In my second-to-last year of seminary, I woke up one September morning to devastating news: two beloved classmates had died in a car crash. I was overwhelmed with grief and anger like I had never known. I entered therapy for the first time and had intense conversations with my spiritual director. For months I felt lost in a spiritual wilderness. But something unexpected happened: I encountered Christ there. The fear and sorrow didn’t destroy me. In fact, that spiritual desert was a time of intense growth in faith.
Today’s Gospel begins: “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil”(Matthew 4:1). The word “led” denotes a gentle, humble submission to the Spirit. Jesus does not send himself into this desolate place where wild beasts roam and Satan tempt. Who wants to be around roaming, wild beasts? The Church Fathers saw them as symbols of our inner chaos: fears, temptations, wounds. The Spirit leads us there, sometimes against our wishes. But those same Fathers also saw that this deserted place is also where angels ministered to Jesus, amidst his great trial and temptation.
Lenten Challenge: This Lent and throughout life’s struggles, the Spirit leads you and me into the wilderness. Name one “desert” into which the Spirit has led you: perhaps grief, fear, silence, change, disappointment. Ask for the grace to go there willingly. The beasts may be real, but they will not harm you. There, the angels are waiting to minister to the Christ living in you, who always goes where the Spirit leads.
— Father John Muir
Deacon Ken’s Homily for the 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time Sunday February 15, 2026
An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. “It is a terrible fight, and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.” He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.” The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?” The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”
The paradigm of good versus evil has plagued humankind since the beginning of the world. To this very day, it wiggles its way into our lives often unnoticeable. Evil, in its varying degrees, is often the easiest choice. It is the choice that at the outset appears to benefit us the most. It most often features the path of least resistance. It doesn’t seem to require much effort or energy to reap reward. It’s like having a weekend at Bernie’s or experiencing Hakuna Matada. No cares, no responsibilities, no worries, mate. Our concerns are only for ourselves; others can find their own way. The ugly truth of evil is that it benefits no one. The devil gives us a nod and a wink and welcomes us to the dark side, a place God never intended us to be. Good, on the other hand is quite costly in time and effort. It is the ying to evil’s yang. Good requires us to put the needs of others forefront of our own. It requires us to give to others from which we have excess. It beckons us to rescue the prostitute about to be stoned by society. Good tells us to reach down through the mire of life and offer a hand up to the drug addict who has overdosed again and again. Good tells us to feed the unfortunate family cast out into the streets, with no money, no home, and no hope.
There’s a word that is synonymous with doing good. It’s called discipleship. Discipleship is our vocation, our call from God. No one is precluded from being a disciple. Discipleship is rooted in the commandment to love God and love neighbor. It calls us to act with kindness, to practice integrity, to be humble and live generously. Make no mistake; discipleship is costly and at times ugly. Discipleship asks us to pick up our cross and follow Jesus. It’s sweat on the brow, sweat burning your eyes… discipleship. It’s “do as I do” discipleship. Discipleship is drinking from the cup that Jesus drank from, and accepting it as the way to salvation.
Someday God forbid; it may cost us our very lives. What are the rewards for doing good? There’s a word for that too. It’s called grace: The love of God. It’s that warm fuzzy feeling one gets when they have listened to the wisdom of the Holy Spirit and acted on it. It starts with the desire to serve another, and another, and then another. It is our realization that we are imperfect, but with God’s grace we can slowly and steadily move towards perfection. Little by little, we become blessed, God is glorified, and the world becomes a better place.
Cut off your hand! Gouge your eye out! Is this what Jesus really wants us to do? No, but Jesus uses exaggerated language to show us the importance of choosing between good and evil. Why is that important? Because God’s son paid a very high price that we might have eternal salvation. So, the question we must ask ourselves every day is: Which wolf am I feeding?
Deacon Ken Stewart
Sunday February 08, 2026
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Deacon Ken’s Homily for 4th Sunday of Advent Sunday December 21, 2025
We’ve all been there. Sketchy situations, decisions needing to be made doubtful of a successful outcome, can’t seem to move forward, and for sure don’t want to move backward. That place we all have been. Is called: “A Rock and a Hard Place”.
My rock and hard place came one day while scuba diving with my friends Tracy and Jim in Okinawa. The order was Tracy, Jim and then me. We were scuba diving around a coral head and came to a big hole cut in the coral. Tracy, went right through. Jim, went right through. I went about halfway through and heard “thunk”! I couldn’t move forward, not even a little bit! I was able to back out. I thought: “Tracy and Jim made it through. Tracy is longer than me, Jim is bigger around than me” and so, I made a second attempt at the hole. Thunk! I tried backing out again, but was hopelessly wedged. I could look up and see the sun shining and the waves breaking about ten feet above my head. I thought” I’m going to drown here in ten feet of water“! I had just enough room to wiggle a little bit and was attempting to get out of my buoyancy control device (the jacket the air tank is attached to) and tank, when Jim and Tracy came back looking for me. Tracy shoved down and back on the crown of my head and I popped right out.
A rock and a hard place is where we find Ahaz and Joseph in today’s readings. Ahaz was the King of the southern part of the Holy Land. He was approached by the King of Samaria, who ruled the Northern part of the Holy Land, and the King of Damascus, North of the Holy Land. The two Kings wanted Ahaz to join forces with them to repel the advancing forces of the Assyrians. The Assyrians were extremely cruel, barbaric people, and were the major force to be reckoned with in the area. Ahaz wouldn’t join forces with the two northern Kings. As a result, the two Kings conspired to attack and then replace Ahaz with a King who would cooperate with their plan. Ahaz discovered the plan and asked the Assyrians for protection which he received. The two northern Kings were destroyed.
A rock and a hard place is where we find Ahaz and Joseph in today’s readings. Ahaz was the King of the southern part of the Holy Land. He was approached by the King of Samaria, who ruled the Northern part of the Holy Land, and the King of Damascus, North of the Holy Land. The two Kings wanted Ahaz to join forces with them to repel the advancing forces of the Assyrians. The Assyrians were extremely cruel, barbaric people, and were the major force to be reckoned with in the area. Ahaz wouldn’t join forces with the two northern Kings. As a result, the two Kings conspired to attack and then replace Ahaz with a King who would cooperate with their plan. Ahaz discovered the plan and asked the Assyrians for protection which he received. The two northern Kings were destroyed.
Isaiah tried to reassure Ahaz that God would not abandon him in his “rock and hard place”. Isaiah said that Ahaz needn’t get involved with the two Kings or with the King of the Assyrians, but Ahaz paid Isaiah no heed. Isaiah instructed Ahaz to ask God for a sign to affirm God’s promise to be with his people, but Ahaz would not ask. So, Isaiah gave Ahaz and all of Israel a sign: “A virgin would conceive and bear a son, and he shall be called Emmanuel”.
Joseph was a devout Jew. According to the law, when he discovered that Mary was pregnant, but not with his child, Joseph should have publicly divorced her. Joseph was a good man and didn’t want to expose Mary to the shame. If he had publicly divorced her, Mary would have been charged with adultery and stoned to death. An angel appeared in a dream and told Joseph not to be afraid to take Mary into his home. For through the Holy Spirit, a child has been conceived in her. Mary will bear a son, and you are to name him Emmanuel which means “God with Us”. Joseph was between a Rock and Hard place. Where should his obedience fall? Should he follow the law, or follow the instructions of the angel? Joseph did as the angel instructed. He practiced obedience of faith; the obedience of faith Saint Paul tells us about.
The scriptures tell us of great acts of obedience of faith by his people. By faith, Abraham set out with his people to a land he had never seen, no clue where he was going. By faith, he lived as a stranger in the promised land. By faith, Sarah who was thought to be past child bearing age, conceived a child. By faith Abraham offered to sacrifice his only son. By faith, Mary welcomes the words of the Angel Gabriel who tells her that she would conceive a Son by the power of the Holy Spirit. Mary didn’t understand, but she answered: “Do unto me as you wish”. These are just a few of many examples.
You and I have our own Rocks and Hard places. Sometimes we have to choose to rob Peter to pay Paul. Sometimes to support one child is to take away time from another. Often events we want to participate in, conflict with events we should participate in. Sometimes God places us in situations where we have to have faith to endure, faith to know that He is in control.
As we look and see where God is working in our lives, we discover it is those times where we grow the most in our Faith. We are able to say without fail: “I trust you God, my faith is in you”.
Isn’t it great to know we serve a God who will never abandon us in our “rocks and hard” places?
A God who can do the impossible and the unimaginable.A God who always has our best interest in mind?Emmanuel, “God with us”, a sign to Ahaz, Emmanuel, “God with us”, words from an angel to JosephEmmanuel, “God with US”, in our rocks and hard places, Today and forever!
