Reflection on Father Moreno’s Homily: March 13, 2011

Ask the Holy Spirit to anoint us in our Lenten journey.








Father Moreno sensed that something was terribly wrong. He started gasping for air, he felt his chest constricted, it was very painful. He was at a loss for breath, he couldn’t drink water, and it was an awful feeling. He felt like death was at hand, because if he could not breathe he would faint and possibly die.

We must acknowledge, claim and be open to the Breath of God. If we do not have the Breath of God, the Life of God flowing through us, we will be gasping for life, we will feel the torment and torture of trying to live and feeling like we cannot survive.

Let us continue on our Lenten journey, because we began our Lenten journey on Ash Wednesday.

Let us claim the Breath of God, the Life of God; because separated from God we die. God is the Source of Life.

The devil is cunning which means crafty, playing games, telling us half-truths and luring us away not to think about the Breath of Life.

When we step out of the Breath of God we stand outside of the Life of God and we falter.

In the movie "The Passion of Christ", the devil is shown as a shadowy figure in the background. The serpent is among us. The serpent is a crafty creature. The serpent tempts us to doubt that God loves us. God becomes a rival, because we want to be able to control and dominate, and we think we possess the knowledge of what is good and what is evil, and that we have no boundaries.

The serpent tempts us to question God’s Authority in our lives. Temptation is not a sin; it is when we act on the temptation that we sin.

We are like Adam and Eve when they sinned, they hid themselves; they clothed themselves because they exposed their shame. Shame is when we try to cover up a wrong and blame everyone else for everything. We are like Adam and Eve who left the garden and went into the desert. When we go into the desert, Jesus goes into the desert to rescue us.

The word “chamuco” is from an ancient Babylonian language that means the devil.

In the desert the devil tempts Jesus with three (3) temptations:






1) The temptation to be relevant.

This means that we try to draw everyone to ourselves; we become the focal point of the whole world. To change our lifestyle is painful. All who struggle with addictions have the desire to go back to the old behavior, the security of the sin. Change means letting go. Not to gossip, to be more patient. The truth is that we do not exist only for ourselves.

2) The temptation to be spectacular.

This is when we want all the attention, when we want all the attention drawn to us. The truth is humility.

3) The temptation to be powerful.

We think we have power over others and over God. This is the height of arrogance. Some people think that they do not have to go to confession to a priest, but Jesus gave the authority to the Church to heal and forgive.

Away from God we are chocking and gasping for the Breath of Life. Closer to God we are able to heal and to bring life to others with the Breath of Life, with the Breath of God in us.

We are not to allow the evil one the power to steal from us the God given gifts that He has given us.

We are to claim the power of God. Don’t be tempted to believe that we are despicable and worthless.

In the Name of Jesus we can repel evil, have no fear and not be destroyed.






We must claim we are a Child of God.