First Sunday of Lent – Sr. Helen Bellew, SNDdeN February 22, 2026 Matthew 4: 1-11 Matthew’s gospel sets the scene for this story and offers more detail than either Mark or Luke. After forty days in the desert, Jesus was hungry. I imagine that he was hot and tired as well. Jesus was fully human as well as fully Divine, therefore He would have experienced all of the effects of that extended time in physically challenging surroundings, in addition to the mental and emotional effects of that length of time in isolation. In this state of vulnerability, Jesus was tempted by the devil multiple times, in ways that would seriously hinder His Mission – His Mission to proclaim the Kingdom of God, and to teach us by His Word and by His example how to love and how to care for each other. The first two readings enhance our understanding and appreciation of the meaning of Jesus’ encounter with evil. The Genesis reading illustrates the introduction of evil into the human experience and how humans responded to temptation. In his letter to the Romans, St. Paul connects the Genesis reading to Jesus experience of the evil one: “Just as through […]