Homily for 1st Sunday of Lent

Homily for the
1st Sunday of Lent

Feb. 22, 2026
Matt 4: 1-11
Villa Maria, Bronx
Our Lady of the Assumption, Bronx
St. Francis Xavier, Bronx

The 3 Temptations of Christ
(Botticelli)

“At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil” (Matt 4: 1).

“That time” is immediately after Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan River.  The Spirit that leads him into the desert is the same Spirit that descended on him at the Jordan (Matt 3:16).

Why would the Spirit lead him “into the desert to be tempted by the devil”?  It’s been suggested that being alone in the wilderness focused Jesus’ attention on his Father thru prayer and silence.  We might look at the temptations as assuring us of Jesus’ humanity.  Even tho the Spirit leads him, he’s still one of us.

St. Augustine comments on this:  “If in Christ we were tempted, in him we overcome the devil.  Do you think only of Christ’s temptations and fail to think of his victory?  See yourself as tempted in him, and see yourself as victorious in him.  He could have kept the devil from himself; but if he were not tempted he could not teach you how to triumph over temptation.”[1]

I know something about temptation, and you do too.  We might wish we didn’t have to deal with temptations.  But then we wouldn’t be any different than the geese that infest our ballfield—unthinking, instinct-driven, and hardly what we think of as images of God.  The Scripture assures us that we are images of God—with intelligence and free will.

The devil tells Jesus to turn stones into bread.  He should use his power to satisfy his own needs.  Often at meditation or during Mass, my thought turns to breakfast—not what I ought to be thinking about just then.  It’s a temptation to turn me away from my spiritual life, away from the Word of God or the Eucharist to shredded wheat.  It’s a poor exchange!

The devil urges Jesus to test God’s power to save him if he should act recklessly.  We Salesians are trained to say a prayer as we begin a car trip, and many of us pray the Rosary as we motor along.  But prayer doesn’t dispense us from paying attention to the road, nor allow us to put all the burden on our Blessed Mother, St. Christopher, or our guardian angels.  Nor should our confidence in God’s assistance induce us to put ourselves in any kind of moral or physical danger.

The devil offers Jesus all the power and glory of the world if he will worship him.  Just the other day, a friend of mine told me about a time when he was at a casino playing the slots, and a guy next to him was losing quarters hand over fist, then exclaimed, “I’d worship the devil if I could hit a jackpot here!”  My friend got away from there fast.

There are people who go that route—engaging in Satanism, witchcraft, and various dark arts.  God help them!  Most of us wouldn’t do that.  But how often do we sell ourselves out, not directly to the Evil One but to something less than God:  to leisure, to pleasure, to the pursuit of wealth, to some political leader or entertainment idol, to some ideology (like racism, nationalism, or sexism), or to our own ego—in the form of gossip, criticism, passing judgment, or arrogance?

Oh, we know about temptation!  So does Jesus.  And he shows us that we can turn temptation away and serve God alone. 

St. Paul teaches that “death came to reign” over all human beings, including Jesus, because of Adam’s sin.  But Jesus, after suffering the effect of sin, namely death, by his obedience to the Father has won for all of us sinners “acquittal and life” (Rom 5:18).  He has obtained forgiveness and grace for us after we’ve fallen for Satan’s lies.  “The many will be made righteous” (5:19), made holy and pleasing to God by the Spirit bestowed on us in Baptism, confession, and the Holy Eucharist.  And those made righteous by this gift of Jesus will “come to reign in life” (5:17), eternal life, with Jesus.

[1] Commentary on the Psalms, on Ps. 60, 3, in LOH 2:88.