2026-02-2026 First Sunday in Lent
2026-02-2026 First Sunday in Lent
Opening prayer for Lent
“Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
Lord Jesus, thank you for placing on our foreheads the sign of our mortality. By the blood of the cross you conquered death and redeemed us. One day all our lives on earth will end, though we know not the day or hour.
Our hearts are restless until they rest in thee, Our Lord and Saviour. Let this holy season of Lent be a time of grace for all this troubled world, to turn away from the empty sinful promises of the Devil, and turn to you.
Give us the grace to spend more time in contemplative prayer when you open your heart to us, whether it is reading Holy Scripture, adoring of the Holy Eucharist or the Stations of the Cross.
Let us willingly give up worldly comforts by fasting and abstaining so that we may journey with you in austerity as you walk the way of the cross. Let it not be a frivolous ritual but a stark reminder that the way to salvation is through spiritual discipline and dependence on God.
Lastly let us give generously of our time, talent and treasure performing works of charity and mercy wherever the Holy Spirit leads us to.
For you are the way, the truth and the life. Amen.
Action item recap from last week
Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7 aka The Fall of Mankind
Though we are made in the image of God, today's readings force us to reflect on the nature and limitations of humanity, including the consequences of our actions and inactions and the responsibilities of the choices we make, both on us and on the whole world.
We humans do not like rules and always push the boundaries. Eve must have thought, “Why would God put a tree of the knowledge of good and evil and a tree of life in the garden if we are forbidden to eat from them?”
Notice how Eve uses all 5 of the sensual senses as she gives into the temptation to sin. “She (Eve) *hears* the voice of the serpent and ‘*saw* the tree was beautiful with delicious food and the tree would provide wisdom, so she took some of its fruit and ate it’ (*touch*, *smell* and *taste*).”Thinking about the sensual nature of this encounter as an opportunity to think about how we use the Lenten season to discipline our sensual selves—not, in order not to fall into sin.
Psalm 51:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 17
Psalm 51 is one of the seven penitential Psalms (6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, 143) and one of only two (38 and 51) that focus explicitly on confessing the psalmist's own sin.
The Hebrew text begins by attributing this psalm to David when the prophet Nathan confronts him about the affair with Bathsheba. David's illicit affair with Bathsheba did not just break one or two commandments; he obliterated the Ten Commandments, as he engaged in coveting, stealing, adultery, false witness, and murder. In doing so he sinned grievously against God. Every time we sin, we sin against God.
Psalm 51:1-17 can be dissected into four sections: verses 1-6 which address God’s character and human frailty, verses 7-12 which plead forgiveness and restoration, verses 13-15 which look expectantly toward reconciliation, and verses 16-17 which offer closing thoughts on sin, sacrifice, and repentance.
Romans 5:12-19
For the next few weeks we will be reading portions of Paul’s letter to the Christians in Rome. It was a Christian community deeply divided, albeit not one that Paul had established. There were both Jewish and Gentile Christians. Some Jewish converts felt Christians should continue to observe all of the Jewish laws. Others thought Christians should observe some laws, but not all; while still others thought that there was no longer any reason for Christians to be circumcised or to follow the food laws, or observe the feasts. Deja vu, once again St Paul sets out with the goal of creating unity out of the conflict between the various already established communities. Unlike his earlier letters, st Paul's letter to the Romans is written to present them with the Gospel; his understanding of who Jesus was and how the death and resurrection of Christ had brought about a new creation.
For starters, Paul understood that a crucial part of our Christian journey is honesty with God and with ourselves. All of us live lives marked by sin and death. Worse still there is no magic potion or vaccination against sin, there is nothing humans can do on their own to escape sin, so we must rely of God's grace. But just like sin and death (separation from God) may have come into the world through the trespass of one man Adam (Adamah means from the earth), so also through the grace of one man Jesus Christ that we have been given the gift of new life (reunion with God for eternity). Through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ we have been pardoned, our sins have been forgiven, and we have been made righteous as we stand before God. Jesus’ sacrificial offering of himself on the cross overcame Adam’s fall.
Like at the start of mass, we must be willing to admit that we have sinned and fallen short of being the person God would have us be - and we ask for God's pardon and mercy.
Matthew 4:1-11
Fr John Dear, a leading peace-activist, sees Matthew 4:1–11 as Jesus’ decisive rejection of economic manipulation, religious spectacle, and violent political power — and the foundation of a life committed to nonviolent love.
Fr John applies Matthew 4:1–11 to modern life:
Nations tempted by military dominance
Churches tempted by political influence
Individuals tempted by comfort and status
According to Fr John, Jesus was completely nonviolent, and discipleship of Christ means rejecting war, weapons, and domination in all forms.
Fr John reads Matthew 4:1–11, not just a rejection of temptation but as a profound political and spiritual manifesto for the public rejection of violence and domination.
1st temptation: The tempter approached and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread.” He said in reply, “It is written: ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.’”
According to Fr John, “turning stones into bread” represents using power to control through economic means. Fr John suggests the temptation is to manipulate hunger and economics — to build a system based on production and consumption rather than the goodness of God that provides for all. Jesus rejects Satan's temptation to use his power for personal gain.
2nd temptation: Then the devil took him to the holy city, and made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: ‘He will command his angels concerning you and ‘with their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.’” Jesus answered him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.’”
According to Fr John, "jumping from the Temple" symbolizes religious showmanship and using God to prove oneself. Fr John often warns against religious institutions aligning with empire, spectacle, or nationalism. Jesus rejects Satan's offer to use religion for fame, control, or spiritual manipulation.
3rd temptation: Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence and he said to him, “All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me.” At this, Jesus said to him, “Get away, Satan! It is written: ‘The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.’”
According to Fr John, "Ruling the world through allegiance to evil power is abhorrent to God", it is the cancer that destroys God's creation using violence. Appropriating power through force, military strength, and empire building that destroys God's Kingdom here on Earth.
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