| Sun Feb 22 | am: 63, 98 pm: 103 | Genesis 2:7-9 3:1-7 | Rom 5:12-19 | Matt 4:1-11 |
FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT
LITURGICAL THEME FOR THE DAY: Lent is a forty-day pilgrimage that leads us from the darkness of Holy Week to the light of Easter. The five Sundays that punctuate this journey are not merely “breaks” from fasting; they are intentional milestones that help us deepen our participation in the baptismal covenant.
When we were baptized, we pledged:
• To turn away from sin (renouncing the powers of darkness),
• To follow Christ (walking in his teachings), and
• To bear witness (living out the Gospel in the world).
Each Sunday of Lent revisits one of these three dimensions, reminding us that the covenant is a living reality, not a past event.
BIBLICAL MEDITATION OF THE DAY: We hear once again the familiar Gospel of the temptations—Jesus, weary from fasting, standing on the summit of the desert, confronted by the devil’s alluring offers. The Church, in its deep wisdom, has placed this dramatic episode at the very opening of Lent. Why? Because it is the perfect mirror for the inner battles each of us faces as we begin this holy season. We know the scene well, the solitude of the desert heat pressing on Jesus. In that stark landscape, Jesus is asked, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread.” He replies, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from God.” The temptation is not merely about food; it is about the very priorities that govern our lives. As we step into Lent, let us ask ourselves the same
penetrating questions that the desert posed to the Savior: What am I allowing to dominate
my thoughts? Whose applause do I crave? Do I seek significance for myself or for others? BY considering these questions, we have the opportunity to reaffirm our choice of Christ over the fleeting promises of the devil. The temptations we meet may glitter with short-term gain—comfort, prestige, ease—but they never lead to the eternal prize that God has prepared for us.
PRAYER OF THE DAY: Father, through our observance of Lent, help us to understand the meaning of your Son’s death and resurrection, and teach us to reflect it in our lives. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
ANCIENT WISDOM/PRESENT GRACE: “Temptations which accompany the working day will be conquered based on the morning breakthrough to God. Decisions, demanded by work, become easier and simpler where they are made not in the fear of men, but only in the sight of God. He wants to give us today the power which we need for our work”.- Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
LENTEN DISCIPLINE: Spend the afternoon seeking to be released from that which has power over you through temptation. Create a list of the most pressing temptations and team up with a spiritual partner who will share with you the same, and you may hold each other accountable.
SONG OF THE HEART, SONG OF THE SEASON – A Charge to Keep Have I by Charles Wesley