Mastery in Resisting Temptation

   

First Sunday of Lent

09 March 2025

 

First Reading: Deuteronomy 26:4-10

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 91:1-2, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15

Second Reading: Romans 10:8-13

Gospel: Luke 4:1-13

 

Reflection

By: Anabelle P. Balla

 

After a long day at work, I often find myself yearning to unwind with activities that require minimal effort. Sometimes, I enjoy going around the garden, capturing the beauty of the sunset through my phone camera, tidying up different areas of the house, watering our indoor plants, or even organizing my clothes for the next day. However, there are also moments when I succumb to the allure of online live selling, scrolling through Facebook, or binge-watching movie series. These habits have become temptations in my life that I strive to manage or eliminate entirely. It's no easy feat, especially since they've become ingrained as habits. Mastering the ability to switch off these cravings at will, such as stopping a series even when the episodes ends on a cliffhanger, requires immense self-discipline or self-mastery.

As the old saying goes, self-mastery is not easy. The pursuit of self-mastery is filled with challenges and is often a lifelong journey. It demands unwavering dedication, self-discipline, and a willingness to confront one's flaws and weaknesses. The path is often marked by setbacks and failures that test one's resolve. However, it is through overcoming these obstacles that we grow stronger and develop the ability to resist temptations.

Achieving self-mastery on our own can be challenging, but when anchored in our relationship with God, we may find it more attainable. God can provide us with the conviction, grounding us in values centered on Him, calming our spirits during times of emotional turmoil, and offering supportive circumstances that help us move away from temptations. We just need to reach out to Him and ask for help.

Embracing the path to self-mastery not only empowers us to achieve our personal goals but also enriches our overall well-being, including our relationship with God.

Prayer

Father, give us the strength and the mastery to resist temptations. With Your help, we can achieve progress. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

Quiet Moments

Mary, the Mother of God

January 1, 2016

First reading                                                                             Numbers 6:22-27

The Lord spoke to Moses and said, ‘Say this to Aaron and his sons: “This is how you are to bless the sons of Israel. You shall say to them:
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May the Lord let his face shine on you and be gracious to you.
May the Lord uncover his face to you and bring you peace.”
This is how they are to call down my name on the sons of Israel, and I will bless them.’

Psalm	Psalm 66:2-3,5,6,8

Second reading                                                                         Galatians 4:4-7                    When the appointed time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born a subject of the Law, to redeem the subjects of the Law and to enable us to be adopted as sons. The proof that you are sons is that God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts: the Spirit that cries, ‘Abba, Father’, and it is this that makes you a son, you are not a slave any more; and if God has made you son, then he has made you heir.

Gospel                                                                           Luke 2:16-21

The shepherds hurried away to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. When they saw the child they repeated what they had been told about him, and everyone who heard it was astonished at what the shepherds had to say. As for Mary, she treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds went back glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen; it was exactly as they had been told.
  When the eighth day came and the child was to be circumcised, they gave him the name Jesus, the name the angel had given him before his conception.

Reflection

By Anabelle Payod-Balla

As I looked back, I see God's hands in my life. The different turning points in my life are the dots that led me to where I am today. These dots, these turning points just happened without me pursuing them. God just led me there as I put my life in a His care.

This is the reflection shared by a great leader of a company who is admired by many. As I listened to him, I can only nod my head in agreement because I can fully relate to what he said. I have seen these dots in my life and I want to call them God's loving finger prints. 

How about you? Have you figured out those situations when things just happened to you without the difficulty of choosing what decisions to make? When you didn't need to go and look for the opportunity because it came directly to you? 

This New Year,  may you find time to reflect and be enlightened by those turning points where you see God's hands, leading you to a better chapter of your life. And as we revisit our past, may God help us to discern His will for us and give us the grace to follow His promptings that will surely lead us to His loving embrace.

Like Mary, the Mother of God, who spends quiet moments to absorb what is happening, may we develop the habit and the attitude of reflection. Through reflection, we allow our minds to open up and see the bigger picture that surrounds us. Reflection can help us connect the pieces together and have better understanding. With better understanding comes acceptance and thanksgiving that will help prepare us for the next amazing things that God has prepared for us.

May God give us the grace to enjoy His wonderful blessings this year 2016. Happy New Year!!! 

Prayer

Father, we praise You for looking after us. Please continue to lead us in all our ways. Move us Lord to where we can be our best, to where we can serve You best. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.

Mary, Mother of God and Mother of us all, pray for us.