Catholic Mass Readings and Reflection February 22, 2026

22nd February 2026 (Sunday)

Psalter: Week 1

Readings of the Day

First Reading: Genesis 2:7-9; 3:1-7

The Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, “You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.” But the serpent. said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin cloths.

Psalm 51:3-4, 5-6a, 12-13, 14 and 17 (R. see 3a)

R/. Have mercy, O Lord, for we have sinned.

Second Reading: Romans 5:12-19

Brethren: Just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned. through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.

Gospel Acclamation

V/. Glory and praise to you, O Christ

R/. Glory and praise to you, O Christ

V/. Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.

R/. Glory and praise to you, O Christ

Gospel: Matthew 4:1-11

At that time: Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, ‘He will command his angels. concerning you’, and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.” Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship. me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.” Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.

Daily Gospel Reflection

Sunday – First Sunday of Lent

Main Point: Temptation does not usually look like a scary monster – it looks like a friendly conversation. We fall when we begin to debate with the devil. We are victorious when we, like Jesus, have trust in the Father this far.

1. In the first reading from Genesis, we get an idea of how much God loves us. He shaped man out of the dust of the ground. Think about that, God got his hands dirty. He then took His own breath and breathed them into us. We are dust and have become Divine spirits. It was perfect.

2. But then comes the snake. Notice his tactic. He doesn’t communicate with Eve in sword-thrusts. He leaps on her with a question. “Did God really say…?”

3. The devil is clever. He doesn’t begin by telling us that we should commit a horrible crime. He begins with having us doubt the goodness of God. He whispers God is holding out on you. God’s rules are fair so that you don’t get to have any fun. Saying, “If you eat this you will be free.”

4. Eve made a fatal mistake: She opened a line of conversation. She looked at the fruit. It looked good. She thought about it. And then she took it. Adam and Eve laid in and grabbed at power because they didn’t trust that God was wanting what was best for them.

5. Now fast-forward to the Gospel. We leave the beautiful garden and enter the dry and hot desert. Jesus had been fasting for 40 days. He is exhausted. He is starving.

6. The devil shows up again. He hits Jesus when He is weak. This is an important lesson. Temptation often comes when we are tired, lonely or hungry (HALT: Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired).

7. The devil makes the same old attempt. “If thou be the Son of God, cast these stones on bread.” He is saying: “Do your things for your use.” Feed your belly. Forget God’s plan.”

8. But Jesus does something Adam did fail to do. Jesus does not engage in a conversation. He doesn’t debate. He quotes from Scripture “Man shall not live by bread alone.” He slams the door immediately shut.

9. Next, the devil takes Him to the top of the temple. “Jump off! Let the angels catch you!” This is the temptation of pride. It is saying, “Force God to prove He loves you.” Put on a show.” Jesus is not one to test His Father. He knows God loves Him; He doesn’t need a stunt to show him.

10. Finally the devil shows Him all world kingdoms. “I will give you all this power, if you just worship me.” It is the temptation of the path of least resistance. Why sweat it on the Cross when you can rule the world now?

11. Jesus shouts, “Begone, Satan!” He chooses the difficult way of love instead of the easy way of power.

12. St Paul gives an explanation of the result in the second reading: Adam’s “No” to God brought his sin and shame. Jesus “Yes” to God drew the grace and life. Adam wanted to be God, Jesus chose to serve God.

13. Here is the thing for us today. We all have our own “desert.” We all hear those whispers. “Go ahead, nobody is watching.” “You deserve a little bit of pleasure.” Adding to the situation, “Take the shortcut, don’t work so hard.”

14. We cannot fight back against these voices with the strength of willpower. We are made of dust, remember? We are weak. We need to fight them with the Word of God.

15. Don’t stare at the apple. Don’t bargain with the snake: The moment you think it turns your eyes to Jesus. Adam hid from God in shame; let us run to God for strength.

My Practice: What is my most spectacular evil fruit? Is it gossip, internet addiction, pride or anger? This week when that temptation is whispering don’t answer it. Sufferers should pray at the drop of a hat: “Jesus, I trust in You.”