Show Notes
We lie. We lie to others. We lie to ourselves. Lent is a chance to look at the truth and try to do better.
Gospel: Mk 1:12-15
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Episode Transcript
[00:00:12] Speaker A: Welcome to the Blessed Sacrament Homilies podcast, where our mission is to help everyone recognize and experience the presence of God. We hope you are nourished and encouraged by the word. Thank you for joining us.
[00:00:25] Speaker B: The Lord be with you and with your spirit. A reading from the holy gospel according.
[00:00:30] Speaker C: To mark.
[00:00:33] Speaker B: The spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, and he remained in.
[00:00:38] Speaker D: The desert for 40 days.
[00:00:40] Speaker B: Tempted by Satan, he was among wild beasts and the angels ministered to him.
After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God.
This is the time of fulfillment.
[00:00:59] Speaker D: The kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent and believe the gospel, the gospel.
[00:01:06] Speaker C: Of the Lord.
[00:01:10] Speaker B: It has come to.
[00:01:12] Speaker D: My attention that many of you are habitual liars.
[00:01:21] Speaker C: The reason why I know that is because so am I.
[00:01:28] Speaker B: But it's not the kind of lying.
[00:01:30] Speaker C: We normally think of. It's not to make us look better.
[00:01:33] Speaker D: To other people or to cover up for a mistake.
[00:01:38] Speaker C: The person we lie to is ourselves.
Some people call that rationalization, but it.
[00:01:47] Speaker D: Really is just a lie.
[00:01:51] Speaker C: We tell ourselves that what we're doing isn't all that bad.
[00:01:55] Speaker D: Actually, it's really okay. I can keep doing it.
[00:01:59] Speaker C: When in reality, if we're honest with ourselves, we know it is leading us into deeper sin.
We lie to ourselves when we convince ourselves that certain things will bring us peace and happiness, be they material, relational.
[00:02:21] Speaker D: Or fame wise, we tell ourselves these.
[00:02:25] Speaker C: Things and then we usually, in fact.
[00:02:27] Speaker D: Always find out that the lie we.
[00:02:30] Speaker C: Told ourselves wasn't 100% accurate.
[00:02:34] Speaker D: So we tell ourselves another lie.
[00:02:37] Speaker C: Well, maybe that didn't make me happy, but if I get this or experience.
[00:02:41] Speaker D: This, then I'll be happy.
And it doesn't work.
We lie to ourselves again, and some.
[00:02:50] Speaker C: Of us do this literally thousands of.
[00:02:54] Speaker D: Times in our life.
Well, the season of Lent is meant.
[00:03:04] Speaker C: To give us time for honest inventory of our lives, to recognize and acknowledge those times we have lied to ourselves.
[00:03:18] Speaker D: And even more importantly, to talk to God about those lies, to bring them.
[00:03:26] Speaker C: Openly and honestly before a God who we know loves us unconditionally and will give us the forgiveness and the healing.
[00:03:37] Speaker D: We need, and give us the strength to change.
[00:03:45] Speaker C: Now notice this season happens every year.
[00:03:53] Speaker D: Because we always fall back into the same habits.
[00:03:58] Speaker C: We can do better for a while.
[00:04:00] Speaker D: For periods of time, and then we fall back into those old habits.
[00:04:05] Speaker C: So it's good to have this Lenten retreat every year to once again reevaluate.
[00:04:11] Speaker D: And reassess to repent, which is what Jesus has asked us to do.
[00:04:18] Speaker C: And in truth, what repentance is at its heart is seeing things in a new way, in a clear way, in an honest way. Let's take advantage of the opportunity.
