Reflection From

Fr. John

Meditation from Father John

February 22, 2026

This past Wednesday, we celebrated Ash Wednesday, officially marking the start of the Lenten Season. This Sunday, we celebrate the First Sunday of Lent and are reminded in the First Reading from the book of Genesis of the Original Sin of Adam and Eve.

The First Reading reminds us of the Fall of Adam and Eve and the loss of the eternal life promised to them by God. This Fall from grace while tragic was also the start of the Divine Plan of Salvation and the coming of Jesus.

No matter where we are in our journey of faith, God is calling us to a deepening conversion and union with Him this Lent. He has much more in store for us than we can imagine. This Lenten Season provides us with the opportunity to receive that grace and love of God in a new and profound way, through the grace of the Sacraments, increased prayer, almsgiving and penance.

This story of Adam and Eve and the Gospel this week are important because they show us the ways in which we are tempted and how we may fall into sin. While temptations may change, the tactics and strategy of the enemy remain the same. Ever since the beginning, due to the gift of freedom, human beings have been faced with temptation. We have been subject to choosing between Good and Evil. Adam and Eve, in the garden, faced the temptation by the serpent, representing the Devil. Their first temptation was not to eat the apple, but rather to doubt the goodness of God and what He had told them. The serpent in His first dialogue with Eve mentions, “Did God really tell you not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?” (Genesis 2:1) The Devil doesn’t immediately tempt Eve to take the fruit, but instead sows seeds of doubt. He succeeds in getting Eve to question God and become suspicious. He then lies to her and tells her that if she takes the fruit of the tree of Good and Evil that she will certainly not die. The serpent tempts Eve with the desire to be like God and to decide for herself what is good and what is evil. After doubting God’s plan and what God had spoken to her, Eve was drawn to her sinful action by the allure and attraction of the sin itself. The author of the book of Genesis mentions, “The woman saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eyes, and the tree was 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.” (Genesis 2:6) This First Reading shows us the way in which Eve, and we ourselves are tempted.

Jesus, in the Gospel for this week, also faced temptation. After fasting for forty days and spending time in the desert, He was hungry and was tempted by the Devil. However, even though Satan began to tempt Jesus by sowing seeds of doubt, Jesus resisted. Satan mentioned, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread.” (Matthew 4:3) The Devil begins by questioning Jesus’ identity as the Son of God. Rather than turn and give in to self doubt and use His power in a self gratifying way, Jesus responds with words from Sacred Scripture, “One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4) Jesus resisted the temptation to physical gratification and chose to follow the Father’s plan. In response to this temptation and the following temptations, Jesus doesn’t enter into a dialogue with Satan, but turns to Sacred Scripture and reaffirms His identity as a Beloved Son of the Father. He commits to the Will of God over worldly vices and displays of power. This Lenten Season, may we not try and conquer temptation ourselves, but through constant prayer and recourse to Sacred Scripture, rely on God in our times of need. May we not allow the Devil to sow seeds of doubt within us, but rather may we trust in the words of Christ in Sacred Scripture and never forget our place as His beloved sons and daughters in His Providential Plan.

Father John

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