23/07/2023

St Paul assures us that even though we sometimes feel that we are an empty shell, alone in an empty but echoing void and have no ways of either understanding our loneliness that is also longing, nor communicating the beings, our emptiness still is, to  God, who is always present. Father Son and Holy Spirit never lose sight of us and in the person of the Holy Spirit will always bring us the words to pray for and accept the merciful Love that is the Trinity of Persons and oneness of being, one God.

Today Jesus speaks of the devil. I do not think that I am alone in being bothered by this personification of my disobedience to the Will of God during my lifetime. Jesus defeated the power of Satan during the space of time he was in the tomb. We can see the corpse on the cross but we cannot see into the tomb until the Mary of yesterday's mass-reading accosts the gardener "Sir, if you have taken him away where have you put him".

As a baptised child, I was always aware of my sins. I lied and stole. I disobeyed my parents. This was always explained to me in my tearful contrition as "giving in" to the temptation of the Devil. But I knew then and still know now that the petty sins of childhood and the more serious sins of teenage and adulthood were all of them my own doing. 

We have all been created to freely co-operate in the Holiness of the Creator who was left in the temporary tomb on Good Friday. There is no doubt that he was dead, spices were left to disguise the decay of the flesh of the true man, begotten not made.  On Sunday morning that body was the new life of the Resurrection. The devil's power was broken but why is it that we are still sinful humanity. The Evergreater God has no evil in him we are all created to live in his holiness on this Earth and to "shine like the sun in the kingdom of our Father". May Our Lady and all the Saints help us in our weakness!!

Dear Lord let my ears hear the words that are life. I want to be with you for I know that there is nothing without you and more than nothing if I refuse the grace that you pour out on me and all sinners. The devil has no power to force me into sin and the freedom I do have is in your image and likeness. Strengthen Lord my weaknesses and let your Mother Mary and all the Saints pray with me that I may refuse the multitude of Sin that fills our world to the extent of controlling every second of time that should be devoted to you.