It is also my hope that all of you are having a great and blessed Lent so far. Keep remaining steadfast and keep staying faithful to Our Lord Jesus Christ. Fight against temptation by the power of God and remain strong in the faith this Lent my brothers and sisters. Do not let the devil seduce you, and do not allow yourselves to fall into temptation, but rather rely on the power of God to deliver you out of sin and temptation, for his power is truly made perfect in weakness. My brothers and sisters in Christ, may God protect you this Holy Lent.

Remember brothers and sisters what Saint Paul writes to the Romans: "We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us." This passage is Romans 5:3-5, for those of you who are interested in reading it.

My friends in Christ, the definition of hope in God is that we are truly confident in the promises of God, and we know that he will in due time grant his wonderful promises. True Hope never deceives but hope in God builds us up to be renewed by God's Grace, renewing our minds and hearts, so that these may truly become Christ-like. But how do we have this hope? If we do have character, character as persevering and being persistent in our faith with our Lord Jesus Christ. For when we persevere in the faith, we have a stronger Christian character, and with a stronger Christian character, we have true hope in God, and especially true hope in his promises to us Christians: heirs to his Kingdom, becoming Christ-like, near to God, and inheriting Eternal Life, which is knowing God intimately. All these things my brothers and sisters, if we have faith in God and persevere in the faith, we will have firm hope in God, and we know that we will inherit these wonderful promises of God.

Some of you may be struggling with remaining steadfast in the faith this Lent. Don't be discouraged! On the contrary, if you are struggling in the faith, remember what Christ himself said to Saint Paul the Apostle: "My Grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." The verse for those of you who want to know is 2 Corinthians 12:9.

Hear and read Christ's words my friends! His Grace, which is the most precious gift God has given us, is sufficient for all of us who are suffering, or in trials, or struggling to stay faithful to Christ our Lord. His power, God's Power, the same power that created heaven and earth, and which raised Jesus from the dead, that same power is made perfect in our weaknesses. If then we know where we are weak, let us all ask God our Father to make his power be made perfect in our weakness. For when we are weak, then we are strong, by the Grace of God.

So therefore, my brothers and sisters, if you are struggling in the faith, do not worry about it. God knows, and he invites you to come into prayer. Pray with faith my friends in Christ, for when we believe that we have received from God what we asked in prayer, it truly is ours, for God wants us to ask so that we might learn from his mercy. If you are suffering persecution because you are Christian, ask God to strengthen you, so that you may be received by Christ in the next life. If you are struggling to break a vice that is harming you, ask God to give you his Grace, and submit your will to God's will, for when you do this with the Grace of God, the vice will be broken. If you see some part of you that is weak, ask God with faith to have his power be made perfect in that weakness. But believe my brothers and sisters, and it will happen.

I will end this with a short story: There was a certain village, which was on the verge of getting destroyed, unless if one person would go out to find a specific treasure. And so, a certain man came forth and said, "I will go." However, he had to spend 1000 days at least finding the treasure, for it was a perilous journey. Moreover, he had to not speak at all for the 1000 days, for the sake of finding the treasure. Nevertheless, he elected to go still. He started out, but was quickly tempted to not continue, and was tempted to speak. But even being tempted, this man prayed in his mind to God with faith, that God himself may be merciful to him, grant him his Grace, and make his power be made perfect in his weaknesses. When he was done praying, he believed, and submitted his will to the will of God, doing everything by the power of God, and resisting all evil by his faith in God, clearly seen by his submission of his will to the LORD's will. And after 1000 days, he found the treasure, and did not speak once during that time. And so the village was saved.

Rely on the power and Grace of God my friends in Christ. Allow his Grace into your life, and allow his power to be made perfect in your weaknesses. And by your faith in him, he will grant it to you, and it will be up to you to keep this synergy, this communion with God. Remain faithful, as he always remains faithful to us. You can indeed do all things by the strength of Christ.

Glory be to The Father, and to The Son, and to The Holy Spirit, now and forevermore unto the age of ages. Amen.