In the Gospel reading today from Mark 7, Jesus heals a deaf man with a speech impediment. “And immediately the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly.” Let us pray today that God will open our ears to hear the truth, and that that hearing will result in us speaking the truth.
In the first reading today from Genesis 3, we’re back in the garden. The serpent (Satan) comes and whispers sweet nothings into the ears of the woman. He plants seeds of doubt and dissent in her mind, telling her that God was duping her. “No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods who know what is good and what is evil.” In essence, the serpent convinced her that she didn’t need to be obedient to God; she could become her own god!
Doesn’t that have a familiar ring to it? I suppose it should. Because that same old trick that the devil used on Eve is the same old trick that he tries to use on us. It's the first trick in Satan's playbook. The sad part is that far too often, it works. We don’t need God! We don’t need someone telling us what to do! We don’t need the Church! We can make up our own minds! Hand me that piece of fruit! At its core, Satan introduced pride into the world. When we think we’re smarter than God, it ain’t gonna end well. Reminds me of the old truism: Pride cometh before the fall.
Father, forgive us for those times when we, too, fall for the oldest trick in the devil’s playbook: pride. Teach us to be obedient to you always. Amen.
Would your parish be willing to invest $1 into each family this Lent to help them learn the faith? Get copies of A Minute in the Church and give them away this Ash Wednesday. Order today at www.GusLloyd.com.
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