The First Reading from Genesis (2:7-9; 3:1-7) presents the sobering account of humanity's fall. God forms man from the dust, breathes life into him, and places him in a garden of abundance with one command: not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Yet the serpent's cunning words—"You will not die... you will be like God"—entice Eve, and then Adam, to disobey. Their eyes are opened, not to divine wisdom, but to shame and nakedness. This is the origin of sin: the choice to trust our own judgment over God's word, leading to alienation from God, from each other, and from creation itself.
The Responsorial Psalm (Psalm 51) flows naturally from this: "Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned." David's cry after his own grave sin becomes our Lenten prayer—a humble acknowledgment of guilt, a plea for a clean heart, and renewed spirit. It reminds us that no sin is beyond God's mercy when met with contrition.
In the Second Reading from Romans (5:12-19 or shorter form 5:12, 17-19), St. Paul contrasts Adam's disobedience with Christ's obedience. Through one man's sin, death entered the world and spread to all. But through one man's act of righteousness—Christ's obedience unto death—grace abounds all the more. Where sin multiplied, grace superabounds, leading to eternal life. Adam brought condemnation; Jesus brings justification and life.
The Gospel (Matthew 4:1-11) shows Jesus, led by the Spirit into the desert, facing temptation head-on after fasting forty days. The devil attacks at His points of vulnerability: hunger (turn stones to bread), presumption (throw Yourself down from the temple), and worldly power (all kingdoms for a bow). Each time, Jesus responds with Scripture: "One does not live on bread alone..." "You shall not put the Lord to the test..." "The Lord your God shall you worship..." He reverses the failure in Eden—where humanity grasped at divinity—by humbly submitting to the Father's will, even in weakness.
Some may wonder, how can Jesus be tempted? Who can tempt God? Was the temptation "internal" (like our evil desires pulling us)? The answer is no — Jesus had no sinful nature, so the pull was external (like an offer or test), not an inner compulsion to evil.
As we enter Lent, these readings call us to self-examination. Like Adam and Eve, we face daily temptations to prioritize self over God, comfort over obedience, power over service. Yet unlike them, we have the grace of Christ, who conquered the tempter not by force but by fidelity to the Word.
This Lent, let us imitate Jesus: immerse ourselves in Scripture, fast from what distracts us, pray persistently, and show mercy to others. In the desert of our own struggles, may we reject the serpent's lies and cling to God's truth. The same Spirit who led Jesus leads us—toward repentance, renewal, and ultimately the joy of Easter resurrection.
May Mary, who crushed the serpent's head, accompany us, and may the Chair of Peter (celebrated in some contexts) remind us of the steadfast guidance of the Church amid trials. Let us journey together, trusting that where sin abounded, grace abounds all the more through Christ our Lord. Amen.
