Blessed the man you instruct, O Lord.--Psalm 94:12
Mass readings: James 1:12-18 / Mark 8:14-21
At the store checkout, it's so easy to keep quiet when the clerk gives us too much change. In the restaurant, there's that twinge of ''Oh, just let it go!'' when the waitress undercharges us. Both situations are so . . . tempting.
Today's first reading talks about earthly desires and temptations. About what comes from God and what doesn't. Tomorrow, the first day of Lent, food between meals will sound so tempting. Throughout the liturgical season, whatever we've chosen to give up will have a lot of appeal and the ''positives'' we've promised to do will quickly lose their charm. Both take practice. That's a part of what the next 40 days are all about.
Prayer: Dear Lord, may I see the positives when calamity strikes, and rise above temptation when it enters.