Reading 1
The LORD God formed man out of the clay of the ground
and blew into his nostrils the breath of life,
and so man became a living being.
Then the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east,
and placed there the man whom he had formed.
Out of the ground the LORD God made various trees grow
that were delightful to look at and good for food,
with the tree of life in the middle of the garden
and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the animals
that the LORD God had made.
The serpent asked the woman,
“Did God really tell you not to eat
from any of the trees in the garden?”
The woman answered the serpent:
“We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden;
it is only about the fruit of the tree
in the middle of the garden that God said,
‘You shall not eat it or even touch it, lest you die.’”
But the serpent said to the woman:
“You certainly will not die!
No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it
your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods
who know what is good and what is evil.”
The woman saw that the tree was good for food,
pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom.
So she took some of its fruit and ate it;
and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her,
and he ate it.
Then the eyes of both of them were opened,
and they realized that they were naked;
so they sewed fig leaves together
and made loincloths for themselves.
Gospel
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 afterwards he was hungry.
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 on bread alone,
but on every word that comes forth
from the mouth of God.”
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.”
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.”
Then the devil left him and, behold,
angels came and ministered to him.
Reflection
During Lent, we unite ourselves to Christ’s forty days of prayer and fasting in the desert. Like Him, we seek to prepare our hearts for a radical gift of love. By God’s grace, this season will bring us closer to Christ and help us overcome the Devil’s strategies to draw us away from Our Lord—so that we too can lay down our lives in love.
Today’s readings can be a mirror for us, highlighting how our unchecked desires lead us to sin. Our first reading summarizes these excessive desires in one sentence. “The woman saw that the tree was good for food, pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom.”
These were the motivations for the first sin, and the Devil has not stopped utilizing them.
“Good for food” represents our attraction to bodily pleasure. Satan attempts to tempt Jesus with this same desire in today’s Gospel when he tells Jesus to turn the stones into bread despite His fast.
“Pleasing to the eyes” reflects our desire for possessions and status. The Devil tempts Christ with “all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence,” appealing to the lure of power and wealth.
“Desirable for gaining wisdom” does not represent the virtuous pursuit of truth. Eve seeks to define good and evil on her own terms rather than trust God. This pride masquerades as wisdom. Likewise, Satan tempts Jesus to test the Father by throwing Himself from the parapet—an invitation to self-assertion instead of humble trust.
Christ resists each temptation. By uniting ourselves to His strength through grace, we can resist them as well. Pleasure, possessions, and a healthy sense of self are not evil in themselves, but when they become ultimate, they distort our freedom and weaken our capacity for love.
Lent offers concrete remedies: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.
Fasting fortifies us against the tyranny of pleasure. By freely abstaining from good things—food, entertainment, comforts—we train our hearts to say “no” to sins that might just appear to be good. We remember that “one does not live on bread alone” and practice choosing God over immediate gratification.
Almsgiving heals our excessive desire for possessions. Rather than focusing on collecting what is “pleasing to the eyes,” we show generosity to others.
Prayer addresses our pride. Rather than presuming our own importance, we commit time and attention to praising and abiding with God—who is infinitely greater than ourselves. Prayer deepens our relationship with Him so that we rely on His wisdom instead of defining good and evil for ourselves.
This Lent, devote yourself intentionally to prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Ask the Lord to reveal the desires that most often lead you astray and rely on His grace to master them. United to Christ in the desert, we can emerge freer, stronger, and more capable of love.
Please be assured of my prayers for you before Our Lord, present in the Most Blessed Sacrament.
+ Bishop Schlert
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