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Prayer Talk 24: Tom Byrne

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in the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit listen to the word Psalm 73 my feet were on the point of stumbling a little further and I should have slept envying the Arrogant as I did and watching The Wicked get rich for them no such thing as pain their bodies are healthy and strong they do not suffer his other men do no human afflictions for them this is why my people turn to them and lap up all they say asking how will God find out does the most high know everything look at them he said the wicked well off and still getting richer after all why should I keep my own heart pure and wash my hands in innocence if you play all day long and discipline me every morning Lord God open our hearts this evening to listen to the word that you place there episode attention for your movements in our lives give us courage to resist temptation and to see it for what it really is so we can grow in Holiness and it's the likeness of your son Jesus Christ who lives and reigns forever and ever name of the Father and Son of the holy spirit amen evening everybody my name is Father Tom Byrne and I'm the director of Chicago seminarians so I work with all of our young men who are at preparing for Priestly vocations for the Archdiocese and I brought some of them with me tonight and I just want to say a special thank you to for welcoming Kevin gregus who's with you now for his third year and how does internship and benefiting so much for my Julian is so so thanks so much for the good work you do I want to reflect its you just a little bit on the theme of Temptation and which is a standard issue part of the Christian Life is something all of us go through I think there is really no such thing as a life that is free from Temptation and maybe if someone's life has no temptation in it it's because they've already given into all of it so there's no need to be tempted for anything else says Christians people who are trying to grow deeper in relationship with Jesus people trying to live the virtues that we're always going to struggle for the good and and we call that temptation we listen to this portion of Psalm 73 just now music The Wicked well off and still getting richer this is an idea that that runs all through the wisdom literature especially in the Old Testament why does life seem so hard for good people why is life so hard for the righteous and so easy for the wicked red certainly something I've asked myself along these years of my life you know why does it seem like I try to follow the rules do what I'm supposed to do the right thing faithful to God in and difficulty still come my way things don't always work out the way I want them to and I looked over at the other guy who does whatever he wants plays fast and loose with the rules doesn't really take his obligations seriously and he seems perfectly content for notice that in your life. Think about that why is this the case who's the Temptation that line of thinking and it's not really what you think it might be temptation is not just to abandon God because it doesn't seem like he's Dependable anymore come on. You take care of these tough spots all the time why am I fending for myself or people are getting ahead of me rather the real Temptation in there is the act of comparing my own life my own situation what I've got going on with that of some other person and that's what we call Angie that's really what's going on catechism defines temptation as an attraction either from outside oneself or from within to act contrary to right reason and the Commandments of God letter words Temptations can come I can come from in the world as I can look around where they can arise from the depths of my heart and in my mind to do something that doesn't make sense better way to begin to look at Temptation in our lives is to ask this question what cracks me what attract me what draws me in what's Sparkles for me what catches my eye right what's what's that shiny thing that I keep getting drawn over to and then to see if that's whatever it is if it's squares up with what I know to be right true and good the first step really in all this business of looking at Temptation our life is just to be attentive to be where they mean by being aware well ever when I was in high school and you know what's funny all the girls that I liked didn't seem to be interested in me at all but I want to completely list was the fact that there were other wonderful girls who all the while we're trying to get my attention because they weren't interested in me I wasn't aware the clear way to say to that play clueless right wheel. Of those moments in our lives of course but we have to become a where it doesn't just naturally happen by itself it's an essential step in our spiritual journeys of opening our eyes to see what is really happening in front of us become aware of what God is doing what's happening with the stakes are in our spiritual lives first requires that we have courage courage in the willingness to acknowledge what is we going on really does seem a lot easier sometimes to just go on through life with my blinders on if I don't see it then I don't have to deal with it nobody wants to be overwhelmed by problems all the time so we have to take courage of try to look at things that are more challenging for us. Just recommend maybe two things that help us to Growing awareness the first is that we review our day before you go to bed every night the great spiritual tradition I'm going to church in from all the different spiritual Masters Saint Ignatius of Loyola called it the examine the prayer of of spiritual examine its really just to walk to the hours of the day and see how I spent them to see what happened what really happened what were the forces that were Weighing on me full good and bad what went well or correlated at home or work if there was something particular disastrous that happened today why was it so bad how do I get there what were the consequences so we wanted take that time but there be 5 or 10 minutes and that courage to look back on the day and see what happened it's much easier just to put your head in the pillow and fall asleep and try to again the next day but we gained a lot of fruit from becoming aware of the day that has passed in the spiritual life that helps it become aware is to ask other people for their feedback generally were not the best judges of ourselves we come to know ourselves better through the insides of other people who may trust to really tell us the truth about ourselves one thing that we work on the Seminary with the seminarians all the time is helping to learn how they can get an accurate picture of themselves good self-knowledge right to know how you come off to Nowhere you need Improvement to know what you're good at and what you're not so on the drive home off to call Father James and ask him how the talk really was so what's were aware of the once we taking the courage and open our eyes a little bit we can begin to see those temptations that are really in front of us you no longer go through life with the blind is on a because you're more sensitive to the battle that is actually going on people that want to grow in Holiness we recognize that that the Lord invites us to things and also the enemy really does exist comes after us and tempt us into places that are not truly helpful for us so we start to get really honest with ourselves and with God and look at how we responded temptation is a couple of extreme too loud for when it comes to looking at Temptation to kind of poles to extreme opposites first with temptation is just to give in right this is the person who sees the temptation but doesn't want to fight it think we've all been there at one point inner life for another yeah I know I struggle with axe fill in the blank whatever it is Gossip anger rage but I'm never going to get past that we met rationalize ways to well this will be the last time I won't do it anymore after this I just need it today I will fix that at this point in my life but not now so it's too hard for not going to do it either side The Other Extreme is really the try to pretend like the Temptation doesn't exist that thing that thing to keep telling my mind I'm not even going to think about that, like what the psychologists call repression if you just refuse to think about something in your life because it's too painful to scary it's too difficult it just don't want to go there and it just means that that thing will end up coming out some other place in your life we got to deal with all these things whether we like it or not we know the Christ Our Lord himself was tempted by the he really underwent Temptation by Satan that three times during his time in the desert the letter to the Hebrews tells us the Christ had to become like his brothers in every way that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest before God to take away the sins of the people because he himself was tested through what he suffered he is able to help who are being tested Jesus was tested he was really tempted and that means that he understood Temptation so he gets us when we go through that in our life is real Temptations they weren't fake they were just to show that Jesus was putting on for us he really contended with Satan you know what the thing about Jesus's is that he chose a different way he didn't try to pretend like the Temptation didn't exist he didn't just give in to it right you've course verscend he chose to go right down the middle between those two he saw his Temptations looked at them and he saw them for what they really were who are the Sun command that these Stones become loaves of bread twitch Jesus says one does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God if you are the Son of God throw yourself down from this Temple I got it is written you shall not put the Lord your God to the test all these kingdoms the world I give to you if you prostrate yourself and worship me go away Satan Lord your God you shall worship and him alone shall you serve put on here in The Temptations of Jesus what they all three have in common is that their Temptations for Jesus to forget who he really is to forget his true identity to disregard his incarnation is the fact that he's taking on our human condition in all of our poverty over weakness all our propensity to be tempted except for sin there's a way you know to look at Temptation without looking at Temptation we're trying to go to Holiness we generally don't want to look at our Temptations and think about them and let them have their effect on us right it's like the recovering alcoholic tries not to spend too many hours and bars because it's just Temptations doesn't make any sense if we think about it the same way if you struggle with this thing while don't go over there okay but there's a way that we can still look at our Temptations and ask the question why why this thing right why am I being tempted by this thing why am I so interested by this kind of Temptation that keeps coming back to me what is it so grab my attention why am I bothering you so much by this thing that keeps coming back to speaking so vaguely here because you know what are Temptations our own reach our own person before God we struggle with their own thing each one of you has your own spiritual journey to walk and no one person's Temptation who struggles will be the same as the purse sitting next to them celebrity personal right ask yourself those questions when when The Temptations come this is what Jesus does he were the devil he asked himself why why why why is the devil doing this what is the after the devil tempts Jesus in order to get him to forget who he is both God and man here's the German Theologian John Baptist Metz who writes about this Satan whoever tries to abs what's Jesus's self-renunciation is Thorogood going poverty Satan wants to make Jesus straw for what the devil really fears is the powerlessness of God and Humanity has assumed Satan's tears Trojan Horse been open human heart that will remain true to his native poverty suffer the misery and abandonment that is Humanities and thus save mankind Satan's temptation is an assault on self-renunciation and enticement of strength security and spiritual abundance for these things will obstruct God saving approach to humanity in the dark Robes of Frailty and weakness comes to us intentionally as a human Like Us in all things but sin and intentionally as one who is weak that's the way he wants to keep it who invited to see we can learn from The Temptations in our lives our Temptations can really become our teachers I really do believe that Italian Catholic priests and founder of the movement communion and Liberation Luigi jasani wrote that the mark of great Souls and persons who are truly alive is an eagerness for this search commitment to the reality of their existence not just taking things as they seem to be the really digging in there and asking the question what is this all about why do things go on as they are why do I suffer in the way that I do what does God have to say about that that's the questions people ask who are serious about the spiritual life which one of our Temptations the lesson and we want to pay attention to what it might be you want to have the courage to ask why to each one of our temptations that even in them God can reveal something to me about who I am and where I'm going in life so I want to just for a little while here walkthrough the seven capital sins write the vices the ways that were most commonly tempted stand in daily life and some of us can relate more of these than others each one of us started their own way so just listen as we walk through these and see how this kind of develops and maybe what we can learn from each of our own Temptations the first is pride catechism to find undo self esteem or self love which seeks attention and honor and sets oneself in competition with gun so the prideful person thinks things like this in the center of the universe I'm the most important person in the in the room I always have to get the last word I want to get ahead I want to be on top in this organization at work I'm going to climb the ladder somebody ways it shows up parents with small kid just look at how Pride even begins to to develop even in little kids as they Vie for your attention at home get you to pay attention to them or to be chosen for a go someplace with you or even sit a certain place in the car it's all so trivial that all matters so much and that's spoiled fried really is why we ask why why am I love with myself why do I think I'm so important why do I tend to be so easily convinced that I'm always right when I get into a fight with somebody what do I find myself over and over again ding attempted to attract attention to myself and make people know about my many accomplishments in life Jesus says in the gospel chorus unless you turn and become like children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven Preston tempted towards Pride because I'm afraid of what's going to happen to me if I'm not on top my freedom and be forgotten about Bristol Hotel that's really created me as good and it's actually really providing for everything that I truly need in life if I'm afraid I might have to get out there and totally fend for myself and everything why am I prideful how to turn and again become like a child in your side avarice or greed as we call it catechism tells us the tenth commandment forbids greed and the desire to amass Earthly Goods without limit it forbids or Everest arising from a passion for riches and the power that goes along with them for as many people have lost a lot over the past year perhaps some of you sitting in church there's plenty of people who have really cashed in right we've seen that and it's some way all of us we have to say are attached in some way or another to material things certainly we need material things we need to take care of her families to go better life in the world but there's limits and it can go too far I have to have a new car every two years in a better one than the time before I have to put an addition on this house I need another house and another boat whatever why why do I want all the stuff why do I think about the next thing I want to buy what am I find myself scrolling through Amazon when I'm bored looking for something they can attach my attract my attention why do I spend so much time checking my investments online Jesus in The Gospel anyone who's left brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for my sake will receive 100. It's worth getting more stuff because I have a blunted that voice inside of me that says a go give of yourself take care of the other forget about yourself and I'm afraid that it's not possible to be happy without having certain things why am I greedy Lord help me to want to inherit the Kingdom it was Heaven Above All Else Envy Envy which we Define is resentment or sadness in another person's good fortune and the desire to have it for yourself go back to song 73 again that we listen to at the beginning I'm a good guy why is life hard for me the guys who don't do it right seem to have the Easy Street the constantly compare yourself with other people find others better than you is Envy physical fitness looks the person that married how their kids are doing with schools they got into jobs they have what we can literally be the envy about almost anything it happens to priest to believe it or not why did that guy get that assignment why did he go then perish but he get promoted why why do I think this way why do I work myself up so much thinking about other people and what they do or don't have why does it matter so much to me why can't I stop thinking about it Jesus and telling us the beautiful Parable The Prodigal Son of Luke's gospel father sing to the older son at the end of his disappointment he says to him my son you are always with me and all that I have is yours What God Says to each one of us the God has given me in abundance that he that he hasn't given to anyone else the root of Envy that's always going on in the temptation to look at others is forgetting the good things that God has already given to me in my prayer maybe I Let Go idea that God made me and that he really loves me that he Delights in who I am as a person in his side why am I envious Lord help me to receive the gifts that I from you alone wrath or anger other one of the vices Capital sin to desire for Revenge by recording the Commandment you shall not kill our Lord has asked for horse and denounced murderous anger and hatred as immoral the catechism tells us you know I got angry or some variation of that is one of the most commonly confessed anywhere I've ever heard confessions any place in the world I got angry I was mad I lost my temper I was Furious anger is it is an emotion that we feel in response to something that happens in a and sometimes it is a sin and sometimes it's not I often say to people that anger like the rest of the emotions is like a thermometer it just indicates what the what the temperature of the turkey is right it just tells you how it's doing and if you got a lot of anger at me and some is not sitting right inside of you the weather becomes a sin or not pens how how to control a guess if you want to say it that way people can often note the events like the thing that made them get angry but my experience in my own experience to it is much harder to say why at the bottom of it all you are really angry about the thing you're angry about I'm so mad at blank fill in the blank write the election Cardinal Pastor the church right whatever is going on government why are you angry why do you want revenge why do you think some injustice has been committed here why are you being kept up at Night by this thing that is burrowing into your heart and into your mind Psalm 62 we hear this for God Alone my soul waits in silence my hope is from him he only is my rock and my salvation my Fortress I shall not be shaken have you forgotten the god really and truly hears my prayers you'll have I actually meltdown and Colton God in the clearest possible terms why I feel angry who I'm angry at and why I think it's such a big deal because he's interested in that and maybe he'd actually sort of Superman what time is the African points but what we really care about what's important to us and getting angry can sometimes be a way for us to find out that we have over invested our energies in things that don't really matter that much maybe we should even let go of them why am I angry Lord you only are my rock lust and gluttony grouping together lust is a disorder. inordinate enjoyment of sexual pleasure and gluttony is overindulgence in food or drink and maybe these two need the least explanation of the mall lost is is using another person Barone sexual enjoyment that is totally pervasive in on every smartphone is needs no explanation we understand that money is the use of food or fluids to the play along to make me feel better and what all these have in common is that they immediately satisfy some need that I have they make me feel better right away in the short-term the one again why do I lust why am I gluttonous what does it do for me right because it doesn't last any kind of feeling that I feel a little bit better it goes away immediately and is generally replaced by shame why do I feel like I need this so much why do I return to them again and again was Jesus saying the Beatitudes blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God if it's just that I feel lonely and I'm looking for some companionship in my life maybe I don't feel like anybody understands me anymore not even God maybe I believe the lie that says that nobody can be happy without  why do I lust Lord give me the purity of heart that I long for Wesley a sloth or a chadiya as it's called pacetti Are Spiritual sloth goes so far as to refuse the joy that comes from God and to be repelled by Divine goodness the word that is shadia literally meant in the classical world and lack of care where it came from was when certain civil Nations like an ancient world stopped burying their dead they turned that a chavia because the very most basic civilize thing that people can do is bury somebody when they've died even if it's your enemies a group of people stop doing that they turned it a chania literally the most basic things of care they stopped to do so for us that it becomes in the spiritual life a lack of care for our spiritual with God not praying zoning out wasting loads of Time online on the phone feeling heaviness and boredom every time you pick up a spiritual book of finding the rosary impossible why am I boy brighten why am I why am I lazy why don't I want to put in the effort why can't I just put the phone down and go for a walking to try to raise my mind and heart to God for a few minutes Jesus in the parable of the two the servant who had five coins and it turned five more his master said well done my good and faithful servant come and share your Master's joy and I just don't think anything's good is going to happen to me anyway so why. I've given up I've given into hopelessness maybe you feel destined to fail or the mess up maybe you've believed the lie that God can't help you the way you really need it why am I lazy why am I small full floor help me to want to pay you back with a gift of my whole life to wrap up tonight I just want to say that God has something to teach each one of us at especially in our Temptations and even when Temptation becomes thin or sinfulness God still teaches us in that simple reminders with all things work for the good for those who love God and are according to his purposes like Jesus and with his help we want to look squarely at Temptation this Lent as we walk through the desert with Jesus and ask the question of why why is this in my life and what are you we take confidence in the fact that absolutely nothing can scandalized Jesus because he has overcome every Power of the enemy so no matter how crazy how twisted how embarrassing The Temptations that come to you in your life are that is why he is before us always especially sacramentally in the sacrament of the altar tell him when you sit here in silence pour out your heart to him about really temps you and you will be amazed by the truth that he tells you about who you really are in that prayer Glory Be to the father and to the son and to the Holy Spirit as a was in the beginning is now and ever shall be World Without End Amen the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit

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Prayer Talk 24: Tom Byrne

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