Sunday Homily, February 22, 2026

To all,

As we continue this season of Lent, the Gospel reading for the First Sunday of Lent is an account of the temptation of Jesus in the desert by the devil. This year we hear the account in Matthew’s Gospel (Matthew 4:1-11). In Matthew’s account, there are three temptations put before Jesus:

To change stones into bread – Jesus has been fasting for forty days and is hungry.

To throw Himself down from the parapet of the Temple to have the Father prove His love for the Son by rescuing Him.

To have power over all the kingdoms of the earth – All Jesus would have to do is prostrate Himself and worship the devil.

In other words, the devil tempted Jesus to be false to Himself and His mission. Or, to put it into even more basic terms, the devil tempted Jesus to forsake love in order to serve Himself.

Instead of caring for God’s creation, we are often seduced into thinking that we are free to alter the environment in order to satisfy our desires. It is so easy to not let the consequences of our actions on the sustainability of the earth or the well-being of others affect our choices. We want what we want.

We may not think we are tempted to want to be our own God, but oh, wouldn’t it be so much easier if I could just do what I want, and not have to think about what God wants? Look at Adam and Eve in our first reading from Genesis (2:7-9, 3:1-7). Have we not seen people, including ourselves, try to force God’s word into conforming to our will?

And in the same vein. wouldn’t it be better if I just had my way? All the time. This might have been the most serious temptation for Jesus because it would have been so easy to rationalize having dominion over everyone for their own good. And He wouldn’t have to carry the Cross. But “benevolent” dictatorships are never, in the end, benevolent. And trying to force others to love is not really love. This is complicated, especially in politics, because it is necessary to work for justice and seek to make laws which try to secure justice for everyone. I like Dr. Cornell West’s statement: “Never forget that justice is what love looks like in public.” Maybe that is why justice goes hand-in-hand with mercy.

When we choose to follow the temptation to forsake love in order to serve ourselves, we also forsake gratitude. We put out of our mind all that God has done for us. In our second reading (Romans 5:12-19), St. Paul writes about the sin of Adam and the salvation we have in Christ: “But the gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one, the many died, how much more did the grace of God and the gracious gift of the one man Jesus Christ overflow for the many…. In conclusion. just as through one transgression condemnation came upon all. So. Through one righteous act, acquittal and life came to all.”

I welcome any comments or questions. Thanks for your time.

In Christ,
Phil, CP