Mass Reading: Sunday - 26th February 2023

First reading
Genesis 2:7-9,3:1-7
The Creation, and the sin of our first parents

    The Lord God fashioned man of dust from the soil. Then he breathed into his nostrils a breath of life, and thus man became a living being.

    The Lord God planted a garden in Eden which is in the east, and there he put the man he had fashioned. The Lord God caused to spring up from the soil every kind of tree, enticing to look at and good to eat, with the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the middle of the garden.

    Now the serpent was the most subtle of all the wild beasts that the Lord God had made. It asked the woman, ‘Did God really say you were not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?’ The woman answered the serpent, ‘We may eat the fruit of the trees in the garden. But of the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden God said, “You must not eat it, nor touch it, under pain of death.”’ Then the serpent said to the woman, ‘No! You will not die! God knows in fact that on the day you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods, knowing good and evil.’ The woman saw that the tree was good to eat and pleasing to the eye, and that it was desirable for the knowledge that it could give. So she took some of its fruit and ate it. She gave some also to her husband who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened and they realised that they were naked. So they sewed fig-leaves together to make themselves loin-cloths.

The word of the Lord.

________

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 50(51):3-6,12-14,17

Have mercy on us, O Lord, for we have sinned.

Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness.
    In your compassion blot out my offence.
O wash me more and more from my guilt
    and cleanse me from my sin.

Have mercy on us, O Lord, for we have sinned.

My offences truly I know them;
    my sin is always before me
Against you, you alone, have I sinned;
    what is evil in your sight I have done.

Have mercy on us, O Lord, for we have sinned.

A pure heart create for me, O God,
    put a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence,
    nor deprive me of your holy spirit.

Have mercy on us, O Lord, for we have sinned.

Give me again the joy of your help;
    with a spirit of fervour sustain me,
O Lord, open my lips
    and my mouth shall declare your praise.

Have mercy on us, O Lord, for we have sinned.

________

Second reading
Romans 5:12-19
However great the number of sins committed, grace was even greater

    Sin entered the world through one man, and through sin death, and thus death has spread through the whole human race because everyone has sinned. Sin existed in the world long before the Law was given. There was no law and so no one could be accused of the sin of ‘law-breaking’, yet death reigned over all from Adam to Moses, even though their sin, unlike that of Adam, was not a matter of breaking a law.

    Adam prefigured the One to come, but the gift itself considerably outweighed the fall. If it is certain that through one man’s fall so many died, it is even more certain that divine grace, coming through the one man, Jesus Christ, came to so many as an abundant free gift. The results of the gift also outweigh the results of one man’s sin: for after one single fall came judgement with a verdict of condemnation, now after many falls comes grace with its verdict of acquittal. If it is certain that death reigned over everyone as the consequence of one man’s fall, it is even more certain that one man, Jesus Christ, will cause everyone to reign in life who receives the free gift that he does not deserve, of being made righteous. Again, as one man’s fall brought condemnation on everyone, so the good act of one man brings everyone life and makes them justified. As by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by one man’s obedience many will be made righteous.

The word of the Lord.

________

Gospel Acclamation
Mt4:4

Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!
Man does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!

________

Gospel
Matthew 4:1-11
The temptation in the wilderness

Jesus was led by the Spirit out into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, after which he was very hungry, and the tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to turn into loaves.’ But he replied, ‘Scripture says:

Man does not live on bread alone
but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’

The devil then took him to the holy city and made him stand on the parapet of the Temple. ‘If you are the Son of God’ he said ‘throw yourself down; for scripture says:

He will put you in his angels’ charge,
and they will support you on their hands
in case you hurt your foot against a stone.’

Jesus said to him, ‘Scripture also says:

You must not put the Lord your God to the test.’

Next, taking him to a very high mountain, the devil showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour. ‘I will give you all these’ he said, ‘if you fall at my feet and worship me.’ Then Jesus replied, ‘Be off, Satan! For scripture says:

You must worship the Lord your God,
and serve him alone.’

Then the devil left him, and angels appeared and looked after him.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Mass Reflection: Sunday - 26th February 2023

 
GN 2:7-9; 3:1-7; PS 51:3-6,12-13,17; ROM 5:12-19 or 5:12, 17-19; MT 4:1-11

As we begin the beautiful and challenging season of Lent, our readings this week remind us why it is that we need these 40 days so much. They also suggest a particular strategy we Christian stewards might take as we make the journey towards Easter, so that we arrive there as better disciples — more focused on Christ and His mission for us.
 
Our first reading takes us all the way back to Genesis, reminding us of our Creator and the loving care and lavish gifts He gave to our ancestors, Adam and Eve. Out of pure love, He “formed man out of the clay of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life.” Then He “planted a garden in Eden… [and] made various trees grow that were delightful to look at and good for food.” Life was good in the Garden!
 
Until the first couple allowed just a sliver of doubt in the goodness of God to enter their minds. 
 
Swayed by the words of the serpent that they could become like gods if they ate of the one fruit God had forbidden, they became ungrateful and distrustful despite God’s great love for them and all the gifts of creation He had provided. Sound familiar? These are the same temptations that threaten to pull us away from God today.
 
Our second reading, from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans, sums up this ancient story and reminds us that the same all-perfect God who created Adam and Eve and that good Garden has provided a remedy for our sins — the saving love and perfect obedience of Jesus on our behalf. “For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so through the obedience of the one, the many will be made righteous.” This is truly Good News!
 
Our first reading reminds us of our need for this 40-day “reset” to examine our lives and make changes where needed so that we can become stronger in overcoming temptations to sin. Our second reading gives us hope that this reset is truly possible through the mercy and grace of Jesus. 
 
Our Gospel passage, from Matthew, shows us by the example of Jesus Himself one way that we can attain spiritual strength and grow to become more effective disciples and stewards. In this passage we find our Lord in the desert, fasting for 40 days and 40 nights. Like Adam and Eve, He is confronted by the evil one. But unlike our fallen parents, our Lord triumphs definitively over the devil’s lies and sends him slithering away. How did He do it? By knowing the Scriptures and by proclaiming them confidently, and by His perfect trust in the Father. 
 

This Lent, let’s embrace this 40-day spiritual reset. Let’s commit to prayerfully studying the Scriptures. This could take the form of a daily family Gospel reflection, a few moments with the Psalms at the beginning of a lunch break or any other countless ways. If this requires a bit of “fasting” from social media or a favorite TV show in order to find the time, all the better since Jesus Himself fasted for 40 days, too. As faithful stewards, we are called to prioritize our use of time to seek relationship with our loving God. Let’s get to know Him better by studying His Word this Lent!