First Sunday of Lent

On this First Sunday of Lent, the central readings focus on sin and temptation. We hear the familiar stories of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and Jesus’ temptation in the desert. These readings can inspire the penitential attitude of remorse that we are asked to cultivate during Lent.

Adam and Eve, when given the choice to choose between innocence and evil chose evil and sin entered the world. On Ash Wednesday many people heard the phrase, “Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel.” The invitation was sealed with the sign of the cross of the ashes placed on our foreheads. This is the practice we are invited to embrace this lent – to choose good over evil. We are invited to embrace a right relationship with God and recognize the effects of our sinfulness and accept restoration with God.

Jesus faced his temptations with courage and strength. He did not bend to Satan’s invitations but stayed faithful to His Father. Jesus never wavered in his love for the Father. His fidelity to the Father is what sustained him during his forty days in the desert. The Father’s love for him gave him the strength and perseverance to stay true to his beliefs.

Throughout our lives, we face the same basic temptations and must guard against fixating on the wrong goods at the wrong time or to the wrong extent. Lent can be an opportunity to pause and recognize both the ripple effects of our sins, for which we can seek atonement, and the deceptive nature of temptation so that we can strive to avoid sin anew.  

May this Lent be filled with many blessings and much hope.