Beware of the leaven of the world!


Tuesday of week 6 in Ordinary Time

Mark 8:14-21

We shall be entering Lent. In its etymology, it means length or long.

We need length of time to deepen our relationship with Jesus.  It takes time to know his leaven.  It takes time to know the leaven of the pharisees.  It takes time and wisdom to know the ways of temptation.

The fruit of temptation is sin.  It is rendering nothing what God has made.  It is to destroy what God has built. 

The starting point of temptation is desire.  The desire to commit sin is not yet sin.  Desire is a free gift from God who have us free will so that we might desire freely heaven and our Lord.  As there is a tendency to use desire to please self, we use more the desire to come closer to God.

Thus, we can counter temptations by desiring for the ultimate goodness - God, and serve him.  Be repulsed with temptation.  Counter it immediately as it comes.  Fight nothingness and destruction with power of God's creation.

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