TEMPTATION - Illustrations

It was F.B. Meyer, I believe, who once said that when we see a brother or sister in sin, there are two things we do not know: First, we do not know how hard he or she tried not to sin. And second, we do not know the power of the forces that assailed him or her. We also do not know what we would have done in the same circumstances.
Stephen Brown, Christianity Today, April 5, 1993, p. 17.

---

A recent survey of Discipleship Journal readers ranked areas of greatest spiritual challenge to them:

1. Materialism.

2. Pride.

3. Self-centeredness.

4. Laziness.

5. (Tie) Anger/Bitterness.

5. (Tie) Sexual lust.

7. Envy.

8. Gluttony.

9. Lying.

Survey respondents noted temptations were more potent when they had neglected their time with God (81 percent) and when they were physically tired (57 percent). Resisting temptation was accomplished by prayer (84 percent), avoiding compromising situations (76 percent), Bible study (66 percent), and being accountable to someone (52 percent).
Discipleship Journal, November / December, 1992.

---

Lent 1 Sunday - Homilies

Opening Story:
Some people fall into temptation, but a great many make plans for disaster ahead of time. "Son," ordered a father, "Don't swim in that canal." 
"OK, Dad," he answered. But he came home carrying a wet bathing suit that evening. 
"Where have you been?" demanded the father. 
"Swimming in the canal," answered the boy. "Didn't I tell you not to swim there?" asked the father. 
"Yes, Sir," answered the boy. 
"Why did you?" he asked. 
"Well, Dad," he explained, "I had my bathing suit with me and I couldn't resist the temptation." 
"Why did you take your bathing suit with you?" he questioned. 
"So I'd be prepared to swim, in case I was tempted," he replied. 
Too many of us expect to sin and excite sin. The remedy for such dangerous action is found in Romans 13:14, "But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof." Whenever we play with temptation, it is easy to drift into great danger. A woman was bathing in the Gulf of Mexico. She was enjoying the comfort of relaxing on an inflated cushion that kept her afloat. When she realized that she had been swept about a half mile out from the beach, she began to scream, but no one heard her. A coast guard craft found her five miles from the place where she first entered the water. She did not see her danger until she was beyond her own strength and ability.
C. Swindoll, One Step Forward, p. 85.

For More Illustrations, see the separate post on Lent: Stories and Illustrations - TK
************
Fr. Bill Grimm:

Genetic mutations discovered that could prevent type 2 diabetes

MNT FeaturedAcademic Journal

 

Almost 26 million children and adults in the US have diabetes, while 79 million of us have pre-diabetes. Now, researchers have identified rare mutations in a gene that they say could prevent type 2 diabetes - the most common form of the disease - even in people who have risk factors for the condition.

The international research team, led by investigators from the Broad Institute of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard, and the Massachusetts General Hospital, recently published the findings in the journal Nature Genetics.
The researchers say that if a drug can be created that mimics the protective effects of these mutations, this could open the doors to the prevention of type 2 diabetes.
To reach their findings, the investigators analyzed the genes of 150,000 individuals over five ancestry groups using next-generation sequencing.

Tony De Mello: Song of the Bird - Stories

8 Stress-Busting Tips from Experts

                                              

Many Americans report extreme stress levels (8, 9 or 10 on a 10-point scale) and many say their stress levels have increased in the past year

• Stress plays a major role in the health of your immune system, and can impact your blood pressure, cholesterol levels, brain chemistry, blood sugar levels, and hormonal balance
• Actively managing your stress levels with exercise, staying positive, connecting with others, engaging in hobbies, and spending time in nature are crucial for optimal health

By Dr. Mercola

Every year, the American Psychological Association (APA) conducts a survey on the impact of stress in America – and as you may suspect, it’s substantial.
The latest survey found that many Americans are still reporting extreme stress levels (8, 9 or 10 on a 10-point scale) and many say their stress levels have increased in the past year. As APA notes:¹

“Stress is so commonplace in American culture that a Google search generates millions of results with essays, opinions and missives on what stress is doing to us…

Survey findings illustrate a scenario in which Americans consistently experience stress at levels higher than what they think is healthy. And while the average level of stress may be declining, people have a hard time achieving personal stress management goals…”

8 Sunday - Another Reflection - Tenderness of Love

By Monsignor Francesco Follo

PARIS, February 28, 2014 (Zenit.org) - 1) Faith[1] overcomes concern[2]

      This Sunday’s liturgy presents as the first reading a passage from the prophet Isaiah, who assures us that God does not forget us, and as Gospel a passage from the Sermon on the Mountain in which Jesus invites us not to trust in riches called mammon[3], but in the provident God who takes care of creation and of the creature par excellence: man.
      The risk denounced by Jesus is to trust in the power of money to secure life, maybe holding the foot in both camps. This attitude denotes an ambiguous life, conducted without full commitment to God and unconditional dedication to his service which is for life, while the service to material things is a finite answer to our desire for the infinite. It is important that Jesus illustrates the choice between God and wealth using the verb to serve. In fact if we do not use money wisely and evangelically, there is a serious and certain risk to become the servants of money, concerned only to accumulate it impoverishing for this reason our personal relationships, including that one with God. We have in this verse (Mt 6, 24), a variation on the theme of the blessedness of the poor (cf. Mt 5:3) that the text that follows declines in a new way in line with the trust in the providence of God. In fact, in Matthew 6: 26 and the following passages, Jesus describes the garden of the world and invites us to look at the world with eyes of faith. By faith we see in action the concern of the Father for everything: He takes care of everything even the lilies of the field and the birds of the sky and, more importantly, He is provident to men, beloved children made ​​in his image.

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday Reflection: What It Means to Be Human

by Mark D. Roberts

Ezekiel 2:1-10

The voice said to me: Human one, stand on your feet, and I’ll speak to you.

In the Common English Bible, the Lord addresses Ezekiel as “Human one.” Most English translations prefer the traditional “Son of man” instead of “Human one.” This is a more literal rendering of the Hebrew ben-adam. But the CEB rightly represents the sense of the Hebrew phrase. “Son of man” in this context means “human being” or “human one.” The Lord is not giving Ezekiel some special title, but addressing him in his humanness.

8 Sunday A - Don't Worry about Tomorrow - Homilies

Fr. Bill Grimm's Video Message at the bottom
-----------------------
Opening Story:

When I hear Jesus tell us to trust God, I think of the German philosopher and Carmelite contemplative, Edith Stein. Brought up in a pious Jewish household at the end of the nineteenth century, as a young woman she stopped believing in God. A brilliant mind, Edith excelled in philosophy. One evening she picked up a book by St. Therese of Lisieux. She spent the entire night reading it and in the morning she believed not only in God, but in Jesus and his Church. It was not a passing emotion. At great personal cost she became a Catholic.

When the Nazi persecution of Jews began, she could have gone to America, as did most of her family. Edith, however, felt called to become a Carmelite Sister - like St. Therese. She eventually wound up in a convent in Holland. When the Nazis took over that country in 1940, they registered all Jews, including those who had become Christians. In July of 1942, the Dutch bishops protested the persecution of Jews - and on July 20, they had a letter read from all Catholic pulpits.

It's official - stress DOES cause headaches

And the pain then causes us to become even more stressed

• There was a 'clear link' between the amount of stress people's lives and how often they experienced a headache, say German researchers
• Those most seriously affected had a 6% rise in ‘headache days’
• Around 30.4 million Britons - three out of four adults - claim to have suffered from headaches or migraines in the past six months

By Jenny Hope Medical Correspondent

Feel a headache coming on? You could be under stress, say researchers.
A new study proves what most headache had suspected - that having more stress in your life leads to more headaches.
There was a 'clear link' between the amount of stress people's lives and how often they experienced a headache.

Malappuram gynaecologist set to deliver a Guinness record

DC | Jose Kurian | 

Laila Begum

Kozhikode: Once while patrolling the streets during the wee hours, the Chemmad police saw a man ‘chasing’ a woman on the highway. After a stiff tussle, the team succeeded in holding back the man.
But to the embarrassment of the ‘heroes’, the woman started running back scolding the police. And she turned out to be Dr Laila Begum, a gynaecologist, who was rushing to the hospital followed by her aide to attend an emergency as her personal driver had failed to turn up.