I had completed the retreat readings, so I returned to using God’s Word Today, (1) and picked up where I had left off. (2) I read Luke 3 and tried to put myself into the scenes with John the Baptist and to “live” them as though I were one of the crowd at the Jordan. The message to me came from his instructions to the tax collector and soldier. Sanctity is possible in any position in life. My personal sanctity can be enhanced by taking advantage of the opportunities to do good that my Father sends me – to these I must be alert -- and by avoiding the areas of sin in my life that my Father brings to my attention. Once, while trying to “live” the scene, I dozed off.

I moved on to Luke 4, the temptation of Jesus. I was struck by Satan’s saying that he had been given the power with which he was tempting Jesus. I didn’t understand who had given him this power, so I asked my Father about it. He led me to realize that sin gives power to Satan. Each time we sin, we make Satan’s influence in our lives that much stronger. Only by love – God’s love, and our love of Him and our neighbor – can we weaken Satan’s influence. That’s a very powerful message. The time went relatively fast

(1) Current comment: This was a monthly Scripture study magazine that I had been using prior to beginning the retreat.

(2) Spiritual director: I’m glad you felt free to do this. Good substitution. Someone else might have quit until the prayer texts came. You stuck with it. Good.