Speaking of the Lenten efforts of Fasting, Prayer, and Almsgiving, our parish recently received a letter reminding us of the possibilities—both personal and communal—of graciously sharing our blessings with another. (Dated February 25th.)
Dear Ascension Parish,
The recent fires in Los Angeles have profoundly affected our schools, parishes, and so many individuals and families in our community. In these challenging times, our faith call us to come together in solidarity to provide hope and healing for those who are struggling.
We are grateful to your parish community for answering the call. On behalf of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and all those who need our help, thank you for your generous gift of financial support of the Wildfire Victims Emergency Relief Fund.
Your kind donation will directly assist the individuals and families in our community who need help to recover and rebuild by providing them with emergency financial assistance.
We are blessed by your commitment to offering light and hope for our brothers and sisters in need. May our lives always reflect the generosity and love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
May Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mother of Jesus and Mother of all the peoples, keep us close to her Son.’
Most Reverend Jose H. Gomez, Archbishop of Los Angeles
May these forty days of Lent provide us the possibilities to witness the struggles of others and willingly, generously respond regardless of the sacrifice. Not for our sake, but for the grace of Christ’s light and hope to illumine the life of another, and at the same time inspire a graciousness within our own hearts to be the “hands and feet” of our Savior. Yes, this Lenten journey is a ‘penitential’ time to heal, seek forgiveness, and rediscover the light of Christ’s presence embracing our imperfect humanity.
Traditionally, the First Sunday of Lent offers the gospel passage of Jesus’ temptation in the desert during his forty day journey. “Filled with the Holy Spirit Jesus returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days, to be tempted by the devil.” Regardless of how well we safeguard our daily lives, with a modicum of fortitude and integrity, we will face temptations. Often without warning and unsettling. As one evangelist puts it, “it is not the temptations you have, but the decision you make about them that counts.” Pride and despair are temptations we encounter in life, forsaking the preeminence of Christ’s love for us in spite of and because of our imperfect humanity. Henri Nouwin, priest, author, and spiritual guide, offers one such illustration of temptation; and the Christian pastor and author, Charles Swindoll, offers a contrasting example of temptation.
“Over the years, I have come to realize that the greatest trap in our life is not success, popularity, or power, but self-rejection. Success, popularity, and power can indeed present a great temptation, but their seductive quality often comes from the way they are part of the much larger temptation to self-rejection. When we have come to believe in the voices that call us worthless and unlovable, then success, popularity, and power are easily perceived as attractive solutions. The real trap, however, is self-rejection. As soon as someone accuses me or criticizes me, as soon as I am rejected, left alone, or abandoned, I find myself thinking, "Well, that proves once again that I am a nobody.’. . .Self-rejection is the greatest enemy of the spiritual life because it contradicts the sacred voice that calls us the "Beloved." Being the Beloved constitutes the core truth of our existence.” (Henri J.M. Nouwen)
I'm here today to warn you: I want you to watch out for the adversary. Guard yourself from any spirit of entitlement. Restrain any and all subtle temptation to gain attention or to find ways to promote yourself. (Charles R. Swindoll) Regardless of how we may falter in the face of temptation, or be resolute in our Christian principles in regard to such allurement, faith will dispense the integrity and strength to face down such that seeks to harm our God given dignity; and faith will also dispense the humility to seek Christ’s forgiveness and healing when we falter. Entering the forty days of Lent with our resolutions to renew our prayer life, to fast from negative habits, to open our eyes before the needs of others, may our faith guide us to find Christ within the imperfections andtumultuous events surrounding us, and the imperfections of our humanity as well. As St. Philip Neri, (sixteenth century priest who brought together a community for the outreach to the struggling and abandoned), understood so well, following Jesus as Christians also means accepting times of temptation for the possibility of a greater good. “Do not grieve over the temptations you suffer. When the Lord intends to bestow a particular virtue on us, He often permits us first to be tempted by the opposite vice. Therefore, look upon every temptation as an invitation to grow in a particular virtue and a promise by God that you will be successful, if only you stand fast.” 
God Bless, Fr. Tim
FYI: “March is a tomboy with tousled hair, a mischievous smile, mud on her shoes, and a laugh in her voice.” (Hal Borland, author and naturalist)