Today’s responsorial Psalm is resonating in my heart: “Show us, O Lord, the light of your kindness.”
And the verses are true cries from the heart:
– “Remember not against us the iniquities of the past”
– “May your compassion come quickly to us”
– “Help us, O God our savior”
– “Deliver us and pardon our sins”
It’s almost like the Lord’s Prayer! And the tail end of the Lord’s Prayer says, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” We want help, and we certainly need help.
Temptations
According to Saint Ignatius of Loyola, all temptation falls into three basic categories. The flesh, which is also called sensuality. The world, which is called vanity. And finally, the devil, also called pride. The flesh, the world, the devil – sensuality, vanity and pride. And through his temptations in the desert, Jesus conquers all three. We certainly need divine help to overcome one or all of the temptations.
Vanity is the temptation clearly in display in the Gospel today. The story has Jesus, with His disciples, walking to Jerusalem. Only Jesus knows what awaits Him there. He tries to tell His chosen Apostles what was going to happen: His arrest, conviction, scourging, and death.
But they could not comprehend or appreciate the gravity of his words. Instead, what are they concerned with? Jostling each other, to see who would sit closest to Him in the kingdom!! James and John, trying to see if they could have the places of honor in Heaven. They had no idea what they were agreeing to when they replied that they could drink of the chalice of which the Master drank.
Frailty
What a bunch of frail vessels were the first apostles. No different from us, really.
We all aspire for positions of power and fame and honor. We sometimes betray our own friends and family for wealth or glory. We ignore warnings meant to keep us safe.
But our God is just and merciful, full of kindness. And if we are honest and humble enough, we can turn back to God and say, “Show us, O Lord, the light of your kindness.” “Help us, O God our savior.” “Deliver us and pardon our sins.”
