The devil, in the Gospel today, quotes Psalm 95: 11-12 (Lk 4: 10-11). Elsewhere St Paul tells the Corinthians: "Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light." (2 Cor. 11: 14) Part of our Lenten journey involves practices that aim to purify us of pride, selfishness and self-indulgence. Then we will will be better able to discern the spirits: "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world." (1 Jn 4: 1) Our own ability to rationalize our sins or to make excuses for them can also bring about a double standard. Others, seeing my hypocrisy, may think to themselves: "He appears as a Catholic and quotes Scripture but through his actions he scandalizes and leads others astray." Thus, it is imperative that our actions coincide, as much as possible, with the faith we profess. St John states: "The children of God and the children of the devil are revealed in this way: all who do not do what is right are not from God, nor are those who do not love their brothers and sisters. " (1 Jn 3: 10) In the final analysis, our Lenten exercises will mean nothing if they do not help us to love our brothers and sisters better.
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