Chocolate Chip Cookies

March 5, 2017

St. John Paul II said at the heart of the fall is doubt in the Fatherhood of God. Did God really tell you not to eat the fruit of this tree? Think of how the Devil sews doubt in the hearts of Adam and Eve: If God is really your loving Father, why would he give you everything? Why would he tell you not to eat the fruit of this tree? Maybe your Father is trying to keep you enslaved. In fact, if you want happiness, you’re going to have to reach out and grasp it for yourself!

Our Father wants our trust! But how often do we go through life grasping at what we think will make us happy, because deep down were not really sure Our Heavenly Father will provide for us.

What do we grasp at? Our gospel today mentions 3 primary temptations – ways that we grasp at happiness rather than trusting in Our Father. They’re called the three “p’s:” pleasure, prestige, and power!

Pleasure: Turn these stones into bread. This is the temptation to find our happiness by satisfying our base desires.

Each summer I go on vacation with four priests that I went to the seminary with. We rendezvous out in Washington State and spend a week at Lake Chelan. Two years ago, there were terrible wild fires inWashington State and when we arrived at the lake house; the entire area was filled smoke. The smoke was so thick that it was hazardous to breath. Warnings had been put out the outdoor activity was hazardous.

So, we were quarantined to the house for a week and I started thinking about . . . . Chocolate chip cookies. How hard can they be to make?. I got the bag of chocolate chips and gathered all the ingredients and put them in a bowl and began mixing. But, it didn’t look right. So, I read the recipe and it said, “First beat the butter and the sugar.” Whoops. Didn’t do that. Then add the egg and stir in the flouor. OK! Well this is going to have to work. Then the recipe said place dough in teaspoon size drops on the cookie sheet. Teaspoon size drops! I want monster cookies. So, I put huge blobs of dough on the cookie sheet, placed the cookie sheet in my preheated oven, and then turned on the oven light and . . . watched with horror! The huge blobs began oozing together making one huge gigantic cookie that began oozing down the sides of the cookie sheet to the bottom of the oven where it caught fire and smoke began billowing out of the oven.

My friends who had been at the store arrived home and said, “There is smoke outside, and now there’s smoke in the house! What’s going on?! “I’m baking chocolate chip cookie.” I replied. s.

I learned some important lessons. 1. If you want chocolate chip cookies - call your mother! 2. A young kid after last mass saidsuggested, “Next time, Father, try brownies! Good idea. But I also learned that if I set my heart on the pleasures of the world . . . I won’t be satisfied. Tthere’s nothing wrong with a chocolate chip cookie, but ultimately it can never satisfy you.

Prestige: Prove to everyone that you are the Son of God, by throwing yourself down from the parapet of the temple. How often do we find ourselves living in the minds of others, worrying about what everyone thinks about me, comparing myself with others, thinking I have to prove myself to others? If we seek our happiness in having the esteem of others we are going to live on an emotional rollercoaster. When people notice and appreciate me, I feel great! But, when I’m overlooked, left out, I feel terrible. The source of peace in our life will be to live in the truth of our identity as beloved children of the Father.

Power: All the kingdoms of the world can be yours! Ultimately Adam and Eve were grasping for power! I want to be God! I want to decide for myself what is good and evil. No one tells me what to do. I preached last weekend that the source of worry and anxiety in our lives comes often from self-reliance: trying to control my own life and the lives of others, rather than being like children and relying totally on the Father.

Let’s stop grasping after pleasure and prestige and power, and turn back to our Father who loves us and wants to provide for his children. We have an awesome opportunity to refocus our lives on God this Lent. Tonight, wWe are kicking off tonight our parish mission. To tell us more about it, I want to introduce Hector Molina . . .