1st Sunday of Lent
Readings: Genesis 2:7-9,3:1-7; Romans 5:12-19; Matthew 4:1-11.
On this First Sunday of Lent, the Word of God places before us the drama of human freedom. In Genesis, God creates man in dignity and trust, granting him freedom and asking for responsible love; yet man chooses disobedience, preferring illusion to truth. Sin enters the story, but, as Saint Paul proclaims, sin does not thwart God’s plan. Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more. God’s response to human failure is not abandonment, but redemption. In the Gospel, we see this grace embodied in Christ, who faces temptation in the desert. Though filled with grace, He is not spared the struggle; temptation remains a real battleground. Yet Jesus shows us how to stand firm: rooted in the Word of God, He rejects the deceit of the tempter, “Be off, Satan!” Lent reminds us that we, too, live between freedom and grace. Temptation will come, but grace is greater. Our task is to choose responsibly, to trust in the superabundance of grace, and to speak with Christ a decisive “no” to whatever distances us from the Father. Let’s reflect: Lent is strengthening through grace, as we exercise our freedom responsibly by rejecting temptation and choosing God with a decisive heart.
Don Giorgio