Homiletic Tips for 1st Sunday of Lent

By Bishop Mylo Hubert Vergara, D.D.

We have the power by God's grace to resist temptation, decide not to sin and live a holy life:

1) Reading from Genesis: Adam and Eve gave in to the temptation of the serpent, disobeyed God and sinned; 

2) Resp Psalm: We humbly seek the mercy of God for our sins; 

3) Reading from Romans: Adam's fall from sin brought us condemnation but in and through Jesus Christ we are justified and given new life; 

4) Gospel of Matthew: The three temptations of Christ: pleasure, popularity and power; 

5) A final thought: "Temptation is a normal part of life's struggle, and anyone who claims to be immune from it is either a little angel visiting from heaven or 'a bit of an idiot'. The biggest problem in the world, in fact, isn't temptation or sin, rather it is people deluding themselves that they're not sinners and losing any sense of sin." (Pope Francis, January 31, 2014)


Advise to preachers:"A preacher has to contemplate the word, but he also has to contemplate his people." (EG 154)

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