Lead us not into temptation

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I’ve seen ongoing discussion about this concept of God leading us into temptation. Apparently the Italian Bishops are rewording this part of the Our Father to be something like “do not let us fall/be abandoned to temptation” and received approval from the Pope.

It does seem just a bit cruel to imply that a loving God might lead us into a path which could result in our demise.

Yet.

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Freedom

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This coming week, the US will celebrate its core belief in freedom. But the Christian view isn’t quite the same!

For freedom Christ set us free;
so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.

For you were called for freedom, brothers and sisters.
But do not use this freedom
as an opportunity for the flesh;
rather, serve one another through love.

Gal 5:13-14
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Body and Blood

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What a fabulous sending forth after the Easter season! Today we are celebrating the Solemnity of what Christ gave us in the Last Supper.

His body and His blood, shed for the salvation of every person in all of humanity.

On Holy Thursday we remembered that meal, but today I’m thinking about the implication of His gifts.

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Father, Son, Holy Spirit

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I find our Christian faith to be amazing.

It seems that we often focus on the three persons of the trinity like they were three people stuffed into a single package. Well, I’m not sure about calling the Holy Spirit “people” – maybe he’s in between the cracks? That’s a weird image

But I’m coming to realize that the REAL message here is that we have a God of relationship. God himself already is a relationship of 3 persons, but then each of us also are invited to be part of that relationship as well.

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Coming of the Holy Spirit

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Today, with great joy, we focus on the Spirit that Jesus said the Father would send.

“I have told you this while I am with you. The Advocate, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.”

John 14:26

Without the Holy Spirit, Jesus is just a remembered character from a story 2000 years old. Compelling, yes, but a lot less active.

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Eternity

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I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last,
the beginning and the end.”

Rev 22:14

Everything that I do, everything I understand, is based on time. My own time – my life – started at a particular point and will end at a particular point. And time goes in exactly one direction.

I enjoy science fiction and time travel stories, but still … that’s just tweaking around the edges. The idea of true eternity just blows me away.

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It’s real!

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At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

Luke 1:39-45

We have just completed the celebration of our Lord’s resurrection, and suddenly we’ve switched to the time before Jesus’ birth. I find this to be one of the wonderful things about our yearly liturgical cycle.

We have another chance to meet Jesus!

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Ascension

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The resurrected Son of God left us after just a few weeks – forty days in the Christian tradition.

But there was so much more to learn! There still is, nearly 2000 years later!

At some stage, you have to let your kiddos grow up and navigate the world in their own way.

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Peace

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Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.

John 14:27

Our world certainly doesn’t seem peaceful. The news is more and more stressful every day, trying to drive me nuts.

Time to check out of the daily disaster feed and return to my Rock, my Savior.

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