First Sunday of Lent – Year A (2026)
Sunday, February 22, 2026
As we journey through Lent, the holiest season, the Church, through today’s readings, puts before us the ancient drama of temptation, not as distant history, but as something reflected in our own struggles. The fall and expulsion of Adam and Eve from Eden in Genesis, David seeking mercy in a prayer of repentance in Psalm 51, and Jesus’ triumph in the desert in Matthew’s Gospel. Through these events, we see sin’s entry into the world, the path of repentance, and Jesus, the new Adam who reverses the curse. This First Sunday of Lent calls us to embrace fasting, prayer, and almsgiving not as burdens, but as weapons to cling to in our struggles. God forming Adam from dust and breathing into him the breath of life is a vivid picture of the intimacy and care that God puts in His relationship with humanity. God’s generosity is revealed in a paradise of beauty and abundance. Yet, the cunning serpent sows doubt, twists God’s words, questioning His goodness and intentions, denies the consequences of disobedience, and promises godlike knowledge: “Did God really say, ‘You shall not eat from any of the trees in the garden?’” — Genesis 2:1. This is the dawn of the original sin, where temptation preys on fleshly desire, visual allure, and prideful ambitions! St. Paul ties together the readings in today’s New Testament selection: “just as through one transgression condemnation came upon all, so through one righteous act acquittal and life came to all. For just as through the disobedience of one person the many were made sinners, so through the obedience of one the many will be made righteous.” — Romans 5:18-19.
In the Gospel reading, Jesus, baptized and affirmed as God’s Son, is led by the Spirit into the wilderness to fast for forty days, mirroring Israel’s desert wanderings and Moses’ fast. While fasting in the desert, Jesus is tempted by Satan to turn stones into bread, throw himself from the temple pinnacle to be caught by angels, and worship Satan to gain the kingdoms of the world. These temptations correspond to the lust of the flesh (seeking bread to satisfy hunger), the lust of the eyes (desiring the glory of worldly kingdoms), and the pride of life (arrogantly testing God). The threefold temptations parallel Eve’s temptation in the Garden of Eden. They also reflect Israel’s failures in the desert: rejecting manna and craving food, testing God by demanding water from the rock, and worshiping the golden calf, which exposed their defiance of sole allegiance to God.
Jesus triumphed over the devil’s temptations. This Lent, let us enter the desert intentionally. What are the temptations that lure us away from God? What is our relationship with food, material goods, and with God? Are they in need of realignment? Let our fasting this season be not only from meals but also from screens and distractions to reclaim time for God’s Word. Let us spend more time in prayer by praying Psalm 51 daily, or every Friday. And let us give alms generously, countering greed with mercy’s works. May the Spirit of God sustain us and bring Easter joy.
Go in Peace to Love and Serve the Lord.