First Reading - Genesis 2:7-9,3:1-7
Second Reading - Romans 5:12-19
Gospel - Matthew 4:1-11
In the first reading from Genesis, God forms the human person from the dust of the earth and breathes into him the breath of life. Humanity is created in intimacy with God, placed in a garden of beauty and abundance. Yet in that very place of blessing, temptation enters. The serpent sows doubt: Did God really say? The temptation is subtle. It questions God’s goodness and suggests that fulfillment lies in grasping what has been forbidden. The first humans choose distrust over trust. Their eyes are opened, but not to glory; instead, they experience shame and alienation. Sin fractures the harmony between God and humanity, and even within the human heart itself.
The second reading from Romans reflects on this moment with profound depth. Through one man, sin entered the world, and with sin came death. But Paul does not end with Adam. He speaks of another: Christ. If sin and death spread through one act of disobedience, how much more does grace overflow through one act of obedience. Where Adam failed, Christ triumphs. Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more. Humanity’s story is not defined only by its fall, but by God’s greater mercy.
The Gospel shows that victory unfolding. Jesus is led into the desert and fasts for forty days. Like Adam, he is tempted. But unlike Adam, he remains faithful. The devil tempts him in three ways: to turn stones into bread, to test God’s protection, and to grasp worldly power. Each temptation appeals to legitimate human desires — hunger, security, authority — yet invites Jesus to satisfy them apart from trust in the Father. Jesus responds not with argument but with Scripture and obedience. He refuses to manipulate God or seek glory without the cross. In the desert, he reverses the disobedience of Eden.
Dear friends, temptation often begins with doubt about God’s goodness and with the desire to control our own destiny. We are tempted to believe that fulfillment lies outside of God’s will. But Jesus shows us another path: trust, surrender, and fidelity to the Father’s word.
Lent invites us into the desert with Christ. It is a time to confront our own temptations honestly — the cravings, fears, and ambitions that can lead us away from God. Yet it is not a journey of despair. Christ has already won the decisive victory. His obedience opens the way for our healing.
In Adam we see what happens when humanity turns from God. In Christ we see what happens when humanity fully trusts him. The question for us is simple: whose example will we follow? If we cling to Christ, relying on his grace, then even in our weakness we share in his triumph. And what was lost in the garden begins to be restored in the desert, through the obedience of the Son who leads us back to life.
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