Temptations indulged, temptations resisted. On the first Sunday of Lent we heard about the devil’s tempting of Adam and Eve in the garden, to catastrophic effect, and the devil’s tempting of the Lord Jesus in the desert, to salvific effect.

PANAMA CITY – A church wounded by sin can paralyze, confuse and tire the hearts of Catholic clergy and laypeople, causing them to doubt their mission in the modern world, Pope Francis said.

VATICAN CITY – People would be wise to think about Judgment Day and wonder what God will see when he examines their lives, Pope Francis said.

VATICAN – God handed down his commandments not for people to hypocritically follow the letter of the law with a proud and righteous heart, but for people to recognize the truth of their weaknesses and acknowledge their need for help, healing and salvation, Pope Francis said.

VATICAN – The devil is more dangerous when he is polite and friendly, persuading people to be "lukewarm" and worldly, than when he shows his true face and blatantly pushes people to sin, Pope Francis said.

VATICAN – During his Angelus address on Sunday, Pope Francis discussed the incomprehension Christ faced during his earthly ministry, from both the scribes and his own family.

VATICAN – Though they may go to church and say they are people of faith, the corrupt and "mafioso" have absolutely nothing Christian about them, Pope Francis said.

VATICAN – Fear and the shame of admitting one's own sins leads to pointing fingers and accusing others rather than recognizing one's own faults, Pope Francis said.

VATICAN CITY – The worst sin of all is not trusting in God's infinite love and not believing that God is always waiting for his sinning children to return to him, Pope Francis said.

The mark of genuine contrition is not a sense of guilt, but a sense of sorrow and regret for having taken a wrong turn.

12th Sunday in Ordinary Time, June 25 (Year A) Jeremiah 20:10-13; Psalm 69; Romans 5:12-15; Matthew 10:26-33

Jeremiah felt absolutely overwhelmed and besieged. His entire prophetic ministry was marked by persecution, ridicule, rejection and attempts on his life. It seemed to him that a host of enemies was arrayed against him, all intent on his destruction.

Watch out against the sin of resisting the Holy Spirit and always be open to the surprises of God. This was the exhortation of Pope Francis in his homily at Mass, Monday morning, in the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta residence in the Vatican. He was commenting on the episode of the Acts of the Apostles where St. Peter confronts the first Christian community regarding being open to pagans who joined the Church. Reflecting on the Acts of the Apostles episode, the Pope stressed that Holy Spirit always moves the Church and the Christian community.

Recently a man came to me, asking for help. He carried some deep wounds, not physical wounds, but emotional wounds to his soul.

Only if our hearts are open and we recognize ourselves as sinners can we receive God’s mercy. That’s the message Pope Francis imparted to the faithful gathered for the morning Mass Thursday at the Santa Marta guesthouse.

VATICAN CITY - There is no saint without a past and no sinner without a future, Pope Francis said in his morning Mass.