First Reading: (Genesis 2:7-9; 3:1-7)
Responsorial Psalm: (Psalm 51:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 17)
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
Second Reading: (Romans 5:12-19)
Alleluia: Gospel: (Matthew 4:4b)
One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.
Gospel: (Matthew 4:1-11)
I made it to Mass last night at St. Augustine’s in New City, New York.
The church was packed, as a major snow blizzard is forecast for tomorrow, Sunday. Many people came today to fulfill their Sunday obligation ahead of the storm.
The homily was deeply centered on temptation and trials.
The priest concluded with a simple but powerful recommendation: “Guide your hearts.”
That invitation echoes beautifully with today’s Gospel. Today we celebrated the First Sunday of Lent. Every year, as we begin this holy season, the Church revisits the temptations of Jesus in the desert. Today we hear Matthew’s account, and it invites us to reflect deeply on testing, temptation, and spiritual battle.
“At that time, Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was hungry.”
Let’s begin with that number: forty.
Forty is a highly symbolic number in Scripture. It appears again and again, always associated with testing, purification, and preparation. The Israelites wandered forty years in the desert. Moses fasted forty days. Elijah journeyed forty days. The flood lasted forty days. Jesus remained with His disciples forty days after the Resurrection.
Whether literal or symbolic, one truth remains:
We all experience our own “forty days.”
We all have seasons of dryness, struggle, and uncertainty, times when God feels distant. Yet Scripture reminds us that our greatest trials often precede our greatest blessings. The desert is not abandonment; it is preparation.
Notice something striking:
Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert.
The same Spirit who descended like a dove at His baptism now leads Him into hardship. This reminds us that not every difficult season is a detour. Sometimes God leads us directly into the places where we will be strengthened.
The Greek word often translated as “temptation” can also mean “test.”
There is a difference:
A temptation seeks to seduce and destroy.
A test seeks to reveal and build.
The same experience can become either, depending on how we respond.
And here lies the heart of the struggle.
We have a fallen nature. We experience disordered desires. Satan works precisely within these desires, whispering the same ancient lie: “This will make you happy.” sounds familiar? The new car, house, job, the vacation? Do whatever it takes. When we get there we realize it was all a lie.
Every sin carries that promise. If sin did not appear attractive, no one would choose it. The fruit is always “pleasing to the eye.” But it is a trap, because sin always delivers misery instead of fulfillment. After forty days of fasting, Jesus is weak, hungry, exhausted.
That is when the tempter strikes.
“If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread.”
He begins with doubt.
“If.” Doubt and fear are the taproots of temptation: fear that God will not provide, doubt that God is enough, suspicion that obedience means deprivation.
Jesus answers with three powerful words:
“It is written.” He does not argue. He does not negotiate. He stands on the Word of God. We should all learn from this. To argue with the devil is a guarantee that we will lose.
“One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.”
Bread represents all we try to create for ourselves-security, comfort, control. Yet how many people gather abundance and still lack peace? Because we do not live by bread alone. Many of us know a few people here and there who has more than they can ever enjoy for 100 life times and yet they are very troubled just like everyone else. Bread alone is not the answer.
The second temptation:
“If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down.”
Again: doubt. But now mixed with fantasy- the temptation to force God’s hand, to demand spectacle, to prove worth.
Jesus responds: "It is written: You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.”
It is never God’s will that we prove ourselves.
The third temptation:
“All these kingdoms I shall give you, if you will worship me.”
Here lies the most subtle lure: the shortcut. Power without sacrifice. Glory without the Cross. I always think about New York City every time I read this part of the temptation.
Temptation rooted in frustration:
“Does it really have to be this way?”
Jesus answers once more:
“It is written: The Lord your God shall you worship, and Him alone shall you serve.”
Three temptations. Three responses. One weapon:
The Word.
From this Gospel we learn: Temptation derives its power from a promise- the promise of happiness apart from God.
But it is a lie.
We live in a world filled with anxiety and restlessness. At the deepest level, this is because this world is not our home. We are made for communion with God.
That longing itself becomes the battleground.
Satan plants seeds of fear:
“You are missing out.”
“God is holding back.”
“You will not be satisfied.”
But do not believe him.
All sin leads to misery. God alone leads to life.
And remember this:
The devil cannot make you do anything.
He can tempt. He can whisper. He can harass. But the victory has already been won in Christ.
That is what the Cross declares.
So what do we do during these forty days?
We return to the weapons Jesus Himself used:
Prayer
Fasting
Trust in God
The Word of God
We stand firm in the truth.
We reject fear.
We reject fantasy.
We reject shortcuts.
And we remember:
We are not abandoned in the desert.
We are being prepared.
In the meantime:
Guide your heart for the battle has already been won by Christ. 🙏
God bless you
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