semblance of good.

This is why we need divine wisdom, the discernment which comes from the Holy Spirit and is given to us in authentic prayer. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us, " … 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" (no. 2847). This divine wisdom, this ability to discern wisely, comes to us only from prayer and reflection on the Word of God. Again, this is why during Lent, we are urged to deepen our life of prayer.

When we are tested or tempted, we are not alone. Christ is there to strengthen us if we allow Him to come to our assistance. St. Augustine encourages us: "(Christ) made us one with him when he chose to be tempted by Satan. We have heard in the Gospel how the Lord Jesus Christ was tempted by the devil in the wilderness. Certainly Christ was tempted by the devil. In Christ you were tempted. For Christ received his flesh from your nature, but by his own power gained salvation for you."

Every time we choose the good — God’s Way, our bond with Him is strengthened. We are thereby made more ready to face the next temptation. However, should we fail the test and give in to temptation and thereby actually sin, the faithful Lord Jesus awaits us in the Sacrament of Penance in which we shall be freed from our sins and given a new opportunity to choose God and His Way.

Through these daily temptations and tests, we are purified and emerge stronger in our faith and closer to our Lord. So too does the Church experience a new holiness through purification. Certainly, the Church is experiencing much purification in these days following the release of two reports on clergy misconduct within the Church in this country since 1950. Although this is a somber and painful time for the Church, I believe that we shall emerge stronger and holier. Pope John Paul II expressed this so beautifully: "A holier priesthood! A holier episcopate! A holier Church!"

In light of these two recent reports, I have written this weekend to all our people, so let me now share with you the contents of my letter.

As you probably know, this past Friday, the results of a national study on clergy misconduct were made public.

Spanning a 52-year period (1950-2002), this unprecedented study was commissioned by the Catholic bishops to shine a light on the past and gather as much information as possible about how this dreadful chapter in our history came about. The details of this national study are bringing to mind once again the anguish and shame, hurt and pain which we have experienced these past two years. Yet, amidst these sobering details, I see a ray of hope. I see in this study a public reckoning, which will help to build a stronger Church, a Church in which our children and young people will be safer.

As your bishop, I assure you once again that as far as humanly possible, we are doing and will continue to do all we can in the Diocese of Arlington to ensure the safety of our children and young people. Our child protection policy has been in place since 1991 and provides for mandatory reporting, counseling for those who have been hurt, and awareness training for employees of the diocese. Among the many tangible steps we have taken are the establishment of lay advisory boards, background checks on those who work with children and young people, a revised safe environment program for adults, and stringent screening of potential candidates for the priesthood. I encourage you to learn more about what we are doing at our diocesan Web site, www.arlingtondiocese.org.

As we journey together through Lent, a sense of Christian hope must prevail in our minds and hearts. This hope is not unreal, because it is rooted in the Crucified yet Risen Lord Jesus. Beyond this chapter in the Church’s history, a light dawns and beckons. The light is the Lord, Who defeated evil and suffering, sin and death by His Dying and Rising. He encourages us: "Behold, I make all things new." Purified by the pain of these days, may we rise, healed and strengthened by the newness of His grace, at work within all of us.

I know that you join me in praying most especially for all those who have been painfully affected by this crisis and also for our priests who feel so keenly the tragedy of these events. As the report indicates, the vast majority of our priests have been and remain faithful and upright, serving God’s people with generosity and dedication. You are daily in my prayers and in my heart as I hope that I might be in yours.

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